I live in the area and remember this tragedy. A day at the wineries ends very badly. Now we have 2 lives ruined.

Please people, wear your seat belts. And of course, don’t drink and drive. The problem is, once you have been drinking your judgment is impaired, and you can’t make the right call, so you have to plan ahead. Quit drinking hours before you drive. Drink a couple of bottles of water instead of that second (or third) bottle of wine.

Shane Anthony…let’s see if I can impress you with my editorial skills. Instead of, Ashley P. Matthews, 24, of the 1100 block of Spencer Road, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault while driving while intoxicated for a crash on Highway 94 near Defiance on May 17. How about, Ashley P. Matthews, 24, of the 1100 block of Spencer Road, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault for driving while intoxicated resulting in a crash on Highway 94 near Defiance on May 17.

Wow, Is this the follow up to the article about how dangerous that road was and needed some major MODOT roadwork and fixer upper?

It looks like the real story is the Ashley’s were just stone gassed out of their gourds and crashed. I’m guessing the Ashley that was thrown out of the car and killed was not wearing a seatbelt either.
Entirely preventable it appears!

Joe -

I think the story you are thinking of was the recent fatal crash of two 16-yr old girls who lost control and hit a subdivision sign.

There was no drinking involved in that tragedy.

When is society going to down play drinking BOOZE rather than make it look like “THE” thing to do.

There is nothing good to be said for BOOZE.

OfallonDude…if you want to be an editor, get a job at the Post.

The Stu…It looks like someone needs to edit some of these stories. I can’t tell you how many times you’ll read these stories and they just don’t make sense. The P-D editors must be asleep at the switch.

To Jim Allen…there’s nothing wrong with folks enjoying an alcoholic beverage or two. The probliem lies in the failure to plan for these occassions.

If you’ve ever spent an afternoon at the wineries, or any tavern for that matter, it’s mind-boggling to see that the vast majority of drinkers never give a second thought to driving home druunk. It’s safe to say that a huge percentage of people reading this article, myself included, have simply been lucky to not have crashed and killed someone.

Joe Blow…you should really keep your comments to yourself…There are people out there who’s lives forever changed on that day and by adding comments like that doesn’t help.

Ofallon Dude — Thanks. I know you comment regularly. I’m not offended by readers making suggestions.

I made some changes. Frankly, the original sentence had too many prepositions in it, so I took a different route. Yours would have been fine, too.

I hesitate to say more about language here. The story is a sad one for all involved, I’m sure. A drawn-out discussion about writing seems inappropriate. You are welcome to e-mail me at santhony@post-dispatch.com.

Joe Blow — TLg5 was correct. This crash is unrelated to the crash featured recently in an article by Susan Weich and Joel Currier. I do not have any information about whether Ms. Walker had consumed alcohol that day. We will follow the case to see what happens.

Shane Anthony | Post-Dispatch