Several “accidents,” including one in a La-Z-Boy reclining chair with gas-powered motor (hey, who ever said alcoholics don’t get creative?)
Timothy Willgruber, 56, who took his own life a week after he killed his twin brother Thomas Willgruber in a freak “accident” (see the discussion on Heath Ledger’s death in the March 2008 edition of TAR for my view of such “accidents”) for which he was facing charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence. After both were drinking while driving to the Bethlehem, PA annual Celtic Fest, Timothy was having trouble parallel parking. When Thomas hopped out of the vehicle to help, Timothy backed into the spot and pinned Thomas between their minivan bumper and a sport utility vehicle, killing him. Such antics weren’t new: Thomas had previously pled guilty for DUI in 2000 and Timothy had done so in 2007. Alcoholism may have run in the family, as their late parents, Joseph and Geraldine, operated a bar in their home town of Allentown, PA for four decades. The brothers were reportedly the best of friends and a neighbor, Carl Himmelberger, commented that Timothy “would never cause trouble for anyone. I can’t imagine what he was going through.” Even seemingly benign alcoholism can take horrific turns.
Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 62, who pleaded guilty for DUI. However, he wasn’t driving just any old motor vehicle. After consuming “eight or nine” beers at a bar, he hopped into his La-Z-Boy reclining lounge chair equipped with gasoline engine and stereo and was heading home when he crashed into a car. His blood alcohol level was .28 per cent—which, using the chart and analysis in Get Out of the Way!: How to Identify and Avoid a Driver Under the Influence, would translate to the 24-ounce variety of beer.
Flamboyant lawyer John O’Quinn, 68, who won billions in verdicts against makers of breast implants, pharmaceuticals and tobacco, killed when the SUV he was driving skidded across a rain-soaked parkway near Houston and crashed into a tree. While stories of his legendary drinking escapades were common among friends and enemies alike, he claimed to be sober in recent years. However, he may have been driving as fast as 60 mph in a 40 mph zone and neither he nor his passenger, who also died from injuries sustained in the crash, was wearing a seat belt. You never know when or under what conditions an addict will relapse, but you can observe the behaviors to calculate the likelihood.