Mangled cars and manslaughter charges

My heart goes out to the Families of All that were involved. Parents teach your kids CARS ARE NOT TOYS!!!!!

Whether Davis had road rage or not I do not believe that he should be charged with manslaughter. Its obvious that the teen in the truch was trying to pass on the side of oncoming traffic. If you look at Davis' vehicle he could have easily lost his life also. So basically he is being charged because he is the only survivor. I feel sorry for the family of those kids I really do but the road is not a place to play. Davis should not even be involved he was just caught in the middle.

Michigan has a history of over prosecutrating too many cases. Michigan built a lot of prisons in the 1980’s to replace all of those lost auto jobs, and wants to fill the prisons to make more jobs.
Now they are crying at the cost of keeping all of these people in prison. So who do they want to let out? SEX OFFENDERS!
Most of these Prosecutors are politicians looking for that vote!
Many people found guilty are over sentenced and it is just one more family ruined!
Then our Attorney General Mike Cox goes after all then assets to pay for their prison cell.
And of course the papers need to sell newspapers!
Peace
Jane Doe

If those boys would have driven back to school like responsible drivers they would still be alive today!!! It's their fault and Mr. Davis is just an escape goat. Why aren't the other boys on trial? They are just as responsible.

I feel that the teen drivers should have been charged as well as Mr. Davis.

The prosecutions case is weak. He did not start the aggressive driving and the facts make it sound like he was in the wrong place at wrong time. My biggest problem with this case is that mr davis's case is first. The boy who knew the high school kids and was involved in the "street racing" from the start is much more at fault and should have been charged first.

I can't believe that the defense attorney said that they were lucky that they didn't have a wreck before the fatal one. How would this make them lucky! I feel sorry for the families and the other boys. I hve been in a similar incident but I took it upon myself to pull off the road and call the police and I hope prevented a similar fate.

Davis wanted to be involved when he got into that middle lane and passed the truck! This did have nothing to do with Davis until he joined the childs play! Just as guilty!

I support the other comments – roads/streets ARE NOT playgrounds. Idiots who think the street belongs to them, harm everyone. It is too easy to have that sort of situation involve innocent parties who then have to find a way to get out of it the best they know how. The responsible parties in the situation are the boys and they ALL should be held responsible.

I saw the opening statements of both attorneys. This event has so many different descriptions from numerous wittnesses that the jury will never be able to decide Davis' gulit or not. Hung jury or not guilty, guaranteed.

Davis has a responsibilty here as well as the other driver. All should be punished. If Davis really got out of the truck to fight them. He will be judged far greater than what we can do to him. He is really unsure looking and worried. His demeanor seems to follow along with someone who would retaliate against these boys. His attorney needs to make him more likeable. My brother was killed a boating accident, water was low and boueys were not marking low spots so definitely an accident, taking a friends life with his. So I know the family feels horrible as would my brother would he have survived We felt horrible and felt some responsibility.

I don't want to be critical, but please get rid of Mike Brooks. I've never seen anyone who seems to think he's an expert on EVERTHING (except maybe Nancy Grace). I actually hit the mute button when he is talking. IN SESSION doesn't need anymore arrogant commentators. He obviously thinks he's on his way to super-stardom. Vinny and Brian need to run the show,not Brooks.

First the passengers were the ones who are deceased and the driver has been charged. How are they responsible.

With so many vehicles and so many different drivers engaging in such wreckless activity I think this prosecutor will have an uphill battle trying to pin this on one person.

Hello, watch you guys everyday, love your show. I live in Michigan around 12 and Gratiot and was woundering if you will be ive at the court house?? Would love to come and see Beth,Jean,Beth.
Might even come sit in the courtroom.
Thanks.

The kids should have never been doing the things they were, but, i dont believe any one person should be responsible when everyone in the car played a part in tossin the bottle back and forth and distracting the driver. the driver should have been paying attention and not messin around he should lose his license for the remainder of his driving career but i dont think the manslaughter charge is supported with the evidence especially when almost all of the eye-witnesses are tellin a different story.

I'm confused with this case. I don't understand how Mr. Davis is even on trial for these charges when there is conflicting testimony! From the way it sounds these teens were driving very wrecklessly and brought the accident on themselves. I have a teenage son that I love very much, and I pray that he is never involved in something so tragic. However, if he was foolish enough to put his life and others in danger by driving so carelessly, I would hope I'd have enough since not to try and blame someone else for it. Mr. Davis I feel has already been punished enough just by being involved in this horrible event.

If there were 3 vehicles involved, why isn't the driver of the third vehicle being held responsible for causing the accident?

I personally don't understand why this man was charged. The prosecution already admitted that the teens were driving erratically for miles. Seems like a tragedy but the three teens put their own lives at risk by doing what they did. And I personally feel they are responsible for losing their lives. It is time for everyone to stop laying blame at others feet for our own poor judgement.

Mr. Davis is neither the scapegoat nor the villain. He chose to become a party to this tragedy, thereby aggravating an already dangerous situation. The ultimately deadly action was a direct response to his involvement, so he should bear consequence. That's his duty to society now.

Although this was a terrible thing that happened, everyone is responsible for his/her actions. Road rage or not someone got hurt, and died. People need to realize that life is very serious and to use common sense. But Davis should not have to be on trial for the stupidity of others. Maybe parents need to teach more responsibility to their kids.

This is just another example of why teens should not be able to drive before they reach the age of 18 and I even question that age. They get these cars at young ages and think they are invincable out on the streets and things like this happen. Year after year we see more teens dying in auto accidents. If Mr. Davis would have just called the police and kept his distance he wouldn't be in the court room right now, although I think this accident would have still occurred sad to say.

"How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it" – Marcus Aurelius

It is obvious that Mr. Davis was acting out of road rage against the teens involved in the accident. I will be the first to admit that I struggle with a little road rage, and sometimes on the road, it is easy to try and punish others around you without thinking about the consequences. The smart thing to do would have been to pull into the far right lane and let the misbehaving teens pass you, then report what you saw to the police. However, Mr. Davis chose to "challenge" the teens and pass them at high speeds. When doing so, Mr. Davis over-corrected his searing, thus colliding with the school bus, causing a domino-effect behind him. I believe that this case is an act of gross negligence because Mr. Davis forcefully put himself and others in danger by his own reckless driving.

I know it is early in the case, however, as a driver (angry sometimes and not others) I do NOT see how Davis "caused" this accident. Wasn't he in FRONT of the car that crashed? I know the whole "fake braking" thing but the fact remains that the teen driving the teal pickup truck is the one responsibile for the 3 deaths of his friends. HE WAS DRIVING that truck!

Mr. Davis had a AK-47 assault rifle in his vehicle.Lets see if this comes out during your show.Not something that all of us carry around with us in our own personal vehicles.

The problem is that Mr. Davis got involved. Even if he was trying to help as some sort of vigilante, it was not his place to be involved. His involvement led to, rather than prevented, an accident.

Is it possible there were any security camaras in the area that might have captured the crash? Since there seem to be different versions of the events from each side, this would be helpful to clarify it all.

No one predicts death. Those teens were wreckless and out of control and that's what teenagers do esp. when they are w/ friends. They tend to show themselves. Mr. Davis was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They hit an empty school bus!!! Are they going to put the bus on trial??? Even if Mr. Davis wasn't there, the crash still would've happened.

I am Traffic School Instructor. This sounds like road rage to me. It sounds like Davis was break checking the kids. After listening to this case. There is fault on both sides of the fence.
I talk about this danergous behavior every weekend with my Students. When folks get in there cars they change there personality. It happens all the time. This is a shamful loss of life.
Donna

Davis should be charged with what he gets, I believe that if he wasn't there then this accident would never have happened. Yes the teens were driving recklessly but still it's not like he meant to kill his best friends. It was a freak accident and yes the teens will still get prosecuted as well but i think that Davis should get a harsher punishment.

I cant believe severity of this accident and nobody will take responsibility for the death of another person or persons....
Don E
Carlisle Pa

Congratulations for the best show on TV.Please can you re-run you trial coverage in the evening? The Schack trial was incredible theatre, far better than fiction Isn't that the way it usually is...
Waiting for the Davis trial to unfold but my initial impression is the state is seeking a scapegoat. I have to wonder why there is not a charge for "inducing road rage" since to lose one's temper is almost never an uncaused event.
Contributory negligence perhaps but total guilt seems inappropriate at this opening stage.

My prayers go out to the families of the children.
Yes, childs play can sometimes be very dangerous.
But I believe Mr. Davis decided to play and this was the result.
And I agree with the former commentor, Please give him a white shirt to wear. He does come off negative with that black shirt on.

All of the driver's in this accident had a responsibilty to act within the rules of law's that they should have been aware of. The kid's who were killed were playing a deadly game. I think wether or not Mr. Davis had been involved, these kid's were headed into a deadlly path. Mr. Davis was just an added game in the matter. These kid's should be accoutable. They put a lot of people in danger's path. They were playing, and driving is not a game. Dead or alive..those kid's were at fault.

I thought there were 3 teens in each truck. Sounds like 4 in the Dodge truck. Where are the other two? Did they leave the scene? If they prove road-rage, then Davis and the teen driver are equally responsible. I wonder why the other teen drivers are not being charged.

I believe that Mr. Davis is innocent and never should have been charged. It is my opinion that the young man who was driving the vehicle that those young men died in should be held solely accountable as he was driving erratically and showing out. I see young people everyday driving like they own the road and will live for ever. This should be an awakening to them.

I have been in Police work for over 20 years. I am appauled that Davis has being charged with this crime. Whatever happened to accountability? Unfortunatley, these teens made several poor choices that resulted in their own deaths. Hopefully, some good will come out of this and make other teens rethink their actions while driving an automobile. My sympathy goes out to all involved.

I have drivers pulling in front of me all the time. Drivers seem to put on their brakes for no reason...But if you rear end them it's your fault. At 17 years old, driving 90mi. an hour, tailgating, no way do you have the driving expertise. No seat belt, you would be tossed around so controlling your body by holding on to the only thing available...the steering wheel..control would be impossible.
What if an elderly lady pulled into the turn lane...is she responsible? No, you should not get a death sentence for being stupid but you could and in this case they did. Seems like a lot of blame to go around.

Mr. Davis on trial is a farce. Even if Mr Davis dared to try and pass these reckless teens who had no regard for the life of the innocents around them, the teens chose to engage him and move into the middle lane, which is illegal, in an attempt to pass and as a result lost control, hit a school bus and do to even poorer decision making, weren't wearing seatbelts which undoubtedly contributed to their deaths. The prosecutions' attempt to downplay the teens' reckless behavior was insulting. They were maniacs who clearly were more interested in horsing around with killing machines (cars) than caring about others on the road or potential risks of their actions. The driver of the car that crashed with the 3 teens should be found guilty when he eventually goes to trial, charges should be brought upon the other teens who were not injured and Mr. Davis needs to be found not guilty.

Also, it seems like it's impssible to convict Mr. Davis anyway with conflicting testimony. If the Prosecution can't even prove where each car was prior to the collision or what exactly happened, how can they prove without a doubt that it's all due to Mr. Davis' actions?

Stephen Davis has already been convicted of three counts of negligent homicide.

I think prison should be saved for those who are a danger to society. (Sex offenders, murderers)
Both drivers do not need prison time to emphasize how wrong their horsing around was. The consequences of their foolish actions are punishment enough.

The state of Mi. Is known for going after the victim in car accidents. I feel mr davis shouldn't be charged at all the high school boys were clearly at fault not him.

It's usually never good when people get killed but its always better when it is individuals who were part of the cause. Had it not happened this day they would have probably kept this nonsense up until someone, possibly individuals completely minding their own business got buried.

Ryan Smith showed a diagram of what may have happened. It looks like LaCoursiere basically crashed into the front of the bus all on his own, without the help of Davis. I think Davis is 100% innocent.

Davis should not be charged! This whole case is ridiculous! There are plenty of car accidents that happen every single day and I personally have seen FAR worst wrecks! Yes, 3 teenagers were killed, my heart and prayers go out for those families, BUT the kids should have been more careful. I am a teenager myself and I do realize my car is a PRIVILEDGE to drive and NEVER should I or anyone else take advantage of that. My prayers go out for Davis too because this is NOT his fault and he is suffering as though it is!

I am sorry for the famlies of these teens, BUT the only people at fault here are the teens. Everyone of them should be charged with what Mr. Davis is being charged with. Mr. Davis is the victim here. Those kids are all at fault, if they had not been playing games this mess would not have happened.

One of the things I'm grateful for is that no kids were on the school bus. I do have to question, though, why the blame is being laid on a couple of people when all of those kids were being reckless? I think manslaughter charges are a bit of overzealous prosecution and I sincerely hope that something like this will send messages to kids who treat vehicles like playthings, driving them with abandon and not thinking of the possible consequences.

I watched the reconstruction of the accident and it didn't make sense. How did Davis' car get so wrecked in the back? According to Insessions' reconstruction, he over steered and hit the bus, which would suggest he was behind the pick-up. If he was behind the pick-up, how did he cause the accident? It seems to me that how the accident happened is crutial and the Insession reconstruction didn't cut it. I would like to see more on this.

mike-
the truck was behind the car and the truck went into oncoming traffic to pass mr. davis, the truck then went head on with the bus and i'm guessing bounced off, then mr. davis turned right hard, cuasing his car to slide sideways and the rear drivers side of his car impacted with the front of the bus, it was hard to interpret but i figured it out

I was in an accident in march of 2006. It was so similar. A friend and I were weaving in and out of slower traffic until we collided and i slid into a pole at 55+ and was pinned in my truck from the waist down. So in the deffense of Mr. Davis i think that the teens would have eventually wrecked anyways. We sure didn't think we would and i now have the brutal scars and hardware in my legs to remind me everyday that cars are not toys and should be handled with the outmost respect.

