After Fatal Montgomery County Crash, Police And Parents Beg Teens To Be Careful

Elliott Francis May 17, 2011 – Following this past weekend’s triple fatal car accident in Montgomery County, authorities are urging teen drivers, their friends, and parents to consider the consequences of poor judgement behind the wheel. The Sunday morning crash, which took the lives of 18-year-old Spencer Datt, 18-year-old Haeley McGuire, and 20-year-old John Hoover was avoidable, police say. Authorities point out poor judgment is central to teen driving deaths, and they step up training and seminars for students every year in the spring. The state’s attorney for Montgomery County, John McCarthy, says parents need to do more than just hand over the keys. “This is a tough time of year. If there’s something good that can come out of this tragedy as we approach prom season, and beach week we should talk to our children,” says McCarthy. “Talk to our kids about some of the risks that are there for them, because this a real human tragedy.” Captain Thomas Didone is director of the Montgomery County Police Department’s traffic division. His son was killed three years ago while riding in a car driven by a drunk driver, and now he leads seminars at local high schools warning of the risks. “When a parent signs for a kid to get their license, it’s an awesome responsibility, and they have to make sure that they parent their child,” he says. The man suspected to have been driving the vehicle in Sunday’s crash, 20-year old Keven Coffey, faces 11 years in prison. He was ordered held for a variety of charges, including: failure to remain at the scene of an accident, not assisting an injured person, and attempting to elude police on foot. Updated: May. 17, 2011 at 6:52 am