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A WOMAN WHO tweeted ’2 drunk 2 care’ hours before causing a fatal road crash that killed two other women has been sentenced to 24 years in jail.
Floridian Kayla Mendoza drove the wrong way down a motorway at speeds of up to 154 km/h before crashing head on into another vehicle, killing best friends Kaitlyn Ferrante and Marisa Catronio, both 21.
22-year-old Mendoza broke both her legs and suffered head injuries in the crash and continues to use a wheelchair.
CBS News reports that she made a tearful apology in court for her actions. In February, Mendoza pleaded guilty to two charges of DUI manslaughter.
She has previously insisted that the ’2 drunk 2 care’ tweet was directed at her boyfriend, not about her decision to drive.
US media has been referring to Mendoza as the “pothead princess”, a moniker she had given to herself on her now defunct Twitter page.
Sky News reports that Mendoza’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit after she had drunk two large margaritas from “fishbowl size” glasses.
In letters read out in court, some family members said they could not forgive Mendoza.
“How do you forgive someone that ruined your life and your family’s life forever?”, one relative told the court
Kaitlyn Ferrante’s sister Ashley told the court:
“Drinking and driving is not an accident, no-one accidentally does it. It’s a reckless and careless mistake.”
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Say what you like about America, but at least they do justice right. Could you imagine that same case if it were in Ireland? We would be lucky if she got 24 months.
The man with no name they get approx 5 years and that doesn’t change even if they leave the person in a Ditch, move to Australia and destroy the proof In an attempt to get away with it.
Just glad she didn’t wipe out a family or young kids.
Her friends decided to get into the car with her knowing she was drunk, shouldn’t their family realize that too though, I don’t at all condone drink driving but I also wouldn’t get into a car with someone knowing they were drunk.
Not really. If she hadn’t caused a crash and was caught she would have got a slap on the wrist. Still have a licence and sent to a drink awareness class.
Drink driving is very common in the US because they are so lax on the punishment when caught.
@Ruth Taylor
The two women who were killed were travelling in the other car. They were not friends of Mendoza, who was travelling alone.
My bad, read it wrong! Definitely a deserving sentence!
Yeah, it’s not immediately clear, I had to read it twice to make sure that was actually the case!
I was kinda wondering nothing was mentioned about what happened to the passengers of the order car. Ditz!
A good lesson for anyone else out there who drinks and drives, I think a lot of people think oh it’s grand after a few, you just never know though, good to see a proper sentence handed down.
Volenti non fit injuria.
Oh I read that wrong too, thought it was her best friends in the car… Now this is a worse story because it was two innocent women
Yes you do lose your licence and it costs about $10 grand in legal fees and fines
“US media has been referring to Mendoza as the “pothead princess”, a moniker she had given to herself on her now defunked Twitter page.”
Eh, pretty sure you mean defunct.
It used to be funky but now it’s not.
“Mendoza’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit after she had drunk two large margaritas from “fishbowl size” glasses.”
holy crap whats the limit over there?
Me and my friend brought two boxes of bottles to a party in America a few years back and one guy shouts “the irish brought beers for the party”… We were like “they’re just for us”. They can’t drink at all.
The size of the glasses is stated for sensationalist purposes, not to quantify the amount of alcohol.. You could drink one shot of vodka from a goldfish bowl.
Bo…went drinking with a friend from Michigan a while back…two bottles of Heineken and he was nearly on the floor…couldn’t get over it!
Ah thats a fair point. I suppose the could well have been two huge glasses with only a unit between them.
Go to any collage in the states and you will see they can and do drink just as much as people over here. The difference is, they seem to grow out of it.
Yeah they just bring a 6 pack for everyone!!!
A sentence befitting a heinous act and proper order too.
we had a minister here who drove down a road the wrong way pissed out of his head and just go fined 750 and banned for two years just as well he had a state car and driver.
Her Twitter isn’t as funky as it used to be? Or did you mean “defunct”..
2 sober 2 care 2 fu(ks 4 u
Deserves her Sentence, but if the two girls that were killed got into the car knowing she was drunk, then the responsibilty needs to be shared around. Waste of 3 lives.
Read the article.
No need to be ignorant BOB. His point about shared responsibility is still valid.
@ bob what part of the article would you like me to read ??
Would you get into a friends car to get a lift if he/she had been driniking?
Apologies, read the article but did not pick up that they were not her friends!!
Thats whatni get for reading on the fly.
Sorry everyone.
I don’t think rereading this article will actually help but the two girls killed were travelling in another car and were not known to Mendoza
The article is really unclear.
I did the same thing, but if u look above at my comments the person who corrected me wasn’t quite as rude as Bob! Seems to be a mistake a few people have made.
I’m still on Monday time anyway :)
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