This case screams for reform. A driver's license is a privilege and with privilege comes responsibility. Just because you reach a particular age does not indicate maturity and, sadly, this sort of situation occurs much too often. Perhaps raising the driving age would help; however, the courts then need to prosecute the so-called "adult" driver who feels that drinking and driving is acceptable as long as you don't get caught. I would only hope that other young people would learn from this horrible tragedy but, as we all know, history repeats itself over and over with no lessons learned. I pray that all those who lost their loved ones will find peace....

Did many of you read the article? The driver of the pickup truck, LaCoursiere, (which carried the teens that died) is being charged with 3 counts of manslaughter as well as Davis. Davis is not the only one being prosecuted. Also, Davis was much older than the teens and should have known better.. If he was minding his own business, he would have pulled off to the side of the road. But, the fact that his vehicle was crashed into the front of that bus as well (as the deadly pickup truck) puts him on that road, most likely doing something irresponsible as well. Who I feel bad for is (not only the kids [who passed away] parents) the school bus driver, who was doing nothing more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I agree that InSession's version of the accident reconstruction and events that took place on that highway that led up to the accident were a bit confusing and left me asking more questions as to how/why the accident occurred. Why or what would cause Davis to oversteer if he was in the passing lane & in front of (LaCourseiere's) pickup truck with none of the other teens vehicles (or any other vehicles that were involved, in some way, with this accident) in front of him to cause him to oversteer? Was it because he was in fact messing with these teens and was distracted from driving safely by watching LaCoursiere's truck (in his rearview mirror) trying to pass him in the oncoming traffic lane, so he (while in an act of road rage) cut into oncoming traffic lane as well so LaCoursiere could not pass him? Then, he looked ahead briefly and seen the bus coming and quickly swerved right to try and get back into the lane he just left (the passing lane of the correct side of the road) and did not have enough time? This could have blocked some of LaCoursiere's view and when LaCoursiere seen Davis swerve sharply to the right to get back into the other lane, it was already too late as the bus was right in front of his truck. Maybe this is why Davis' car was wrecked into the front right side of the bus and LaCoursiere's truck continued straight into the bus...? To hit that bus with such a force as to dislodge one of your front tires and embed it into the bus engine, Davis' car had to hit the bus head on (if only clipping the very far right front of the bus) as well....

Mr. Davis would not be on trial at all if he had simply called 911 and reported the irresponsible behavior of these kids. That said there appears to me to be a greater culpability on behalf of the teens than Mr. Davis. How do you determine what percentage of negligence can be attributed to each party?I'd really like to know how the prosecution figured that out. Also have any civil suits been filed as a result of this accident??

it all makes sense if you really think about it

I'm missing something here. I know it's early in the trial but something does not make sense. I wish all the accident photos were posted, but from what I saw on TV and my prior position with NYS as a Vehicle Safety Inspector, It would appear to me that the vehicle Davis was driving was the vehicle that made the initial contact with the school bus. Possibly he lost control while trying to overtake the vehicle on his right. Mr. Davis vehicle then would have swerved with the rear left side coming in contact with the front of the school bus. While this was happining the vehicle LaCoursiere was driving having no other choice would have had to vere to the drivers left crossing into oncoming traffic to avoid hitting Davis or the other pick-up and hitting the school bus head on. It will be interesting to hear the testimony throught this case. My heart goes out to the children who lost their lives and their families. But until the accident investigation team can present their evidence of the chain of events which led to this accident Mr. Davis in my opinion would be responsible for reckless driving at minimum.

When did this horrific accident happen? I can't seem to find any info about that.

Thanks

Stephen is paying for his part in this and James is applying for his license on Monday March 8th, 2010 at 8:30am same floor, same court room, same judge,let's see what happens? James trial is on April 6, 2010.Will he go to trial or get a deal? Will you cover and air those dates???

i think they all were equally at fault and that jail time is not the answer.Everyone has suffered enough already.By putting Davis in jail you are not going to teach teens to be more responsible behind the wheel.Teaching needs to start at home .

What does the state of Michigan have to gain for prosecuting these individuals?

I have little knowledge on legal cases such as this but who exactly is clamming criminal charges, or who exactly filed a claim for manslaughter?

Road rage is an issue that needs to be nationally addressed. Everyone is susceptible to it because we all feel entitled to the road when we are inside of our vehicles. Until then my kids are not allowed in their friends cars. Tragic, but predictable. These young men would be better served and could serve society better if they were given community service to draw awareness to a national epidemic.

I understand why the defendant is on trail and that one of the young men involved in the accident is going to have a separate trail...but is the other young men although are dead going to share any responsibility as they also played a part in this tragic collision?

To everyone, including the Defense, who says the crash would have occured anyway....YOU DON"T KNOW THAT. YOU ARE NOT SEERS. It's like saying a plane would have crashed anyway because the runway was slick, even though ATC misguided them.

Mr. Davis inserted himself into the situation, and took actions that provoked the actions of the driver of the pickup. If Mr. Davis pulled over like he should have, and the teens crashed "anyway" it would have been in an entirely different set of circumstances, that Mr. Davis could not have impacted.

And to Q Scott's point above, let this be a lesson to everyone (myself included) that if you choose to insert yourself into a situation involving road rage, you've no one to blame but yourself if you find yourself in a courtroom with your fate in the hands of 12 strangers...

How does the State of Michigan justify charging the only one person not guilty of a traffic violation responsible for the death of three people who becme victims of driver who obviously caused the accident by illeillegally passing in a left turn lane. I don't know the speed limit on this highway but Mr. Davis, speed (too fast or too slow) did not compel nor justify ANYONE passing him in a turn lane

d
davis.

From what I get from this case is there is two pick-up drivers horsing around. Why was the second driver not charged? Mr. Davis was angry at the kids and was in front of the one pick-up. The accident with him could have happened by him watching in his drivers side mirror which would make him drift left. Watching in his mirror at the truck and the pick-up driver was so close behind because Mr. Davis was hitting his brakes. The driver of the pick-up was watching Mr.Davis acting crazy with the brakes and they both noticed the bus too late. The one in the pick-up pulling even further to the left to avoid hitting Mr. Davis. To me I feel Mr. Davis is lucky to be alive for his actions and won't own up to any of it. The kid in the pick-up knows he was wrong and is suffering the lose of his friends and knows he's the reason they are dead. He will pobably plead guilty. Thats why I think Mr. Davis is being tried first.

Sorry what I said made no sense. I believe the gentleman Davis should hold some responsibility but not Vehicular Manslaughter...if there is something one step beneath that, that is what he should be charge with and on trial for as he did play a part of the collision that took those 3 boys lives. All of them including the boys that lost their lives have some responsibility of what took place that day.

I would like to know under the law what will happen to the other teens in the other trucks. no matter if they were involved in the fatel crash they were all involved in the upcoming event that took 3 young teenagers lives. Will they be in a court or under the law only the drivers of the two crashed vehicles. Every one was involved. The other trucks should also have some accountablity

Stupidity is inherent in all teenagers! Some live to tell about it & some don't. The dumb cliche' that perhaps other ones can learn from their peers bad decisions is a joke! Teenagers are invincible!!

first i would like to say my heart goes out to all of the victims and their families, although i feel that
MR. DAVIS IS 100%INNOCENT!!!!
This is a case of the prosecution needing a scapegoat and doesnt want to blame any of the teens(and yes i know the one teen driver is being charged with 3 counts as well as mr. davis) BUT all the teens including the passengers should have been charged with something,even if its being reckless, they started the nonsense way before this poor bus and mr. davis and his brother in law came into play,i feel mr. davis was in the wrong place at the wrong time and i hope and pray he is let go and i will pray for all the people involved in this horrific situation..
and i agree a white, or light colored shirt is much better for mr. davis, black doesnt look very friendly
God Bless

I do not believe Mr. Davis should be held responsible for the deaths of these teens. What he did was wrong, but he was not the proximate cause of this accident and the subsequent deaths of the 3 teenagers.

The proximate cause is James LaCoursiere. While driving recklessly and at speeds of over 80MPH in the shared center lane, he pulled out into oncoming traffic in what appears to be an attempt to pass Davis on the left.

I work professionally in determining auto accident liability. I do think that Davis was partially negligent and did get involved while having a case of road rage. I would contribute 15% of the responsibility to Davis, 75% to LaCoursier, and the remaining 10% to the teen in the vehicle that appeared to be blocking Davis in to his right. I do not believe that 15% is enough to send the man to prison for any amount of time. James LaCoursiere is a different story. He should certainly spend some time in prison for his negligence and reckless driving. Though it would be unlikely for a jury to place any negligence on a deceased passenger, the 3 teenagers who were killed also bear some responsibility in their own loss of life because they were not wearing their seat belts and from the witness accounts, they were also engaging in inappropriate behavior.

These teens were driving recklessly and they were out of control. Their behavior was dangerous and deadly. While I am not one of those people who thinks that any accident involving teenagers is the teenagers fault and that we should pull the license of every teen driver and make them wait til they're in their 20s... this appears to be a clear case of immature teen drivers, behaving inappropriately behind the wheel.

Stephen Davis never should have gotten involved. He was angry and he was trying to teach them a lesson. James LaCoursiere did not need to respond. He could have backed off, gotten back in to his correct lane of travel, and continued on his way. Instead, he engaged in a dangerous game that cost 3 of his friends their lives.

I certainly have sympathy for the families of the teen-agers but do not agree that Mr Davis should be on trial. The driver of the truck was placing everyone on the road at ristk!

Even though my heart goes out to the teens families, Mr Davis involved his when he began to play along with the teens,even if it was unintentionally he should have acted more maturely and pulled of the road I dont think he should have bare the responsibility of the three teens dying because of another teenagers wrecklessness.

Why another taped case?

Good morning,

Not sure if this was ask, but are all the players involve seating at the same table. The prosecution seems to be seating beside the defendant.

Francine
Canada

They stated that there where 3 pick-up trucks invovled. The driver of one of them is testifying now. Why weren't they also charged because of their invovlement?

My husband and I are watching the trial and have become so confused. The trial indicates there were 9 teens. Except for LaCoursiere's vehicle, which had 4 teens, how many teens were in the 2nd & 3rd vehicles?

I feel so bad for the families of the boys who lost their lives. Most of the accidents that happens leaves the driver alive. This is to the passengers of anyone who is driving. If that driver is driving recklous, then asked the driver to stop and then get out. The driver is the only one in control of that vehicle and you will be the one hurt or killed. Davis did get involved and he should be in trouble, but he is not the one who made these vehicles crash. He knows now that he should have just backed off. The driver who hit the bus should have been the only one charged for killing his friends. I know that we have lost so many young lives around my home town and it is sad, because some were alcohol related and some were just children driving stupid.

Paula
Sherman, Texas

Mr. Davis got caught up and boxed in by these three vehicles on a game they played on a regular basis. Can't tell me the boys just "got stupid" for the first time that day. Sad thing is they lost. They were driving erratically for an extended distance and had every opportunity to slow down when they saw or should of seen the school bus. Just goes to show you how intense they were playing, wonder how many other "close calls" the boys had before this one!! Mr. Davis was a victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I am awed at guest comments about Mr. Davis' black shirt. Black is a sign of respect for the dead, would the viewers have felt better if he wore a red shirt?? I don't think the jury is going to focus on the color of Mr. Davis' shirt! Unfortunately, this was an accident waiting to happen.

Mr. Davis is not guilty. i know 3 kids lost their lives, but parents need to teach their children that driving a car is a dangerous thing. when you drive you put your self and every one around you at risk. i go to college witha bunch of high school students and i always wait for them to leave because these kids do not know how to drive safe. i always arive early at school. because they will race. kids really need to be more careful when they drive. i know the parents of the kids who died in that crash are hurting but their kids are the ones who were driving carelessly. i see this stuff every day. kids want to race while driving. Mr. Davis is not guilty. the kids were the guilty ones. parents teach your children that driving is a serious thing.

Based on what I've observed – the teens hold a lot of the responsibility – the accident wouldn't have occured if they weren't playing around. Too bad Mr Davis got caught up in such a bad situation. My sympathy to all concerned.

I am concerned that Mr Davis is on trial first given the fact that Mr LaCoursiere was the first vehicle to strike the bus. He held the 3 victims and was the one who was responsible for his passangers.

If infact this is road rage, which maybe it was, I don't see why Mr.Davis has to be on trial for manslaughter.

Sue MN

i am in my 40s and when we get off work on a pretty warm spring day we drive like crazy also. most people have driven crazy from time to time. i think davis didn't like the fact that a bunch of kids were passing his car, and he was going to show them that they couldn't pass him. i think he and the driver of the blue truck should be in prison. it breaks my heart to see the parents of the young boys. i wish this was the last time that people drove crazy on the road, but it won't be.

Living in Michigan and know the area in which this happened, I would want to asked the young man on the stand why he had the cruse control on. To put your cruse control on when you have a street light at every mile road doesn't sound correct. I don't believe he put it on for gas savings.

I agree DAVIS should NOT be charged with horse play from teens! I graduated in 07 and I am guilty of all the things these kids did including having a game of Paintball going on in the back of our trucks going down the road. Even if he did do something to stop them like swerve in front of them or something THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY SPEEDING AND THE KID ON THE STAND HAS LIED 4 TIMES ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has changed his story like twice and LIED about 4 times!!!!!!

