Drunk Driving Death on Las Positas Road

What a tragedy.

Shouldn't the story have said alleged drunken driver? And did the District Attorney's office actually investigate the incident and file the charges all in the same day -- a Saturday? It used to be that people were arrested in connection with a crime, which would then be investigated, with charges being either filed or not. Maybe the justice system operates differently now.

This is a shame. whatphotosb has a good point. I avoid many bike paths ever since there was a spate of car and bike accidents along Las Positas and Modoc area several years ago (just before texting was taking off.)

Still at times there is no avoiding taking a route with shared paths. It is too bad that the car and motorcycle clubs have so much influence in the scheme of things. This area is wrought with racers and whether it is the State or City enforcement, neither seems to be policing in the area. People do live in the area! This culture of bad behaviors needs to be stopped.

The city is in the process of taking control of State Hwy 225 and will hopefully, with the help of voters create a first rate separate recreational path along this route.

You people are unbelievable. The only appropriate comment in the previous posts is the very first line of the first post...this is a tragedy.

This was an amazing woman and it is not her fault, or the trail that she was on...but only the person that decided that it was OK to get behind the wheel of a car while still intoxicated.
The police were very careful to treat the crime appropriately, so this man and his soon to be lawyer, didn't have any loopholes to jump through.
And when you have an intoxicated person, and over 15 witnesses, there doesn't need to be too much investigating before charges can be filed.
When you drink and get behind the wheel...you're loading your gun and playing russian roulette with your life and unfortunately everyone elses.
Rest Peacefully.

These comments amaze me. A truly amazing woman was lost yesterday at the fault of nobody but the drunk driver. Nothing but positive thoughts should be flowing to those mourning the loss of this amazing woman in our lives and our community. She is dearly missed.

More people are killed by pigs than sharks. We attach undue significance to unusual events. Lots of people are killed by drunk drivers while they are in in their cars, but they don't stop driving. A jogger is tragically killed by a drunk driver, and people wonder why people jog? Life is full of risks. The risk of being killed by a drunk driver while you are jogging is extremely small. You will lose more years of life by being in poor shape than you will from being killed while jogging.

What an utterly senseless tragedy. Everybody knows better than to drink and drive. No excuses. Period.

And will the militant bicycle zealots please spare us all their whining; this is not about you and your insistence on owning the roads EVERYONE'S taxes pay for. Shut up and stop running stop signs, red lights, driving on the sidewalks and kicking people's cars as you push by in your attempts to be first through the intersection, preferably over the top of a hapless pedestrian.

This IS entirely about some poor woman jogging along, enjoying what should have been a lovely day out in the sunshine, being mowed down by some flaming eejit who drank alcohol, then made the decision to get behind the wheel and take someone's life.

Lock this waste of skin up and weld the d**n door shut. S/he doesn't need to be out breathing the same air the rest of us do.

What a horror.

What a tragedy. On a beautiful and joyous early morning a bereaving family was possibly robbed of a beloved energetic, community involved fun wife, mother , and grandmother, by another 's irresponsible split second selfish action behind the wheel of his or her death weapon. These mindless people should be locked up without bail if under the influence of drink, and prevented from driving any time soon. This carnage has to stop. Too many innocent and valuable people are falling victims to this senseless slaughter on the roads.

I am an avid bikerider, and I stop at stop signs, red lights, I have never kicked a car (but I've been hit twice by cars performing illegal maneuvers). I know a lot of other bike riders, and none of them do the negative things that Holly suggests.

By far the most dangerous risk on the roads is the unlawful behavior of car drivers, simply because there are so many car drivers, and because the `pod' inside a car (with radio, cell phone, and even now television) encourages a person to neglect the road and its environs.

This death of a jogger is an absolute tragedy. It would sure be refreshing if the reaction of everyone was: car drivers behind the wheel need to shape up and stop killing non-car travellers. Remember Kendra Payne and Jack Boysel.

Pedestrians have been using roads for >100,000 years, and cars have only been using them for 100 years, the upstart car drivers should be as careful as possible.

If I stop riding my bike than I've surrendered the roads to those car drivers who are thoughtless. I don't want to do that.

The other day I swerved to avoid a 18" wide and 4" deep pothole as I was riding my bike into a T intersection... a small road from my right intersected the major road I was on. A car, coming from the other direction on the major road was going about 30 mph and decided to make a left turn onto the small road, without stopping or slowing. I didn't see them initially because I was looking down to avoid the pothole. Through a combination of me swerving away from the car and the car screaching to a halt at the last minute we avoided a collision.

To the Positas victim of another careless (and maybe drunk) driver, there but for the grace of God go I. No-one expects a driver to plow into a group of 40 joggers. She had every right and expectation to have a nice morning outing, and the fault lays entirely with that one driver who was criminally careless. Just because we all drive and feel group pressure not to condemn careless drivers who kill should not attenuate our condemnation of the Las Positas killer.

And I just have to learn how not to look down for potholes any longer than I must, and instead keep scanning the road for careless drivers.

I was surprised by the commenters who felt that this demonstrates the risks of cycling or running in the bike lane of a road. To me this tragedy all too starkly demonstrates the risks of unsafe driving practices. If people took responsibility for the one (or more) ton vehicles they drove, cyclists and pedestrians would be able to use the roads they help pay for without risk.

