Not to prejudice our minds before knowing all the facts but here's an interesting article from three yrs ago about speeding on the Parkway... it mentions the Terry case I referenced earlier.
The George Washington Speedway?FRIDAY, MAY 19 2006
By JOEL FOWLER
126 miles per hour.
No, that’s not the warm-up speed of Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jimmie Johnson in a test lap around Talladega or Daytona.
That’s actually how fast Georgetown University law student Drew Hoffman was clocked in his 2006 Infiniti G35 during the wee hours of March 12 on a deserted stretch of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Abandoned by everyone, that is, except for a U.S. Park Police officer in a Grand Marquis cruiser who finally caught the reckless spirit as he tried to elude pursuit.
Originally charged on three separate counts, Hoffman plead guilty May 11 to the lesser charge of reckless driving, a misdemeanor, in Alexandria Federal Court. The conviction carries with it a light sentence, though one that still landed the speedster in jail (12 days which will be allotted over four long weekends), on probation (one year in which the first 60 days he’s not allowed to drive), and a stiff fine ($1,200).
During sentencing, according to court transcripts, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry R. Poretz scolded Hoffman: “In 15 years on the bench, having adjudicated literally thousands and thousands of speeding cases, this is the highest that I’ve ever had.”
Youthful indiscretion?When asked for comment this week, Hoffman’s attorney Jim Clark, of the Alexandria defense firm of Land, Clark, Carroll, Mendelson, & Blair, characterized his client’s actions as “a momentary lapse in judgment.”
“It was four o’clock in the morning, and he was trying to impress a girl,” Clark said of the 28-year-old student. “He’s never done anything like this before, and there were no alcohol or drugs involved.”
When asked, as a lawyer himself, if he would have a problem hiring a new attorney like Mr. Hoffman who is likely to spend time behind bars, Clark emphatically stated, “If he applied and we had a position open, I’d hire Drew Hoffman in a second. He’s a bright, genial young man who’s learned a hard lesson, and anyone would be out of their minds to count this incident against him.”
However, Drew’s sentencer might beg to differ on this last point.
“This was an absolute lack of judgment,” Poretz scolded Hoffman. “You could have killed yourself. You could have killed the other person in the car. You could have killed someone else.”
Statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration support the judge’s fear for public safety.
Based on a report issued late last year, speed-influenced fatal accidents have been on the rise both regionally and nationally. In 2004, of the 925 traffic deaths that occurred in the state of Virginia, 253 of them (26 percent) could be directly attributed to high rates of acceleration. The final projections for the U.S. in 2005 appear to be only worse, with overall fatality rates increasing by 1 percent, after two consecutive years of decline.
On your mark…The well-paved, level lanes of the George Washington Parkway have enticed not only Drew Hoffman, but according to U.S. Park Police estimates, 1,700 other ticketed motorists so far this year, a pace that likely will far surpass 2005’s speeding totals.
However, the most disturbing trend to District Captain Jeanne O’Toole is the marked increase in the number of reckless drivers like Drew, who are caught going in access of 30 miles over the legal limit or 80-plus miles per hour, regardless of the limit.
“When you consider last year’s total was 600 and that we’ve already caught over 300 this year without the benefit of a holiday weekend,” Captain O’Toole explains, “well, that’s just scary.”
Get set…“If there is one bright spot to the Drew Hoffman case,” affirms Sgt. John Gott, a spokesman for the local GW Parkway District station, “it’s that it’ll highlight the start of this year’s Smooth Operator Program.”
Supported by more than 50 law enforcement agencies from the District, Maryland and Virginia, Smooth Operator consists of four intense, one-week aggressive driving enforcement “waves,” which will occur monthly from May through August.
So, starting this Sunday (May 21), all patrol officers will be targeting any unsafe and unlawful actions that demonstrate a conscious and willful disregard for safety, which includes running red lights and stop signs; following too closely or tailgating; changing lanes unsafely; failing to yield the right of way; improper passing; and, of course, speeding.
This year marks the disheartening 10-year anniversary of the triple fatality homicide accident that sparked the Smooth Operator Program’s creation.
On April 17, 1996, in a fit of road rage, Narkey Keval Terry and Billy Canipe, both 26, began dueling in their cars as they drove up the George Washington Parkway. After traveling at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, Terry’s Jeep eventually hit Canipe’s Beretta, causing the Beretta to spin across the median and into the southbound lanes, hitting two oncoming vehicles. Only one of the four drivers involved in the crash survived.
The “lucky” man in all this, Narkey Terry, sustained only a broken ankle and cuts and bruises to his face and chest. However, his high rate fate was not as fortunate as Drew Hoffman’s. In the same Fourth Circuit federal court where the Georgetown student would have his wrist slapped 8 years later, on Aprill 22, 1998, Terry was convicted on three counts of vehicular manslaughter and punished severely under the area’s first use of the aggressive driving provisions.
Sentenced to ten years, Narkey was made to carry out almost every day of his term. With time served, on February 27 of this year, the 36-year-old was released from prison a free man. But how “free” will Terry ever be after causing such tragedy?
(Mr. Terry’s legal counsel did not respond to multiple attempts for comment by The Alexandria Times).
Slow downIn this mad dash world, Captain O’Toole wishes more people would realize the intended purpose of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
“This parkway is absolutely beautiful. This road is the one General Washington would travel from Mount Vernon to the Capital, and we strive to keep up its appearance.”
In a final plea to motorists more concerned about getting to their final destination in a timely manner rather than in a safe one, O’Toole said, “The parkway was not meant to be the Beltway. So, slow down and enjoy your surroundings.”
http://www.alextimes.com/news/2006/may/19/the-george-washington-speedway/