Why is the defense attorney not objecting to the prosecution feeding dates, names, information to the witness Tozer? For example, when the young man couldn't even remember the starting times of school days, in the next line of questioning the prosecution stated "in the school year, running from Sept-June..." The witness NEVER STATED those times...followed by did you ever see anyone passing, playing games, etc Tozer" no" next question did you see "anyone like (name) and (name of teen drivers" Why is he being allowed to lead the witness like that? This was a HORRIBLE accident but sadly comparable to the deficiences in the legal system and the horrible, slanderous, and misleading comments, and summary judgements (excuse the reference) made by people who don't like shirts, to investingating officier not liking attitudes, prosecutors wanting to make a name for themselves, right down to judges who are soft on certain attorneys because if they don't get appointed or elected the next term the judge may very well be applying at the law firm of the attorney infront of him/her. I do not believe that people comprehend how broken or corrupt, if you please, the "system." I feel sorry for anyone that comes in contact with it as a victim or defendant...the only winners in it are the exploiters who profit from it privately such as attorneys or make a lliving through it working at any county, civil, and governemental level. Perhaps it is simply it is Florida who is generally power and prosecution crazy. I never realized this until a school course exposed me to a criminal classroom where Florida was daily, every session, handing out 7 and 8 year terms to 18, 22year olds and anyone without money for a defense as if it were candy. It is far worse for children caught in Florida's "Destruction of Children and Families" aka DCF. Many thoughts here but same sentiment for the country...there is no justice, simply a legal system where many are employed and profit but if you are looking for justice it doesn't exist. This is an extremely horrific and sad case but surely not something any one of the drivers would have chosen.

whats the odds of two trans am on the some road its not like were in the 70s and thay were popular louie costa pittsfield ma

The 3 kids driving the trucks should also be charged the same as Davis.If Davis is found guilty and given prison time so should the other 3 drivers.They should all receive the same sentence for being the cause of 3 deaths

How do you know it's 4.1mi. between 2 points and you know you were going exactly 57mph, but you don't know what time school starts? Seems strange that he knew the answers that he was preped for but didn't know the answers to questions that he wasn;t preped for. This was towards the end of the school year, not the beginning. I also thought the D.A. was playing on the emotions of the jury by turning off all the lights and showing the victims with the overhead light like a halo over their heads. Don't get me wrong this was tragic, but stick to the facts. I want to here the independent witnesses. One needs to be careful what you ask for, you may end up getting it.

This is just another example of teenagers being out of control and their parent's refusing to accept responsibility for their behavior. Blame it on someone else rather than accept the cold hard truth that their own child's behavior was the cause. If parents would spend half the time teaching their kids before a tragedy as they spend trying to transfer blame after a tragedy, maybe the amount of tragedies would diminish.

We live in an era where "my kid can do no wrong" and "it surely must be someone else's fault". Such attitudes result in these horrible tragedies. Parents, start teaching your kids that THEIR actions matter and that THEY are responsible for whatever result their actions lead to.

Ignoring the outcome of this tragedy, when does an act resulting from one's bad thinking processes, absent any malicious intent become an indictable criminal offense?

I love your program....but has anyone ever told you that the VOLUME on your show is so low that we have to crank it up to 100 on the volume control just to hear you? thanks

The loss of such young and innocent lives is indeed tragic but unless there is overwhelming evidence that Mr. Davis engaged these teenagers in an illegal act he is not guilty of anything more than being at the wrong place at the wrong time. My heart goes out to the loved ones of the victims of this horrible event but many times todays society focuses the blame in the wrong places. Those inexperienced teenage drivers were young and foolish and 3 of their friends paid the price.

I find it hard to believe how this 17 yr old kid (at the time) is the only one who obeys all the laws of driving. I dont think he is being 100% honest about his driving because he dont want to get in trouble by his parents.

As far as Mr. Davis, there should be quite a few more people on trial right now, including the witness himself. It took more than one driver and vehicle to cause this terrible tragedy.

Nobody should be charged. This case doesn't pass the smell test, and goody two shoes on the stand isn't copping to his role in the accident. Bottom line: Both are responsible for driving illegally, yet, you cannot prove both did it, so one cannot be held responsible.

it look like a nascar car race at 50 or more miles per hr and only 1 or 2 car lenth just to fast to close

Why is this case even in the courtroom? The teens were clearly in the wrong. A waste of the taxpayers money. I hope the jury can see the truth in this case.

My teen-aged sons were not allowed to obtain their driver's license
until they were 18. Now, both in there twenties, they see the wisdom of that decision. They also took a safe driving class at a local two-year college where they showed the devastating results of unsafe driving and lack of defensive driving and had more hours behind the wheel training. Education does help along with some added maturity before getting behind the wheel of a possible deadly weapon.

I am a parent of a teenager in highschool. What I don't understand is why these kids were driving their own vehicles. If this was a sanctioned school program, why weren't they in school busses? My daughter attends a magnet school and often leaves for school classes and functions, even weekend programs , the kids are always provided school busses. They are the responsibility of the school until dismissal.

I believe Mr. Davis was involved, regardless of what any of the rest of you say. He is just as much to blame, and instead of him joining in the games, he should have reported the teen drivers, and maybe all the lives would have been saved!

Unless I see this wrong, the diagram that the prosecutor is using is different from the actual photo. The diagram shows enough room for a car to actually fit into the "center" lane. The photo shows no room so that when a car goes into the center lane it would be into oncoming traffic. This may mislead the jury.

Well said, Meghan! I absolutely agree with you. You nailed it on the head in this case!

How is that Tozer can give a minute by minute replay of vehicles driving erratically down the road weaving in and out of cars and yet claim he was driving carefully as not to damage his dad's car and that he was only going 55-60mph? How could he have kept up and how could he see around other cars as his friends as he claims was weaving in and out of traffic?

P.S. Another reason people tap the brake is because someone is riding up on your bumper – which is illegal to follow too closely. It's a way to tell the person to back away from your vehicle.

This is eveyone's fault. The teens should not have been driving like this but they do not deserve to die for it. Davis is also at fault because he was playing the same games as the teens were, so you cant just blame the teens. You have to remember that how Davis was driving was endangering lives too. People are too quick to pin all the blame on teens. If Davis did not like how the teens were driving, he should have just called the police instead of "trying to teach the a lesson" by being a part in causing their deaths.
(Btw...the teen driver of the crashed car is being charged too)

In watching this i have my own visual of what happened,When the one boy jumped into the left hand turning lane to pass Mr. Davis then pull back in front of him,If the boy had hit his brakes in front of Mr. Davis,Mr. Davis may have pulled some to the left to keep from hitting the boy,Then another boy was in the left hand turn lane to pass Mr. Davis and there you have it.There is no way he is guilty of anything.

I believe Casey Tozer is lying, and he does not show any remorse for someone who lost his friends. He knows that he is in the wrong, and is trying to push the blame off on an innocent victim who was in the right place at the wrong time. The truth be know, that is not the first time those teens were playing street Hockey.

I found Mr. Tozer's testimony self-serving and he does not seem credible. He has an "interesting" memory; recalling things in great detail about what Mr. Davis was doing, but not being able to 'recall' what he and his friends were doing. I bet his memory will become more fuzzy during his cross-examination.

The fact of the matter is that Davis got angry at the fact that the truck was passing him at all. He intentionally swereved into the truck, forcing it not just into oncoming traffic, but a bus. His decisions and action alone caused the accident and deaths of these young men. It is a tragedy.

Where there are parents who do not want to hold their kids responsible for their bad choices in life and want to blame someone else for them instead, you will find kids that belong to them that do not take responsibility for their actions or consequences for their bad choices either

This is a horrific tragedy for all involved, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and others impacted. As a Police Officer in Metro Atlanta, I have worked, unfortunately, several fatal wrecks. Several people have mentioned why other drivers did not call 911 back at 30 Mile Road. People were probably in shock at what type driving manifestations they were seeing. Just last week dispatch put out a call on a reckless and possible drunk driver. I was one traffic light from the area given on the radio and was checking the area within thirty seconds and the vehicle was gone. I ended up locating the vehicle headed back the other way after he had turned around on a side street.
In this Michigan case, even if an Officer was in the area, and a lookout was put out on these young men, due to speeds, this was unfortunately a set of circumstances already set in motion. The time delay alone from placing the 911 call, to dispatch putting the call out, to the Officer responding, everyone was behind the ball to start with.

how is this the school bus drivers fault.... if the kids would not of been doing this it would not of happened....

All drivers in this case share responsibilty BUT Mr Davis is suppose to be an adult. The other parties are/were kids. When he encountered this bunch of kids acting like dumb kids, he got mad and started acting just like them. He should have know better and have the largest portion of the blame!,

i believe kids his age are more afraid of their parents than the court and will do anything including perjury to make sure he does not get in trouble

It seems that each driver was equally reckless. Why is Mr.Davis the only person on trial? Young Mr.Tozer seems to have a selective memory and I don't trust his testimony!

My thoughts and prayers are with the parents of the youngs men who lost their lives in that terrible accident. So many of our teens think nothing could happen to them. I work some night until midnight. sometimes on friday and saturday nights I am almost in tears before I get home because of the teens on the highway. They are racing along side each other yelling,darting in and out in front of cars cursing and making U turns. some of the trucks even have 5 or 6 teens on the back. I have called to police but it seens that nothing has ever been done.

i really feel for all involved here, 5 yrs ago i lost 2 sons and their friend in a car accident, my son was a 21 year old driver,the other 19 and the friend 18, all in my sons vehicle. fortunately no other lives were taken but were definitly changed forever. our children are not always as responsible as we think. i do believe no one action caused this tragedy it was the actions of all. charging any of the survivors will not bring those lost back and they ARE being punished daily for their actions. found gilty or not will not bring closure to the families, there is never closure just acceptance . MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO ALL

My thoughts and prayers are with the parents of the youngs men who lost their lives in that terrible accident. So many of our teens think nothing could happen to them. I work some night until midnight. sometimes on friday and saturday nights I am almost in tears before I get home because of the teens on the highway. They are racing along side each other yelling,darting in and out in front of cars cursing and making U turns. some of the trucks even have 5 or 6 teens on the back. I spoke with an officer about the teens and he said he stopped a teen one night and the teens said if you give me a ticket my dad will just pay it off so it won't matter.

The Jury would have to be blind not to see that this testimony is protecting actions of the three pick-up trucks. I can see that Mr. Davis was attempting to avoid a problem but by the actions of these teenagers he was put right in the middle as a scape goat. NOT GUILTY.

I think Mr Tozer is more concerned about his own self .more than he is about getting the truth out about his friends death. He has got a smart mouth and is very arragant. VERY POOR WITNESS

I have never been so happy to hear that davis got the full time.. (even though he should have got more).

Ryan, where does this trial go if Mr. Davis says he was making a lefthand turn, making the reason he was going left, NOT knowing that someone would be passing him in the turn lane made for turning. I don't think the blame is pointed in the right direction. Hard as it might be, the blame is on the teal pickup, as well as the horseplaying coming up the highway.

Stephen Davis had a choice that day, HE made the choice to get involved with the teen's wreckless driving, making him part of the problem. For every action there is a re-action, and re-action has a consequence. Decision can change the direction of your life, even take it. THEY ALL made a decision that day, from not wearing seat belts to getting involved with the teens wreckless driving. There is a lot of talk about teen's driving habits, but let's not forget, he is an adult, not by much, I'll give you that, but an adult none the less. They all need to accept their part in this senseless accident.

I think that this whole situation is horrible. 3 teens lost their lives. All parties are guilty of reckless driving, including Mr. Davis, but I don't think anyone intended for this to happen. It was a car ACCIDENT, and I think the replay of the event in the minds of all that were involved is enough for them all to have to live with. VERY SAD SITUATION. May God be with all that were affected by this tragedy.

Tozer claims that "Doyle" speeds to get in front of "Davis" and then Doyle slows down in front of Davis causing him to brake. Then Tozer says that he gets up behind Davis and Davis applies the brake.

It almost sounds like these teens were trapping Davis. Wasn't there someone to the side of Davis also?

I feel horrible for the families that lost their children, but let's take a closer look at those children. Mr. Davis should assume as much responsibility for this horror... and so should the boys involved, both living and past. They ALL made terrible decisions and should share in the outcome of their fateful choices.

Something is not right here. Why is Mr. Davis break checking the kid going 57 mph? That kind of flies against the prosecutions theory, doesn't it?

i watch your show everyday and it always bothers me that you show pictures of the vitims as smilling happy people but then always the defendant look angry and like a guilty person,to try to put it into peoples heads right from the start that the person is guilty.Likke this case, Davis is NOT GUILTY but yet the picture you use of him make him look like hes a convict.

i knew the kids in that accident, i went to school with david doyle. i agree that the teenagers should not have been fooling around on the road thats not the place to do it, but if Mr. davis had not involed himself in the actions of the teenagers then non of the teenagers would have died.

So far, I tend to lean toward the defense. Although Davis might have made some quick (wrong decisions)..I believe that the overwhelming evidence will show that the others, who were racing and 'showing off" caused the accident Have you ever seen somone coming up behind you at an accelerated rate of speed on the freeway? The first thought is to slow down-to affect the speeder to also slow down. How many times have you observed this-and pulled to the shoulder (or at least the center lane)-to avoid a rear-end collision? Usually-there is not enough time-to get out of the way. In California-it is an everyday occurence-on I-5. I agree with others-that more stringent measures must be implemented-before a Teen gets their license.

if davis is not guilty then why would he try to fight these kids that where in the crash? if that is not road rage idk what is.