In any case, it seems crass that some people have twisted a pointless loss of someone's life into yet another rant against cyclists and pedestrians.

For once Holly, can you leave the anti-cyclist dribel alone? This is not about you and your all-cyclists-are-evil fantasies.

Does anyone know the name of the lady who died?

The pro-biking crowd is using the death of this woman to push their agenda. Very classy, guys.

Why isn't the name of this lady who several bloggers here seem to know about being published?

If she's known in this community maybe some of us know her.

To those who point out that there is an opportunistic slant in some posts here; so what!

This is a news article. When are we supposed to get out our points, in the obituary? Again, my point is that the police have not kept up with enforcement. I do not understand how it is that racing vehicles and behaviors are allowed on our public streets. It all sets the tone of the community and this community is very permissive. I don't think it is the policemen's fault but probably a cultural problem that accepts this level of carnage.

Some of the problem has to do with the intensity of activities in our community. But that is why we need stricter enforcement with dedicated teams of law enforcement.. That is also why we need better and separate facilities.

KEYT reported the woman's name, Carolyn Samuels.

The driver, Albert Doan, has been charged with murder. Sure hope he pleads guilty and spares us a trial.

Tragic.

This world lost a beautiful, loving woman on Saturday. It is impossible to make sense of the fact that a woman training for a marathon to save lives could be killed in such a random act. It is rough going for those of us who knew her, so please be mindful in your comments that her loved ones may be reading these articles online in order to help them process what happened. Some of you may not care since this is the "news" and not an "obituary", but there was a victim in this news story and we should be respectful of that. She did not deserve to be murdered by a drunk driver, and it is ridiculous to turn around and blame the victim for doing something as life-affirming as jogging on a sunny day - and for a charitable cause, no less.

KSBY is reporting his name is Gregory Doan.

Any know him, know what his deal is?

I saw it on the 11 O'Clock KEYT news and they said he has a history of this behavior.

http://www.keyt.com/news/local/27748254....

SBbombshell, thank you. You are absolutely right. It is disgustingly narcissistic that people apply a tragic event to their own agenda. Those who did that should be ashamed of themselves. This woman, Carolyn, was loved by her family and teammates alike and she represented the best of our human capacity. a marathoner multiple times over...someone who's zest for life motivated her to set the alarm clock early to get out and run (and run for a good cause I might add). At 7:30am, the last thing a runner would be thinking about is a drunk and/or drugged out driver careening into them. So, don't use this story as a platform for your opinions but rather use it as a venue to express your outrage, sadness, or love for Carolyn.

I didn't see any notice that this jogger was in a bike lane. But certainly joggers, walkers, baby strollers, etc. don't belong in bike lanes, especially on a road where the speed limit is 45 mph. If a jogger is in the bikelane/path(especially if there are 40 of them), where is a bicyclist supposed to ride?

I've come to the opinion that bike lanes are more dangerous than no-bike lanes. They narrow regular lanes, and since everyone that isn't in a car or on a bike thinks it's ok to use the lane, that means bikes and cars get mushed into sharing a smaller area. I've ridden the bike paths/lanes in town. I live on a street with bike lanes, so I know of what I speak. Either abolish bike lanes or ticket non-bikers for using them. We're just allowing people to endanger themselves and others by making such lanes/paths.

Narcissim is for those who do not think that we are in the same boat here. The agenda I have is your agenda but perhaps I come across as being narcisstic or is it that are too narcisstic yourself to get it. Tally up the numbers folks. Official statistics will tell you all is well, but the numbers of deaths and injuries in this tiny little community add up to a big problem.

Holly: Please Shut up and stop speeding, running red lights & stop signs, killing pedestrians, joggers & cyclists while drunk or texting, and parking illegally.
And will the militant automobile zealots please spare us all your whining and complaining that because you saw a cyclist run a stop sign once that all cyclists are evil and don't deserve to live.

People put alcohol in their bodies for one reason, to dull their senses.

Even if one is slightly "buzzed", they can be impaired enough to cause an accident. Back in 2002 my Dad had been stopped and waiting to make a left-hand turn for several seconds when a man plowed into him. Several factors contributed to my Dad's survival. The driver had a .069 blood alcohol level and even though he was below the legal limit, it was determined in court that alchohol played a role in the accident. (DUH!)

When people drink or do drugs, they think they are just fine to drive, and THAT is the danger.

Real simple people: DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

I think you are all missing the point.
To me the fault of this is, of course, the drunk driver.
But, in my opinion, the true fault lies is the system which after 3 previous convictions of DUI let this horrible human being get near the controls of a 4000 pound killing machine again. This is the scary part.

Carolyn was a wonderful kind hearted human being who was doing what she loved, running while helping others. It is a tragic loss and she will be missed.

We will miss you Carolyn.

Reading the above pro / anti - bicyclist drivel and other selfish soapboxing makes me sick!

A local woman was killed. Period.

Have some friggin' heart and quit your whining!

An entire page of text and the most obvious question is not even broached. Were these runners running with their backs to the oncoming traffic or facing it as the law requires? I see joggers all the time running with their backs to the oncoming traffic. If one runs facing the oncoming traffic one affords themselves the opportunity to possibly jump out of the way of a driver impaired by prescription medications or alcohol. The local schools used to drill us on this every year. Did someone eliminate this from the lesson plan?

LasBrisas,
Yes, she was running opposite traffic. Don't try to pin the blame on her.