that appears to be the one that happened here in Atlanta some time back
Hwy 400 in N Atlanta, north of I-285. ...
story cut/paste, April 4th 2002 time frame (Neal Boortz possibly wrote commentary)
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We had a high-speed chase here in Atlanta yesterday. The chase ran for about 18 miles down Georgia 400 to the Atlanta perimeter highway. The person being chased was driving a Lincoln Navigator ? not an inexpensive vehicle ? and had just tried to write a bad check. Alpharetta police say that he tried to run one of their officers over when he fled. That being so, all bets are off.
I make no secret of my bad feelings for drivers who flee the police ? and for the relatively light treatment they usually get in court. These idiots put the lives of fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters in jeopardy with their stunts ? and kill innocent people all too often. When they are captured, as they usually are, they seldom receive harsh punishment or lengthy prison terms.
Well, this one ended just the way it should have. The video on my desk shows the Navigator (called a "truck" in the hold), being driven by Damien Lamont Harrington of Baltimore, Md., on the curving ramp from Georgia 400 Southbound to I-285. Harrington is passing cars on the right and left on this single-lane ramp.
He finally clips another car trying to squeeze through on the right. His SUV swerves to the left, crosses the Southbound 400 lanes and flips. As if flips over you clearly see Harrington thrown from the SUV ? into the air ? over the median divider ? and into the northbound 400 lanes, where he is promptly creamed by a northbound car.
In my insensitive mind this chase ended exactly the way it should One dangerous criminal ? a threat to the safety of far too many people yesterday afternoon ? is out of the gene pool, permanently.
I have absolutely not one ounce of pity for this SOB. He threatened the lives of others ? and lost his. The one person I do feel badly for is the poor sap heading north who finished him off.
Now ... how could this video save lives? Obviously, the now late Damien Lamont Harrington wasn't wearing a seat belt. Remove the drama of attempting to run over a police officer and a high-speed chase and all you really have here is a simple loss of control and a roll-over.
If he had stayed in the car ? if he had fastened his seat belts ? he might have survived. With no seat belt, he got thrown out of that SUV and launched into the air like he was shot out of a cannon. As Scott Slade told me this morning, "All of those wonderful automobile safety features aren't any good once you leave the car."
I have some friends who still won't wear their seat belts ? though they darned sure do when they're in MY car. I'll show them this video. Maybe they'll take the hint. I have no doubt that if this video were shown on every television news show out there, it would save lives ? but then the Harrington family might s
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