Mr. Davis is the adult in this and should have called 911 and reported the teens activity not violate every law on the road to"teach them a lesson" that action of passing the teens in the median and then brake checking them initiated the accident for that fact alone he is guilty but the other drivers are also guilty of the same charge because there actions instigated the whole event.

i think the parents are at fault by allowing these childern to be in control of an automobile under these circumstances-mr. davis may have some issuses here with neglect while being behind the wheel, at this point i would say not guilty

Oh, the arrogant attitude is beginning to slowly drain from Tozer's little face. He lost his credibility, in my book, after about his 6th answer - on direct! This cross examination looks like maybe it is his first experience with being shown that he's not smarter than the person he's being questioned by, that he hasn't thought up ALL the answers ahead of time. So now, since he's sort of making parts of his story as he goes along, the poor baby appears to be getting obviously tripped-up.

All I have to say for young Mr Tozer (in words that he would probably understand) is, "Lier Lier, pants on fire!"

I believe all drivers are guilty. And should be charged including mr tozer. These kids need to take responsibilty for there actions. Mr Davis was involved so he is guity also.

Mr. Tozer seems to have selective memory. He doesn't seem to remember anything that might incriminate him,but seems to remember everything about Mr. Davis' actions. Why is that I wonder?

All 3 drivers are criminally at fault. They all engaged in horseplay while operating a motor vehicle. Their actions were reckless to saythe least, and they were endangering the lives of everybody who was in a vehicle and on the road at that time. I think Mr LaCoursiere, who is awaiting trial for his actions, should have been tried first though. If there were a conviction of this driver first, I believe it would be easier to convict Mr. Davis for the recklessness he displayed that day. Davis joined in on the horseplay of the teens, and it sounds like he did so out of anger, and not out of concern for the safety of others. He should have call 911 and reported the incident to police, as any other responcible, ADULT driver would have done.

It seem obvious to me that the kids tried to do somewhat of a "pit manuver" because of Davis "crowding" the center lane preventing them from passing again. Escalation gone horribly wrong.

Forensic science can very solidly determine if Mr. Davis swerved his vehicle in order to keep the other driver in check or physically made contact. The issue of contact is not as much up to someones' opinion vs. the science which does not lie.
The butterfly effect dictates that everyone was responsible in some way, either direct or indirect. There is no way Mr. Davis was not involved, but the majority of the blame and the reason for the accident and senseless deaths were on the teens. Thanks God there were some survivors.

I always find it interesting that a bunch of teens, driving erratically, can blame someone else when an accident of this nature occurs. Watching the case on T.V. i just heard Mr.Tozer testify that the boy that was rammed had tried to pass in the CENTER lane TWICE. My heart goes out to these families it really does simply because i have lost friends to similar wrecks, but how can you blame someone who simply had no involvement other than he passed them ONCE. And why are these other boys not being charged with wreck less driving? And how credible is Mr. Tozer's testimony when he can even remember what he said? I don't know is not a good answer when you have given TWO written statements and a VERBAL statement.

Why has no one mentioned that even if Davis was in a state of road rage I find it impossible to believe that he would be stupid enough to "ram" his very small grand am into a very large dodge ram truck. It is plain physics that the grand am would suffer serious damage and potentially cause his own death and that of his passenger. I do not believe Tozer at all.

I think everyone is guilty. If the teenagers had all lived who would be at fault, everyone that participated that day. The one gentleman that is involved probably did have some anger due to the speeding cars. Why do we have to blame someone? Is it because the other teens are dead? They were all in that car on that day. It is a miracel that no children were on that bus.

This Kid on the stand is lying through his teeth................He knows very well him and his buddies were driving recklessly.............My heart goes out to the families of the boys who lost their lives lets hope this is a lesson for All drivers .............Stop the nonsence

I live near chesterfield and am familiar with that area. Gratiot is a dangerous road to begin with, and in my view, the defendant is an older more experienced driver, he should have done everything he could to avoid any conferentation. But he chose to act like the teens! Im just glad it didnt happen one more mile down the road at 23 and gratiot! alot more lives could have been lost. VERY DANGEROUS ROAD!

I believe the defense is becoming desperate in trying to convince the jury that this has nothing to do with Mr. Davis. If this were a true statement he would not be in court right now facing manslaughter charges, and there also would not be 3 dead teenagers. The responsible thing to do as an adult is to either call the proper authorities when you witness such behavior or just avoid the situation all together. If there was going to be an accident either way dont you think it would have happened LONG before they got all the way down to 26 mile road? My belief is that if Mr. Davis would have just minded his own business and avoided the reckless driving by the teens there would have never been an accident and there would not be three families who lost everything in the blink of an eye.

I believe Davis shouldn't be charged. It's blatantly obvious the teenager is lying. He has no remorse for lost friends, and seems to be hesitating with lots of "uhm, uhm"s and "I don't recalls." My heart really goes out to the defense.

Quite frankly, Tozer seems as if he is a pompous individual seeking to save face for himself and for his deceased friends. For one to recant on as many statements as he (Tozer) has, then, hurriedly corrected by the defense, surely illustrates Tozer as a sycophantic teenager not taking responsibility for his role in the accident.

Tozer is lying. He stated that at all times except for when he was "brake checked" they were traveling at 55-60 mph. PLEASE!!! Oh c'mon......rage enough to pass in the center median?.....They had to be flying!

I think Mr Davis is was neglient because here are teens driving crazy ,and as an adult he should have called the police and got there liscense plate and not drive crazy and should have been the bigger person and i think he is responsible for the teens games

And I do not believe if Mr. Davis had avoided them the best he could then none of the teens would be dead. If he had avoided them the only difference would be the name of the defendant.

It seems to me that Tozer may have been following Mr. Davis too closely. If Davis "brake-checked" him and it caused him to slow down 5 to 10 miles per hour it only seems to reason that he was too close to properly control his vehicle. His testimony thus far has been lacking any sense of credibility in my eyes.

one word, TESTOSTERONE!!!!! we all know how the male population is, especially teen aged boys. take that show off mentality and pair it with inexperience and sadly this is sometimes the outcome.

I am a Black African American man I have a comment about the black shirt that make him look like he belong in a mafia gang, what if he wore a white shirt, what would he become then, an angel

I have been listening to the boys testimony, I don't find them crediable witnesses. I was involved in a serious accident and trust me every minute stays with you. There is no "I don't recall" You do remember everything for years to come.

We have just been told that the brain's "braking system" does not fully
mature until our mid-20's. Couple this fact with a 17-year old male
driver with the soaring levels of testosterone that you have at this age,
and you have a potentially explosive situation.
Why, oh why do we give 17-yr olds driver's licenses?

At the risk of sounding "sexist", I will add "17-yr old MALES"?!

These 3 individuals placed themselves in a position of tragedy waiting to happen, as well as innocent other people. If, as the prosecution states, Mr. Davis could have removed himself from the situation by "backing off" and if again as the prosecution states Mr. Davis was engaging in road rage, then would it not be expected that the boys could not "back off" as well? Is Mr. Davis to assume all of the blame because he was the "adult" in the situation? I am sorry for the loss of these 3 young lives, but it is my understanding that when licensed to drive, we are all expected to act like adults.

So the kid's truck didn't touch Davis's car at all yet it's somehow his fault? The heck you say!

why isn't stephen davis in the courtroom?

I agree with Reggie. I think most guys have "brake checked" people who are tailgating. It is a way of letting them know that you are not OK with being tailgated.

Mr. Tozer did not sound believable. He answered "I don't know" when it came to admitting the boys responsibility in the accident. I was in a serious accident over 20 years ago and believe me, you remember every minute of the horrible accident. There is no forgetting. I still can remember the accident like it was yesterday. I am a mother and grandmother now and I want my kids to know that a car is a lethal weapon and to treat driving it like it can kill them or others.

I am having a real problem with the witnesses for the prosecution..they cant seem to recall anything! They all know exactly what happened, they were all a part of this irresponsible behavior, they need to be held accountable! It was inevitable that a crash would happen, it's a miracle that more people were not killed! Davis was simply in the right place at the wrong time! Case closed!

I was able to watch the start of the trial yesterday, but am not able to agree that Mr. Smith should be on trial for manslaughter. He should be on trial for acting just as stupid, if he was indeed playing with the teens who were driving recklessly. No one can say for certain if the teens would or would not have crashed regardless if Mr. Smith wasn't involved. It is a tragedy no matter how you look at it, especially for those who are innocent and still have to deal with it for the rest of their lives.

Why is this man on trial? He got caught up in a group of teenager's game. They, and they alone, caused this accident. Passing in the turn lane and jumping a curb to pass in a grass lane? This man got caught up in this game. It is tragic beyond comprehension, but should this man be held responsible? Absolutely not! The young man that testified could not remember, "didn't recall", looking straight ahead, was driving carefully, doing the speed limit, according to his testimony. Sorry, I think not. This is a group of teenage boys. Not credible. Also, if one the group of boys is on trial, why not all drivers?

Was Davis the cause of the accident – No. Did he contribute to
the accident – from a Civil view would probably share responsibility.

The direct cause of the accident was Doyle attempting to pass
with a high rate of speed in the left turn lane – just a young guy
attempting to show his friends those superior driving skills.
Such a tradgedy . . . .

This amounts quite simply to 10 children playing with loaded guns. Who is more to blame??? I would say that the blame is shared by all. There is a rule in my state that says something like "the hand of one is the hand of all" if death occurs during the commission of crime, though this was a tragic accident, seems appropriate for this case.

Teens should be older to get a license. We all know that experience matters. How many of us have had to navigate such a situation? Or, an old lady or man coming off the ramp onto the interstate only to slow down to 30 mph? We somehow figure out how to not have an accident. If someone flips me the bird, I move over and let them pass. Occasionally, if someone is so close to me as to touch my rear bumper, I slow down a bit, causing them to pass me. I don't know if that is legal, but we all do what we can to avoid accidents. Teens just don't have the maturity or experience to do so. Diane

The kids may have been throwing bottles, but they testified they were all following the posted speed limit. I think Mr. Davis was the one acting immature when he decided to try to resolve the situation with his vehicle. Leave the protection of the citizens to the trained professionals, the police.

The witness on the stand, Toser (spelling?) is an outright liar. Just watch his body language and the smirk on his face.

As a juror, I would find it difficult to convict Davis. All participants were involved. Just because several of these participants were friends, does not dismiss their involvement. If gross negligence is the question, wyh then, is Davis the only one on trial, and not any of the other participants? Possibly a lesser charge would be easier to convict. Then a civil suit against Davis.

I am sitting here watching this and shaking my head. It is a sorrowful thing what happened but I don't believe that 3 manslaughter sentences is justified here. When kids play games in cars only tragedy can happen. I have been in a situation where two young men were racing on a two lane road towards me, it was a scary situation, lucky one chose to slow down and get behind the other car, otherwise it could have been a bad situation. Calling the police would have been of no consquence because the kids would have well be gone before any intervention could have happened. I am not saying you get involved to try and stop the action, but sometimes you become involved even when you try to get away from the situation. At this point of the trial, I would have to vote a not guilty for the defendent.

I've been a Paramedic for over 20 years. I have been on this type of accident scene over and over again. Everyone involved is as guilty as the next. The three lifes lost will never be recovered. None of it would have happened if those involved including Mr. Davis, were mature enough to be entrusted to drive and 2000 pound missle down the road.

Immature "braking systems"in the brain, coupled with the
stratospheric levels of circulating testosterone you get in
the 17-yr old male - this is always a potentially dangerous
combination. It leads me to question the wisdom of issuing
driver's licenses to these boys - why not wait until they are at
least 21?

It appears to me as if all of the young men involved only remember things that dont incremidate them selfs as doing something wrong,their stories dont match its too bad mr davis has to be involved in a trial for an unfortunate mishap caused by teenagers playing games in a situation that calls for care(driving a motor vehicle) My thoughts go out to all the families involved but convicting an innocient man isnt going to be justice

i think mr.davis is guilty he caused the accident. I don't know why everybody says it's the teenagers faults,they were going along when mr.davis started passing and breaking in front of them mr.davis assuming they were having alittle fun with him got mad (road rage as we call it)there's so many reasons why he's guilty.mr.davis hit the truck the truck crashed into the bus and that's how he ended up hitting the bus too.If mr.davis wouldn't of done what he did this accident wouldn't of happened.mr.davis used his car as a weapon!!!

These children were playing around on the road and some how Mr Davis got involved. But as Rose C. said he had to brake check Tozer trying to tell him to back away from him.

If anyone thinks that these teenagers will tell the truth everyone is dreaming because the teenagers will do anything to get out of trouble ANYTHING because they caused the death of their "good" friends.

This sort of thing has happened to us that someone is to close to us and we are going the posted speed limit and when my husband would tap his breakes of our car and they would back off and most of the time they are young boys doing it they just want us to speed up and get out of their way.

I just hope the parents have to understand they had children that liked to play around on the road and stop with the blame game.

I'm 38 and a mother of 3, one son and one Grandson. I have one thing to sayabout Tozer. If I was Tozer and one of the other friends that lived. I dout I could remember much either. I'm sure to this day, it effects them mentally seeing their friends lay there dead. My son-in-law is 20. He likes to drive wreckless and fast with my daughter in the car and I'm afraid, that oneday I might be the one sitting in the courtroom listening to something familar to this. In my view, I do think Mr. Davis had something to do with this accident. Due to him being around the age of 21 at the time of the and no yet lived enough in his age to learn to advoid conflict of others on the road and stay out of the way crazy behavior. I think Mr. Davis is just as guilty as all of the other driver's in one way or another. They all were to young mentally to realize what might happen.

Can someone explain to me how all these kids involved managed to spend the next 18 months not discussing the accident with each other? I am amazed that no one questioned the answer.
Also, the prosecutor is probably one of the most strangest attorneys I've ever seen on t.v. He thinks he's funny.
For me, I personally have tapped my brake pedal when someone is riding my bumper, so they will back off. I have been tail ended once and am very scared when someone rides my bumper.

i must be really dumb i have never heard of break checking, and i'm in my 40"s, it's apparent the boys were playing games, is it possible that the teal truck hit mr davis and then lost control? it's easier to blame someone than to accept the fact that you are at fault. having been a victim of someones actions while driving i have learned to be extra careful of others while on the road. if someone follows too close or is going too fast i let them pass,it's not worth a ticket or my child's life or anyone elses. only they know the truth and will live with it for the rest of their lives. my heart breaks for everyone involved. god bless them all and keep them all safe. there will never be justice in this case no matter the out come. everyone one loses here.

What a unique way of distancing your self from the truth,"I don't remember". All three of these H/S student are as responsible as Davis. All of them are just chidren trying to act like adults.

We don't allow anyone to vote until the age of 18, but children can obtain a drivers licence at the age of 15. I believe the age should be changed so this type of road rage or games children play at on the highways would not happen. They are responsible for the deaths of their friends. Where were the police when this was going on?

I find it hard to believe that those young men were all doing 50 or 55 and obeying all the traffic laws.Why would Mr. Davis bother with them?

It appears that yall have these teens on trail ( just because they are TEENS0 making no sinse to me at all.I don't think this man (Davis) meant to kill these boys but HIS wrecklessness did.I think it could have been more of a jellous like rage as well as road rage.I see the wedding band maybe he was jellous of the fact that he had to go home and be hubby an the boys were full of life and having to much fun. So he pulled over to slow them down and connected causing this accident.

I really think that all of them should be held responsible. They all knew better on how to act and it should not matter hold old you are you should always know how to act on the road especially if you are driving a vehicle.

This is why I do not believe Davis should be charged as he is: if the kids were not on that road, Davis would not have been in an accident. If Davis were not on the road, there is still a VERY good chance those boys would have ended up in an accident. Possibly Davis should have gotten Reckless Driving or maybe even negligence. I am so sorry for the families but I do not believe Davis' behavior should cause him a possible 45 year sentance. Perhaps the prosecuters would have fared better with much lesser at stake.

Having had 5 teenagers, 3 of them boys, I know for a fact they aren't all angels when their parents aren't with them. For some reason, even when they know better and know that they could get in trouble if they were caught, they are willing to take risks they wouldn't otherwise when they're in the company of their friends and peers. This sounds like one of those instances. It"s all fun and games until someone gets hurt or killed. Unfortunately even with this tragedy, this same type of thing will happen again somewhere. It sounds to me like they still don't have a clear picture of what really happened that day. Toser's testimony is a bit self serving for nim and his friends.

A bunch of irresponsible kids, obviously goofing around, driving carelessly and erratically.
The one witness was totally uncredible. He could remember everything the defendant did/said, but couldn't remember anything he or the other teens did.
The entire accident is a tragedy. Kids goofing off is no excuse for an adult to exhibit road rage, however. You get as far away from them as possible, as quickly as possible and call law enforcement on your cell phone and let them handle it. You don't take the law into your own hands.

In the end, two wrongs don't make a right. Davis should never have gotten involved. If he was trying to be a responsible adult he would have called the police and reported the horseplay on the road. His actions at the very least caused even more distraction for the teens. A responsible, concerned person would have stayed behind the vehicles, contacted the proper authories and reported the incident. He is just as responsible as the other drivers in this!

Unbelievable when the Prosecutor moved the 'toy' vehicles around the board after the young man put them where they were. It was obvious the truck in the speed lane was not pulled up to the light...he was hanging back so the bantering could continue with his friends. Amazing the defense counsel dod not object...talk about leading a witness. I know what the verdict is in this case and all I can say is the jury did not do their job.

Sure Stephen is the target. I just feel sorry for everyone invovled. Even for Stephen, we all have yelled out from road rage,and even gave people the finger, but Stephen sure went way to far on this one.I'm just saying it could of happen to any of us.Some road rage gone wrong,and obviously im sure Stephen didnt want t kill these handsome 3 boys. Sure their sad deaths are worth more then 15 years in jail each, but I cant stop picturing myself being in stephens shoes.

One other thing that seems to be popular thought that i object to is that age matters in accountability. It certainly IS a factor in the stupidity of decisions, but Davis himself was only in his early/mid twenties. None of this should be a factor. When you are of legal age to obtain a liscense and drive on your own, you are just as accountable for your actions on the road as someone 30, 40 or beyond. I know plenty of teens and young adults who obey the laws and do not act in this manner just as I know full grown adults who do.

I see teen-aged kids driving recklessly every day while taking my son to and from school and was unlucky enough to be involved in an accident with one of them a few years ago at a T-intersection. The boy tore up the whole passenger side of my car...the side my son was sitting on...because he thought there was no need to come to a complete stop at a big red stop sign and look both ways before proceeding. Just a couple of months ago, I witnessed another teen driver hit a parent's car who was waiting in line to pick her child up. Just as the parent was making the turn into the driveway, the teen driver got impatient and decided to pass the line of cars on the wrong side of the road. The 2 mile stretch of two-lane narrow road from the main highway to the school has a 35 mph marked speed limit. I've seen these kids traveling at 20 to 30 miles over the limit, passing cars with very little room to spare, tailgating with less than a car length between them and the car in front, swerving back and forth from one lane to another and riding alongside each other acting stupid.

As far as this trial goes...the boys in the trucks were doing the same thing I see the kids in my town do every single day...driving recklessly...with no consideration for other people on the roads! Most kids don't know the meaning of responsible driving and should not be allowed on the streets. I feel this way about it...if they want to take take the chance of killing themselves because of their stupidity that's fine, but don't take that chance with those of us who know how to obey the traffic rules.

i agree with the lawyer on tv who said seems like the boys' account of the accident seems to be more cloudy when their friends' could have been and most likely were at fault. seems to me it was a horribly tragic event that the final outcome was of noone's fauklt but their own, not stephen davis'

When are we going to start holding teenagers responsible for their actions. Mr. Davis should not be the only one being charged, all of the other people involved should be as well. The teenagers who were killed were also responsible for their own deaths.

This truly is a tragedy. But I feel Mr. Davis is completely innocent. These boys were obviously engaged in actions which were responsible for the accident. The surviving boys should be the ones on trial here. I'm a mother and I do feel very sorry for all the families, but it still doesn't change the facts. If the evidence doesn't fit, you must acquit!

It makes no sense for the school system to allow high school students to drive to the trade school during school time. Retired teacher here. We once had high school students driving to a technical school during the day. Due to the dangerous driving habits of the students, a rule was passed that if the students wanted to attend the trade school down the road, he/she would have to ride the yellow bus. They did NOT like it. They wanted to drive but it was safer. Allowing the students to drive saved money for the system by not having to hire a bus driver and the cost of the bus. However, our students are alive now that we spent the money. This was a poor judgement call on both the school system . I seriously doubt thaat this was the first incident of poor driving by the students. If the parents signed permission for the teens to drive, sorry...but that was also poor judgement.

I believe most of the drivers in this case should be held accountable. The defendant is not the only person that caused this very tragic accident.

Although Mr. Doyle seems to be credible, there are still to many "I don't know" given the detail he remembers on what Mr. Davis is doing. I DO NOT BELIEVE HIM.

I was on the road every day for 30 years and I found out that anybody in a red car and middle age was someone to be careful of. They seem to think that every one else was wrong and out to get them. I always tried to stay away from them as much as possible. I never had a chargable accident in those thirty years

I think all teen drivers should be held accountable for their actions, they were all goofing off while driving down the roads. They were putting their lives and all other pedestrians on the road in danger. I feel sorry for the families that lost, but lets but blame where the blame belongs. We tell our children when they are little not to jump on the bed because they can fall and get hurt, it does not always happen , but there is a chance that they will fall and get hurt. The same on the road, who knows they could behave this way everyday they get out of school, this so happened to be that time where accidents happen when not behaving properly. I feel the teens should feel guilty for what happened, and will have to carry that around for the rest of their life, but should also be punished for what their actions caused. This is a lesson that needs to be taught, drivers are responsible for driving the vehicle according to the law, if you choose to take part in games, road rage, etc... on the road and an accident occurs you will be held accountable for those actions.

One thing that I keep thinking about as I listen to the testimony. These boys were driving like fools. They were driving like a lot of teenage boys do. However, as was stated, they drove like that for miles but not until they came upon Mr. Davis, was there a crash. The boys would have been found guilty of wreck less driving, but Mr. Davis did something that actually caused the crash.

Tozer is not a credible witness. He was caught in too many inconsistencies and I would discard all of his testimony because what is the truth and what is the lie?!

On the other hand I think Doyle is forthright but there are too many things that he is either unsure of or that he did not see.

I believed the only reason Mr.davis is being charged is because he's the adult........I feel srry for Davis even if he tried 2 teach them a lesson

I'm 29 yrsold and I bear witness to the fact that.....everywhere there are reckless teen drivers; there is also a middle age MALE that would love nothing more then to teach them a lesson........As fate would have it EVERYBODY INVOLVED LOST........reasons not to engage in stupidity................

GAH this is frustrating...........why is everyone so "they are just driving as teenage boys do" and "teenagers don't know better" etc etc. Then why do we give them liscenses? I drive with my little son in my car, if we were hit and killed by a teen driver, I would hate to think everyone would say, oh what a tradgedy but thats just boys bein boys?? What is wrong with people? You take Driver's Ed, you take a test, you get your liscense. That is when the laws are most fresh in your mind. Immaturity and not caring for the welfare of anyone around you is not just "teenage boys actin like boys". UGH

Mr, Davis should not be charged for this at all.
These young kids escalated the roadway into a play ground & got Mr Davis stuck in the middle of a serious collision.
As a long time trucker iv'e seen many of these kids make life threatening moves that put us all in danger.
Many Kids are too young to understand what's at stake on the roads until this happens.
Parents must hold tight on the reins of the young people on the road.
My Daughter learned gradually & safely with me in the rig.
Michigan State Attorneys are looking for work. too much.
Two Cents

If the prosecution is depending on Tozer to prove their case, they've already lost. This kid has no credibility. I don't believe anything he says. He's looking for someone to blame for this accident and he's making sure it's not him or his friends. That leaves Davis, who they didn't know. The perfect patsy. One thing I don't get. If Davis slammed into the truck and then the bus, why isn't the front of Davis's car damaged like the truck was?

i think what was on tv was already taped from december by what i've looked up. it says davis was found guilty. and the truck's driver will go on trial next year.

I only saw portions of the opening statements and part of Tozer's direct testimony this morning. But, unless there are some really significant changes to the facts in this case (as may be brought out by various witnesses), I believe that Davis is going to receive an acquital. I don't see a jury sending this man to jail – especially with all the apparent different stories from the various witnesses that have been commented about. As far as Tozer, I don't see him as a credible witness, because he made it clear that he was "GOING THE SPEED LIMIT" on more than one occasion to make it clear that he appeared to be doing little, if nothing, wrong. He even said 55-56 mph. Well, I find it very hard to believe that during all this he was paying attention to his specific speed and defense counsel should put him on the spot, i.e., "How did you know what speed you were traveling, did you look down at the speed ometer?" "What made you look at your speed ometer at that time," etc. Then he would probably come off sounding even less credible because I think the jury will know better than that. I think this accident probably happened so fast and so many things were going on that it will be hard for anyone to have completely accurate memories of what happened.

Why is it that the talking heads always say that the jury is always watching the defendant. Generally, when I'm on the jury I hardly ever look at the defendant. I'm too busy watching the witnesses.

kids are at fault not Davis

If you look at Davis's car most of the horrific damage is at the back of his car and the teal truck is smashed all the way to the back. It looks as if the teal truck hit Davis and careened off into the school bus. The teal car was driving in the turn signal lane not in a proper lane. When are teenagers going to learn that driving a car is a "Responsibility" and a privilege that shouldn't be taken lightly. The roadways are no places to be playing with cars, trucks, etc. when in a spit second something can happen and lives are lost. Was there a driver in the school bus and if so what happened to that person? Everyone mentions the children that could have been on the bus but what about the driver? Was it just sitting on the side of the road empty? If it wasn't for these teenagers behavior on the road their friends would still be alive. All of the drivers in this case should have been charged. My heart goes out to everyone involved especially the parents and families of the dead boys. I find it rather ironic that the teenagers driving those trucks can only remember what Davis did but they have selective memories of what they were doing. They are covering for each other. This is a sad case all around and in the end everyone has lost.

I believe these teenagers were driving in a very negligent manner and Mr. Davis happened to get caught up in their horseplay. I sympathize with the parents, but I also believe the families are in denial when they say they believe their teenagers were not doing anything wrong. They are needing to blame someone for their closure to this horrible accident and Mr. Davis has become their target.
Mr. Tozer has been very well prepared for this trial. He is totally unbelievable. Using the phrases "I don't recall", "I don't remember", to facts that he actually had in his prior statement, shows someone prompted him. His manner of testimony with the defense is arrogant.
I was in an accident over 18 months ago and I remember every detail. You don't forget what you were doing even though everything happens so suddenly.

I have had teenagers speed up so I couldn't pass them and then slow down when I backed off. Each time I tried to pass them, they would speed up. So I got in behind them and stayed there. This is safe driving. There was NO EXCUSE FOR THIS DAVIS TO ACT AS HE DID. There are three dead teenagers. He is right in the middle and his attys are making his actions okay. He could have backed off as I did. He was angry at these kids and he was going to make them pay. Well they did. With their lives. Yes he is guilty but he will be found not guilty and will walk. There is no accident. This was deliberate.

I'm very upset watching the young friends all defend each other and seeing how "wise" they are in their testimony (protecting each other and themselves). As sad as I am for the victims, I feel the Defendant Davis is the real victim. Go to any high school or middle school today and see the behavior of many young people, and they know they can get away with it. They know the "system" is geared to believe and protect them. I hope the jury sees the truth. There is always someone else to blame for their actions, and anyone over 8 years old should be held accountable - no more excuses for "kids". With television and internet, they know the "ropes".

it will be hard for the jury to make a decision against mr. davis based on the testimony of the boys involved.. they are so blatant in their lying that no credit can be given them.. if they had just admitted to acting like kids act then it would be more easy to believe that mr davis had a reason to act as they said he did....

michigan-v- davis, we need to have more laws in place for teenage drivers. I'ts very easy today to have road rage! driving is a privledge,so lets do more to let these teenagers drive on the roads, 16 is to young to let them have so much responeabilities!!

For Defense : Saying that he was trying to teach the teen a lesson is JUST his opinion. We all have some sort of road rage whether it be verbal, showing the finger, using our vehicle, etc. I have had a man sway his Jaguar toward my truck on the freeway in the afternoon when there was maybe four other cars around, so what. This trial is a waste of time. It is all based off opinions NO facts. Is there anything on video? There is too many different statements from "so called witnesses". Police make the mistake of asking questions when a victim or suspect is in shock. What does this case really come down to? Publicity? Money? This is a case that you need actual live footage to make a decision otherwise they may put an innocent person behind bars. How can you teach a person a lesson when you are IN a vehicle??? REALLY!!

I also think that the teens put innocent people's lives in danger for NO REASON and who is going to take ownership of that FIRST?

I have watched many trails on TV and I have felt the defendant was guilty 100% of the time. This is the first one where I think there is no way Davis gets convicted. The testimony from various of the witnesses is Sooooooo... unbelievable. I wish I was aspolite and never drove over 55. Give me a break. Crystal clear memory about their good behavior, a bit foggy on everything else. I get tired of hearing "I don't recall". How this got by the grand jury is beyound me.

I think that the kid driving the teal blue truck probably wanted to get in front of this defendant so he could play that braking game and since his friend was in the right lane, he couldn't pass Mr. Davis that way, so he decided to pass him on the left without looking for oncoming traffic and hit the school bus head on. He was reckless and probably was the cause of this horrible accident. I will be very interested to see how his trial plays out. While I agree that Mr. Davis may have had some degree of road rage and should have just ignored these teenager who were being reckless, I do not think he is to blame for the end result.

To me it sounds like teenagers playing with cars, and a grown man who allowed him self to participate in this game. The driver of the car where all the teens died made a critical mistake, he swerved into cross traffic instead of stopping, it would normally be a normal human reaction when something potentially harmful is heading in your direction, but what he should have done was hit the brakes to avoid Mr. Davis from hitting/ forcing the Teen into oncoming traffic. it is a sad event, I hope the best for the friends and family of the victims

The physical damage to Mr. Davis's car is rather telling. The entire rear drivers side of his car is smashed in, and the rear tire is completely gone. He's going to have to take the stand and explain how he got that damage. I agree with another poster who said the accident reconstructionist will be able to tell us, to a high degree of certainty, how this collision occured. It's the testimony of this person who will determine Davis's guilt or innocence for the jury. It's hard to argue with science. If he is shown to have collided with either LaCoursiere's pickup, or with the bus itself, I'd say he bears some guilt in this incident.

Watching this court case on tv now, not knowing all the testimonies, BUT..how in the world could Mr. Davis have "caused" this accident? Wasn't he in front of the teens car before he hit the bus? I hate to say this, but this is a case of looking for someone to blame for the deaths that were involved. Sometimes teens think they're immortal. Being a parent of two teenage boys, I constantly remind them-if you see someone driving erratically, please, try to avoid/stay away.
I just feel so awful for Mr. Davis. I believe he is being railroaded, I believe this is so unfair, not only to him, but to his family, his state of mind.
My condolences go out to the families of the boys who died in the crash. I honestly could not imagine what it would be like to lose a child.

Praying for Mr. Davis in Dearborn, MI
C.G.

Mr. Doyle lost his believability when he said, none of the boys were driving in an unsafe manner, none of them were speeding, and no one was throwing bottles out of the trucks. Someone earlier said age should not matter, anyone who drives an automobile must be held to the same standards as all drivers. People comment on the age of the boys, but Mr. Davis was still a very young man also (only 21 at the time) and probably made a very poor choice also. However, he is not guilty of manslaughter. That's like saying those young boys who died had no responsibility for the accident. I would say they are about 75-80% responsible for what happened to them. You act stupidly and tragic things happen. I feel sorry for the boys parents It is hard to admit that young men and women act crazy with their friends to prove how "cool" they are.

Students come to my classes via the courts because of various types of aggressive driving and road rage convictions. Here is what I want them to learn: we always have choices; we are making choices every second; we are responsible for the choices we make – no matter what others may or may not do. The kids' recklessness in this situation does not justify ANY retaliatory response on Mr. Davis's part, no matter how much he might have wanted to teach them a lesson. Did he get "hooked in" and attempt to control the situation? Break checking and blocking the pass of another car are attempts to control in the same way that waving a gun (menacing with no plan to shoot) is an attempt to control. The car becomes the weapon. At this point in the trial, it is not yet clear to me whether or not Mr. Davis was using his car to "educate." I want to hear from more witnesses – and especially from the accident reconstruction experts. Another point for everyone to consider...these cars were going very fast...anywhere between 65 and 85. At 60 mph, drivers are covering 90 ft. per second and a mile in a MINUTE. It's not surprising that different people are going to have seen different things at those speeds and from their different perspectives. Let's see what happens as matters unfold. To me, this is a tragically fascinating view of an all to common problem on our roadways. Hopefully, we can all learn from it.

Along the same line as my last post about responsibility....obviously, the teen drivers were responsible for their parts...speeding, reckless endangerment, passing in the turn lane, etc. The kids who were killed were not wearing their seat belts; and though the impact of the head-on collision may have killed them anyway, the disdain for the seatbelts may be just part of irresponsible behavior. We may never know if the riders tried to get the drivers to slow down, or if they encouraged the competition. More will hopefully be revealed.

I always know that the driver behind should maintain a safe distance with the cars in front. Shame for all this teenagers that drive so irresponsibly !!

I object to the following, I think that all 6 of the remaining youths should be charged with the crime that Mr. Davis is. He did not turn the steering wheel into oncoming traffic.his trial is a farce.

I watched the prosecution's case very carefully.Right now I don't understand how the defendant was charged in the first place. Tozer admitted he was angry,at the woman who did start when the light turned green;but it was for just a moment;nothing important. Tozer and Doyle were engageing in this nonsence.
THe parents of the three victums,are at fault,for not teaching their children,respect,rights and rules of driveing safely.
I think Davis will be acquitted.

I agree with u James Moffitt about Mike Brooks

My heart goes out to families,such a tragedy they all r in my thoughts and prayers

This was a case of teens not being taught responsibility. Also, the age at which they are licensed is too young. here in oklahoma, they allow 14 year olds to get a motorcycle license and drive on the roads. How safe is that? not very. parents give in to their children even when it is not in their best interest because they have given up being a parent in favor of being a friend. they have enough friends...they need parents! You know if your child is responsible enough to drive reguardless of how old they are! Just because they CAN get a license does NOT mean that you have to let them! Davis is partially responsible, but not as much as the other drivers who acted like idiots!-

Well these above comments are all seeming to go one way toward Mr.Davis.And against these teens driving home from school.One is not too argue that these teens were driving in a unsafe manor.But by reading the above comments I myself get the picture that these teens are not just 100% at fault, but are also immmature,liars,wreckless,and most of all just a group of bad kids.WOW! If this isn't one form of profiling then I don't know what is?I would hope that all of us look past the fact that,That these driver's are all teens.And that Mr.Davis was more ay fault then we might believe at this point in this trail.I looked up this case and found some info on this case.Is that Mr.Davis did in fact have a AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE in his vehicle at the time of this accident.If we are going too profile against these teens?What profile would Mr.Davis fall under?Note:My facts are based on the the information that was printed in The Macomb Daily .

what year were these vehicles made? Isn't there some type of onboard computer system that is in every vehicle manufactured after a certain year that tells the speed and actions of a vehicle so if there is an accident, it's like a little black box that stores certain information?When my kids took Driver's Ed a few years ago they were told the newer vehicles have onboard computers that store info for law enforcement in case of an accident. Maybe they were just trying to scare the students into behaving while driving, but it sounds like a great idea to me. It would answer a lot of questions in this particular case.

I want to comment on the Road Rage trtial. I'm sorry but those boys are
lying to get themselves out of trouble especially TOZER he could not keep
a straight face on the stand. This tragedy was all of the teens fault,
I feel for the parents it is so sad but thier boys were no angels and
were not ready for a driver's license, they need to have their lincense
taken away for a few years.

GEE

I couldn't agree more with Jessica in Iowa. "just being teenagers, I guess" is not a reason or justification for callously putting other users' of public highways lives at risk. This is outrageous. EVERYONE who has a drivers license is equally responsible for safe driving, regardless of age or mood of the day or whatever. These kids sadly not only did themselves in but "being teenagers" took huge chances in doing others in also. Mr. Davis could easily have become a victim also. A few weeks ago two teenagers in a town fifteen miles from here engaged in a roadrace on a busy highway at 120 mph and killed a woman who correctly turned onto an intersection. One fled the scene of the accident. Many in this column have already said it – driving is a privilege, not a permit to act irresponsibly.
BTW, love the show – one of the few TV shows worth watching.

How many of us drive to work everyday and witness people driving erratically? I see it at least twice a day in the summer driving to and from work., a whole 7 miles. Motorcycles "popping wheelies" in heavy traffic, people tailgating, flashing their lights, blowing their horns while pushing cars to go 70 mph or faster in a 55 mph zone int the fast lane, cutting people off.. I have been in 3 accidents in 10 years, all I was hit from behind while stopped at a stop sign or traffic light. 2 of the 3 were teenagers, following too close or talking on their cell phone, the other a nurse putting on make up! As a result of the 3 combined I have permanent nerve damage in my neck. Look, I would love to say its all just kids, but its not. Its everyone. Young and old. We need to take our life and the lives of others more seriously when driving.

I agree that Tozer's memory is very selective. How can he remember all this stuff about the accident but can't figure out how old he was at the time.
Both boys say "I don't recall" when it suits them.

When asked if he and the other boys discussed the accident Tozer said "No". Come on, I bet it's the only thing they talked about for months.

M

Do the witnesses get to hear testimony before they are questioned? or are they out of the courtroom?

this tragic accident is so confusing at this point i dont think anyone knows exactly what happened or how it happrned until the whole story comes out i think people should not be so quick to judge mr davis unfortunaty teenagers feel they are invincible my heart aches for anyone that loses their child i lost one of mine God knows the hour we dont thank God for that.

I am in need of a little information here. Someone tell me how far away from this terrible accident is the next crossroad? What is to say Mr. Davis was not planning to turn left at that crossroad? That would seem the reason for him being in the fast lane. "No passes in the turn lane", so moving to the left would be the norm I would think. To charge Mr. Davis for this accident with a truck "passing in the turn lane" is indeed absolutely wrong.
ps. Love the show, great job!

these kids were out screwing around and this other guy gets trapped and he is the one charged with manslaughter?i've listened to these kids testify and i don't find one of them credible they are the ones who should be facing the manslaughter charges.putting mr. davis on trial was a huge waste of tax payers money

I can not beleive the district attorney would even bring this to trial. These kids were being wreckless and irresponsible.Chance are this accident would have happened no matter what.It was a tragic accident,caused by teenage drivers who clearly are inmature and had no business being licensed drivers!

I understand that the three boys who died cannot be there to testify. But are they not being held responsible for their own actions? Were they not horseplayingm themselves? Because they are not hear do we have to convict someone for manslaughter when they were playing games also? My heart goes out to the families of the victims, but they had responsibilities too.

I object to the notion that Stephen Davis was just an average citizen that day that got caught up in the action. This man was driving around with an illegal AK-47 rifle in his back seat. The kids were admittedly speeding, well over the limit, and Davis was behind them. For him to be passing them, means he had to have been purposely getting involved. Gun carrying 20-something year old plus purposely getting in the middle of the kids' horseplay equals manslaughter. To assume that this accident would've happened without his involvement is purely speculative, with no way to prove it.

These kids were driving recklessly, that"s a fact. I believe Davis also got mad and joined in the mix, for what ever reason. However what I believe and what is proven are two different things. I have some doubt @ this time. It's also hard for me to believe that anyone can see coins being thrown out of a car thru a side view mirror while you are driving. You can see pennies but you don't know where the car was that was throwing them.

The person driving the teal truck is the one that should be charged. If you are going to charge anyone else then you should charge all the others. Because they were all in it together. The boys don't really seem to have it together. If there is something that they don't want to talk about then they say I don't recall. Most teenagers say I don't know or remember. What teens say I don't recall. I think all of this happened because of the boys in all 3 trucks.

Barbara B.
N.C.

Why is this man being prosecuted? His behavior did not cause this accident the boy's swerving into oncoming traffic. He did not cause them to do that. If he had pushed them into oncoming that would be manslaughter. Those boys could have just as easily slowed down for a second went back into their lane and passed then. I don't get how this man could be at fault even if he should have stayed out of it. This is just reaching on the part of the prosecution.

Second driver James receieves his license back today..real justice for all invovled...Kicker is judge is allowing him to drive to work and school...he was driving home from school when he started this whole game...Hijinx...gone bad...

I just would like people to know that when u are in a situation like this your mind works different. I personally was involved in a crash that had a death involved and as time went by my mind seen things different then what accured. why because u take over and over and over in your head and things get bllurry and your nolonger able to see that day the way it actually was. So that young man I undertand why his versions are sooo different. it has nothing to do with him making anything up now that was not said the day of.

I would take whatever Doyle (and the other teens) says with a grain of salt. These teenagers were wholly responsible for the tragedy that day. It's natural for teens to tailor their testimony so that their friends are bathed in the best light. The way to do that is to blame someone else. It's possible Davis contributed and further testimony (by others at the scene) will elucidate his role. Remember that Doyle wasn't under oath the day of the accident...he is now.

If Steven Davis goes to jail I will lose all faith in the justice system for the state of Flordia.

I keep heering the phrases used saying there were three kids and Mr. Davis driving at the time of the accident but clearly Mr. Davis had not matured enough to avoid this situation leaving me to think of this as four "kids" mentalities on the road that day and it's more than obvious that all of them showed a level of immaturity on the day of the fatal crash.

These teens are all friends of LaCoursiere who is also on the hook for manslaughter since he was the driver. If they can somehow point the blame all on Davis, and not the fact that LaCoursiere was driving recklessly without anyone else's contribution and only increased his recklessness to get back at Davis, then maybe LaCoursiere will avoid charges.

Mike should not be held accountable.

If anything I think all 9 (6) of these wreckless teens should all be held responsible, minus the 3 that paid the price (all respect to the familys) This is what happens when teens get behind the wheel and want to play games on the streets. The state should be makin an example of them. NOT MIKE. When you get behind the wheel you have got to understand the level of responsibilitys. These vehicles are not go-carts in the back yard!

However, Mike was 22 yrs of age when this accident happend. I DO NOT believe he should be held responsible. I think he did however provoke the ending by trying the be 'the bigger bull' If it didnt end at the school bus. Were would it of ended? Someone over shooting a corner and hitting a culvert?

This is not worth the 15 yrs the state is lookin for. These KIDS should be made an example of. This is what happens when you make bad decisions behind the wheel.

What if it wasnt a school bus... But my pregnant wife driving home from work? Or your wife and kids? Now the story changes. Thank god I dont live in Michagin.THIS IS NOT DOING ANY ONE ANY JUSTICE !

I really feel that all parties was responsible for their actions.because so many other pedestrians could have been afected.mr.davis didn't know he was dealing with young teens but however he should have mined his buisness these boys may have goofed around before they knew how far to go him adding resulted in three boys dying he should be punish.because he was involved.everybody should be accountable for their actions.

I live in Detroit Michigan.I would like for the media to stop sticking our city on bad acts that happen in other cities in Michigan! It is sad what happened to everyone involved but people need to teach their kids better driving skills. They think they own the road. The grownup should have backed down and called the police. Liability lies with everyone involved.

I find it interesting how the viewers all assume that the young boys are guilty and Mr. Davis is not because their stories are inconsistent. However when there is a tragic event is one's life, the brain will block some of the details. I'm sure the boys were goofing around which was wrong, but Mr. Davis should have stayed out of it and the outcome may have been different. Sadly, he made the choice to get involved so he should be charged.

I am watching Christine Adams testimony and when she illustrated on the board where each vehicle was, I can see now that the school bus was in the oncoming traffic right lane when the teal blue truck attempted to pass Mr. Davis on the left. In my first comment, I was under the impression it was in the lane nearest to the truck. Now I am beginning to wonder if Mr. Davis might have somehow moved over at the same time, which then forced that driver into the path of the school bus. None of what happened is completely easy to understand at this time, but if Mr. Davis had just chosen not to get involved, he would most likely not be on trial right now and those three teens might still be alive.

I still can't figure out where Davis's car was @ the stop light. If he wasn't in front then why didn;t the witness see him pass. Was he beemed down from a space ship? I thought at 1st this was road rage but now it seems like everybody was testing their driving skills...maybe watching too much Nascar...I also don't believe anyone would wreck their own car to prove a point.. The kids couldn't control their car, possible clipped the back of the grand am and lost control. Remember when you apply your brakes you can no longer control your vehicle and if you don't have your seat belts on, you have no chance. That's why it is important to slow down, even speed up and go around to avoid an accident...slamming on your brakes should not be your 1st choice. Davis was driving recklessly and should be charged accordingly. If he is convicted of involuntary manslauter, then everybody involved should be charged the same.

My heart goes in for those involved in death. Thoughts about hearts and prayers goes in for victims of death rage heart automobiles.

Mr Davis needs to be held responsible for his part in all of this. If Mr. Davis was actually trying to block the cars then he was contributing to what happened. He should have pulled over to the right and disengaged from all of the poor driving of the teens. The driver of the other car was also responsible but that doesn't relieve Mr. Davis culpability

My heart goes out to the families of the dead teens, but I don't understand if Mr. Davis is being charged, then the drivers of the other vehicles that were already shown to be "horseplaying" around should also be charged.

when did the term "Road Rage" become used?

"SPEED KILLS"

he (Kyle) said Davis side-swiped the other truck Davis's car didn't have any of the other trucks' paint on the sides.

Davis had 3 truck loads of kids MESSING with him; boxing him in, and basically PROVOKING and ENGAGING him in their stupid road game. They screwed up royally, and it cost the lives of their buddies

I agree with another poster...how is Davis even charged? If he was acting out, the kids should have given him space. (Yeah, I know, they're teens...probably didn't think of that). He was in the middle lane...how could he get away? I think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Makes you nervous to go out in your car.
I think the teen who said it was Davis's fault at the scene was scared for himself and needed to blame someone else. Once he knew he wouldn't get into trouble due to the plea bargain, he told the truth.
I think all the teens were responsible.
As far as "someone has to pay"...3 someones did and their friends and families will pay by having those memories. I don't approve of that mentality.
Besides, was this a drastic behaviour change on the part of these boys? I'd want to hear from others who may be able to testify to dangerous driving practices on their part. What's their driving records? Prior accidents? Can we get this admitted?

I think the testimony of Christine Adams carries the most weight thus far. She doesn't know anyone involved, and has nothing to gain by telling what she saw. She said that BOTH Davis and LaCoursiere were driving aggressively, and that their actions behind the wheel were in fact hostile towards each other. Davis inserted himself into the situation, even though he had an opportunity to fall back, and then he continued to engage LaCoursiere. Davis is as guilty as LaCoursiere for his reckless and dangerous actions.

It sounds to me that Mr. Davis CHOSE to put himself in the middle of this dangerous situation. Accident or on purpose he apparently forced the pickup into the path of the bus. People have real ACCIDENTS all the time where people have been hurt or killed and are held accountable. Mr. Davis should be too.

You don't want to blame the victims in many situations however, it seems that majority of the blame would lie with them. Perhaps Mr. Davis should not have gotten involved but he may have been trying to stop what he saw as reckless teenagers causing a dangerous situation on the road. Unfortunately, the inexperience of the driver caused him to crash into the bus when the vehicle in front of him "break checked" him. I don't think that Mr. Davis should be charged with manslaughter at all.

They were obviously driving wrecklessly the entire time and its a shame that none of the other teens are being held responsible for their wreckless driving.

These boys are not innocent. Of course they are all going to say Mr. Davis caused the accident. they don't want to aqeal on their friends. Can you imagine what it would be like back at school if one of them said it was their fault because they were driving recklessly.
Beth
Illinios

I also object to the plea deal...If you are a witness and are required to testify you must tell the truth. If no plea deal are you saying the kid would have lied? Or if he gets the plea deal. there is good reason to lie? Sonny...since when is the government concerned about cost? I understand a plea deal for a low level drug dealer if he testifies against his boss...but this plea deal makes no sense.

I object!!! I have seen no emotion from these young men who lost their friends,Where are the tears, the emotion, or regret for what has happened! It just looks like they are too concerned with covering up what happened. My gosh, I'm crying looking at these smashed vehicles ,seeing these parents cry, and listening to all this, don't they care? how many different stories are there between these young men in the same trucks.And the bus came out of no where? was that becouse they were too involed in the games they were playing and speeding. this is just too tragic and shouldn't of happened. I hope Mr Davis is honest in his story if he testifies. These poor parents having to sit and listen to inconsistant stories of the last minutes of their kids lives.My heart just breaks for all of them.

These children sound rehearsed to me they almost say the same words besides they will say anything to get out of trouble ANYTHING and that is a fact nobody has said.

Road road came innto play from the macomb daily reporter jameson cook! That's the only place ,then of coarse the prosecutor!

I feel for the family of the boys who lost their lives in thisTRAGIC ACCIDENT but throwing bottles out their cars at others definately is childs play not someone who is responsible enough to have a drivers license. I think these boys are the guilty ones not MR. DAVIS.

I'm anxious to hear Davis' side of what happen on the day of the accident...it seems to me that even though the teens stories are not matching exactly that they are appear to be very nervous and rattled when the defense questions them...their body language suggests to me that they are telling the whole story....

These kids were acting like nasar wantabes and being very dangerous.

The also knew each other and had probably done street raceing before with each other. As much as young men that age can they also knew what the other guy would do.
When Davis decided to get in the race he was a wild card no one expected. The kids were having a bad old good time,Davis was mad and out to get some payback. If he had not got into the mix there is a very good chance the wreck would have never happened. J.

If they were doing the speed limit, why were these kids passing so much if they were doing the speed limit on the shoulder of the road and also the turning lane. To me that is erratic driving. And the testimony of Kyle is unbelieveable totally untrue.

I meant to say they it seems the teens are NOT telling the whole story

Can't the kid's also have "road rage" or is it only for adults?
If the boy's were not joking around, while driving, would this of happened? I think the boys are more at fault then Davis. Wrong place, wrong time.

If Doyle was in front of everyone, why was he watching what was going on behind him, unless he knew something was going to happen.

These boys that started this should just take their medicine. Being stupid finally caught up with them. If I jumped off a building 10 stories up and landed on someone, and I died, should we charge that person with murder? I have a son if he was involved in horseplay that ended in this tragedy, I would hold him responsible as well. Whether the system did or not. QUIT TRYING TO DELUTE THE RESPONSIBILITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

was the school bus moveing when it was hit and what lane was it in skid marks look likes like it hit the side of school bus and were any kids on the bus louie costa pittsfield ma.

To me, this is a case where both parties involved were in the wrong. Getting behind the wheel of a car is like carrying a loaded weapon. You need to be responsible for your choices and actions. It is NOT a RIGHT to drive, it is something you earn. Unfortunately, when an accident occurs, everyone will see it differently and remember it differently. It seems to me that the prosecution did not ready the witnesses very well. They need to be confident in their testimony and none of them seem to be. Due to that factor, the defense is able to take advantage of that. The boy driving the vehicle that hit the truck should be held accountable for the choices he made that day, but Mr. Davis should also be held accountable. When other people on the road are being careless drivers, you should "take the higher road." Back off on your speed, switch lanes; get away from that driver to ensure your safety and the safety of others. Mr. Davis should have backed off, got the plate number, and alerted authorities. It was not up to him to take matters into his own hands to teach these boys a lesson. He is not completely to blame, but he definitely shares the responsibility in this matter and needs to take responsibility for his actions and role in this accident.

Everyone has their own opinion . I still have not heard how the back and side of Mr Davis`s car got wrecked . Seems to me he was brake checking every time he passed one of the trucks. And the last time he did it he was too close to the guy in back and he got hit doing the damage and causing the truck to loose control and cross the road and hit the bus killing the three boys . The driver of the truck survived this crash and faces trial later . But Davis is defently GUILTY he should have minded his business and stayed away from it all and called the police and let them deal with it . Being a vigalinty and having road rage is the wrong way to handle this . I am sorry for the three boys because they wrer passengers along for the ride and had no control over who was driving and they paid the ultimate price. But that is always theway these things happens it is alwayd the innocent that pays Both the driver and Davis should get the max

they are were messing around and should go to jail, but the defendant more so because i feel he helped escalate it, i do wonder if the Dodge Ram purposely went into oncoming traffic because that admitted they were all over the road so what if he was trying to freak everyone out

One thing we can all agree on is that if Davis had not been there that day the three killed teens would STILL BE HERE. Davis clearly made a specific decision to engage those boys when everyone else was rightly backing off. Testosterone + A red Grand Am = death. Any objections on that one?

" I OBJECT " One of the above comments reads,were is the teens saddness,pain,or tears?Well as you ask this question? My question would be were is Mr.Davis's remorse for the role he played in this tragic accident? Other than him scribbling on his note pad and looking as if he is ready to jump over the table and attack somebody.Let's not forget about the the two statements that Mr.vitale requested to be thrown out.Because the Chesterfield Twp. detective's did not handle the questioning process correctly.Which the judge agreed with the defense and eliminated 2 out of the 3 statements made the day of the accident.One of the statements majority of you and the jury will never see did if fact read.Quote from Mr. Davis "I wanted to teach those kid's a lesson".Nice work Mr.Vitale paint a picture that Mr.Davis is a victim and it is all the teens fault.Once again no one will debate the fact that these teen's were driving reckless.But why is it that through out this whole trial Mr.Davis never takes the stand in his own defense?Why is it the only time Mr.Davis shows any remorse or tears is at the end of the trial when the judge sentenced to 16 to 24 months in prison for his role in this horrific accident.My thought,Too litle to late. As for the AK-47 assault rifle charge I don't know the final charge on that offense?Now for my 2 cents pop bottles or assault rifle who is the BAD GUY !

Am I the only one who’s growing increasingly irritated by all the needless interruptions to taped trials? Just for kicks, I decided to keep track of how much time was actually shown of the Davis trial today, and out of the 6 hours “In Session” was on the air today, less than HALF that time was actually in the courtroom. More than THREE HOURS was taken up by commercials and host/guest commentary about this and other trials. Give us a break!!!

Please!! Please!! Please!!!
Do not refer to the School Bus as empty.
There was a driver. As a retired School Bus
Driver of 25 years, I think it is an injustice
to refer to a bus as empty, just because
there were no children on board.
The driver will be traumatized forever.

everyone knows if you ask 10 eye witnesses what they saw you will get 10 slightly different versions of the event. When you witness such a horrific accident even if you aren't personally involved your version is your own. Eye witness acoounts are beneficial but only to a point. The passengers of these trucks can't be presecuted for anything but still they lost 3 of their classmates. If you know anything about the development of the teenager's brain you will know that those centers which govern risky behavior are still developing. Mr Davis on the other hand should have been better equipped to handle this situation. All of the drivers bear some culpability but I feel Mr. Davis at this point is the most culpable I will wait to hear the scientific evidence

It appears that the prosecutor wants to say that Davis "swerved" into the LaCoursiere (LC) truck to cause the crash. From what I've heard so far, it seems it could have been that the "swerve" was due to LC trying to return to being behind Davis, (to avoid the bus) after attempting a pass (in the oncoming lane) but he clipped D's rear, CAUSING D to swerve left. against LC..which forced LC into the path of the bus. This "pit maneuver" is what is done purposefully by police who are intending to stop a fleeing car. In this case LC did it accidentally and it forced Davis to go left.

David Willis, Indianapolis

Brake checking can also occur when you quiclkly turn your headlights on and then off. It therefore appears to the car behind you that you have applied your brakes. The car brake checking does not really slow down but causes the car behind him to hit their brakes in fear of a rear end crash...

Mr. Davis was probably some what at fault, but when crazy teenagers are out of control what do you expect. 3 lovely teens are dead and the beat rolls on. I believe that if those teens were not driving and acting so stupid Mr. Davis would not be in court today. Yep, you have to blame somebody else for the 3 tragic deaths....

I am sad for the famlies and friends of this tragedy, I agree that both sides will have an uphill battle in proving their cases. Kids can be reckless & drive with abandonment, as well as adults. Hopefully justice will be served and the right decision will be made and send a message to all involved-

I listened to the testimony yesterda.;all the witnesses so far have given different versions.There is not one thread of consistant testimony.
I don't see any evidence of where Davis was directly involved.

Two things; why isn't anyone mentioning that it's illegal to block a car from passing? And how was the witness able to say the other two vehicles were racing for that distance yet she was next to them the whole time?? Was she racing with them?

Maybe her daughter should be testifing! She can't even remember where she turned onto the road.

My heart goes out to all involved in this tragedy. However I don't think Mr. Davis should be on trial alone. The other surviving drivers should be on trial too. Mr. Davis made a dumb mistake but these teens were driving recklessly and were an accident waiting to happen. I know I drive Gratiot all the time and you should see them. The police never bother them but allow this. And this won't be any different. Mr. Davis will be convicted and these same surviving teens will be right back on the road today ready to cause another accident. Unfortunately parents in this area seem to think their kids are angels.

There was also another accident around this time where 4 teens were killed by a drunk driver, so they need a scapegoat and Mr. Davis is it.

I also wish Mr. Davis would get that scowl off his face, he looks like a villain.

I strongly believe that Mr. Davis should NOT be convicted of this crime....I believe he was boxed in and could not get out of that left turn lane...I really hope he takes the stand...I want to hear his side of the story...

with a witness like zagone being used in court rooms,its no wonder why our justice system is a joke.

I think that this is a situation that 90% of us would have reacted in a similar fassion as Mr.Davis.These kids were headed for disaster. What scares the hell out of me is that after watching court tv the last few weeks how easy it is to land in prison over things that are out of your control. In a matter of seconds your life could be hanging in the balance with a jury deciding your fate. It is a coin toss what the jury will decide. Thats all it takes is an accident and an ove zelous procecuter and your life could hanging in the balance.

Well knock me over with a feather she is testifying, And I can sure see a mental connection!

That slide box you have on the screen is very annoying and distracting. It keeps showing the defendant and the victims over and over again. I've been watching the trial. I know who they are already.

These last two witnesses (mom/daughter) were great. Their testa-
money vividly painted the picture of everyone's involvement in those
fatal moments – including Doyle who was not letting Davis back
into the "left lane" – this action on his part played a major role when the pickup tried to continue to pass Davis in the turn lane. All were involved equally, particularly the driver who died – sad to say – with this
picture of events how can you put the blame on the shoulder of
just Davis. Those boys, on that day with or without Davis were
headed for disaster either for themselves or someone as inocent
as the mom and daughter who testified/

I have watched several of the court cases on Insession and this is the first one I really say : It was an accident and the boys in the truck were as much to blame as the guy in the red car. The boys were "racing" passing each other and got caught up in that "I'll show you attitude. Why arent they charged with road rage? They are not all innocent.
It was a very unfortunate accident and 3 young lives were lost.
Was anyone ticketed from this accident?
My sympathy goes to the families of the 3 young men lost in this accident.

Is is a Sad situation that this has esculated in such a tragedy first on the highway now in court. The Somebody must pay metality is WHY WE ARE HERE. There are to many conflicting testimonys to confict the defendant. If it were not for the three pickup trucks displaying disreguard for saftey and the laws and feeling indestructable as teens do. THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. In situations arising from this kind of behavior should be looked on the same as a felony. IN THE COMMISSION OF A CRIME. They the teens were guilty of commiting a crime without reguard for others THE DEFENDANT included as not party. How others may try to make a judgement the facts are the teens are responcible period. THEY precipocated this WHOLE tragedy.

This is a classic example why irresponsible 17 yr. old boys should not be driving. They are simply not mature enough to get behind the wheel of a multi thousand pound machine and then use it as a toy/weapon for which it was not intended. I watched and listened carefully to the witness testimony and I believe it clearly shows that these boys trapped Mr. Davis with their weapons; they boxed him in, slam their brakes in front of him, and toyed with him in an unconscionable manor. I feel awful for the families of these boys, however what about Mr. Davis, he was victimized by the boys just as though they had loaded guns. It’s a horrible situation for the families and I truly understand their grief, however Mr. Davis had every right to defend himself against this aggression. I find it an absolute outrage that Mr. Davis was charged with anything…

Shouldn't all the drivers involved, to some extent, be responsible for the three innocent lives taken from this dangerous driving? With the highest accountibility going to James LaCoursiere, who at anytime, considered his moral obligations to his friends lives they trusted him with.

After hearing yesterdays testimony by the witnesses (not the teens) I believe Mr. Davis was making it impossible for LaCourssierre to pass him. I also believe he was brake checking and swerving into LaCourssierre's lane (a little too far) causing the collision. Where are the accident reconstructionists? I believe Mr.Davis is totally responsible.

Something keeps sticking in my mind is when the prosecutor keeps calling the crash an accident.How is he going to convince the jury of these charges if he can't prove it's more than an accident By the way I love the new format.I have been a watcher for a couple of years now and I am hooked.Also I would like to know after the Brandon Craig trail when he was found not guilty,Do you know what he is doing today and the others who pointed the finger at him Thanks

Obviously something had already happened with the trucks and the red Davis car before they got to that light. As an adult Davis should've driven to the right side of the road and gotten out of that situation with the teens. He had no business in the middle engaging with those teens. The teens themselves were throwing plastic bottles from their trucks to each other. Right there he should've known that those teens are trouble. He was in the middle of the chaos and he was involved and the 3 teens died. All the other cars not involved drove to the right side of the road. He was involved.

as a cdl driver and have work with teenagers they sometimes don't think in what they are doing. I believe that a 22 year should know not to invlolve with traffic sitaution that will possible of causing harm to others or himself.

I drove truck for 18 years. If you are sitting up that high (School Bus) why didn't he move over to the righlt lane since he wasn't passing.
One of the main reasons for road rage is people driving in left lane going slow which forces others to pass on the right. Both actions are against the law.

hello i am speaking from the heart. I knew the victums of this crash, and think about them every second of my life. its called an acident for a reason. it was a tragic display of road rage that resulted in the death of three individuals. im not saying to just forget about it. a crime was commited, and the judicial system should charge both the driver of the grand am and the driver of the teal pickup equaly. i no both drivers intentoions were not to kill each other, it was just a terrible mistake to let your emotions take over and to act on them.

Perhaps this has already been mentioned, but I feel the perceptions Davis had are critical information. Maybe these will come out later in the trial. I feel Davis didn't serve into the right lane to "get out of" the situation partly because he was worried the car behind him in the right lane ( driven by Mr Tazor) might race up to him and box him in with the shoulder on his right. That is why he was so angry and walked to that car and screamed at them...he had felt threatened by them earlier.
Davis must have felt outnumbered and was being confronted by a gang of dangerous kids.

I believe that these witnesses are trying to hard to impress somebody rather than be honest. Remember this defendant is a person also and it could of been anyone of them in Mr Davis's situation. How would they feel if they were in the defendants chair having to listen to stories of what happened fabricated to fit the da's case. none of the witness written statements match there testimony. it seems like all you have to do is leave your house and you could find yourself facing years in prison for a strangers acts

First of all, My heart goes out to the parents that lost their sons. Coming from a mother that is living life without my oldest son due to a murderer. I know how Mrs. Mcguire feels when the Medical examiner had to testify about a small amout of drugs in her sons system. What about Davis was he tested? All i know is during our trial, anything and everything that could be brought up against our son was. And the murderer had previous drug charges againt him BUT none of that was mentioned. Welcome to the Justice System.

The 2 teenager drivers that have testified seemed to not be affected by what has happened. They showed no emotions when talking about their 3 friends who had died. I think Davis should be punished but should not receive anything more than the other driver. They were all guilty of causing this horrible crash. If I had caused the death of my friends or anyone else, I would be crying, no matter how much time has passed. I feel like the teenagers are willing to blame Davis but not willing to blame theirselves. I work in a correctional facility and see it all the time, blame someone else! My heart goes out to the families of the victims as well as the innocent bus driver. The bus driver, even though not to blame, will have to live with this horrible crash everyday!

I'm sorry for those who died. In my opinion the blame lies with the teen drivers. They were breaking the law without thinking about the danger for their passengers or other drivers. Regardless Mr. Davis has the right to protect himself and his passengers from teens just being teens they should be punished for their friends deaths because its their fault.

I will not moderate the way I feel the teens were stupid and responsible

I can see where this is a case of manslaughter, but why not murder with a deadly weapon. This would of not have happened if Davis acted like a mature driver instead of intervening. The kids where driving stupid, but the wreck would not of happened if Davis ignored them instead of doing the things he done, after all he is just a few years older than the kids. If I was the prosecutor in this case I would of charged him atempted murder with a deadly weapon. Davis had to see the bus before he darted in on the truck.

Is there live streaming of the In Session show after the telivised version goes off the air at 3pm EST? And if so, what is the URL?

From what I could tell, Mr. Davis got caught up in the middle of some teenage horseplay and it angered him enough to get involved using road rage maneuvers. Lucky for all the other drivers down the road that the pickup plowed into the empty school bus and Mr. LaCoursiere only killed his three friends that day. He could have killed an innocent family, too. Lucky the bus driver wasn't injured.

All the inconsistencies, stammering, stuttering, and fidgeting of witnesses when crossed by defense tells me they are lying thropugh their teeth. While it WAS a horrible tradgedy, it would have never happened had the kids NOT been 'playing' with their vehicles in such a way. I dont think Davis nor anyone else should be held accountable for this incident. My heart goes out to the families and all who have been affected by this entire event.

I have sat back and listened for as long as I can..... What were the kids passing in a turn lane for in the first place? IT IS FOR TURNING. Next off, it doesn't matter if Mr. Davis did brake check. The truck that was following is still at fault. IT IS CALLED INATTENTIVE DRIVING. I myself have recieved a ticket for this. A car stops suddenly in front, it is your job as the driver to pay attention to your surroundings and respond appropriately. What if the car in front of Davis had braked,(nobody seems to be giving a direct answer to that), if he had plowed into them, he would have been in the wrong. It is tragic that lives were lost but maybe the fingers should be pointing at their friend. It is not Davis' fault that they were clowning around and lost control of both their senses and their vehicle. Davis shouldn't recieve three counts of involuntary manslaughter. He may have lost his temper but he did not make the decision to horseplay on the road. I would have braked too if I had been surrounded by three carfulls of teenagers throwing things at each others and not paying attention to the road. Put yourself in Davis' shoes. What would you have done?

To Mike Mar.9th 1:08 pm. You speak of the teens as loaded weapons and how Mr.Davis must have been trapped(boxed in).Unless today is your first time reading these comments on this case?You should have looked at some of the comments I (AXLE) have made over the past couple of days.These teens were coming from school.These teens were not coming from a all night party.These teens were not coming from after school gang fight.These teens were not the high school bullies,that you (MIKE) or anyone else might think.These teens were just on there way home from school.Lets not forget who had the AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE in his vehicle( Mr,Davis ).My quess on who was the bully and who was the victim(victim's) is pretty clear in my book.For whatever reason this gun charge is never mentioned during this trial.Some deal that the defense attorney must have cut with the judge.

As far as saying Mr Davis should've gotten out of the way...how do we know he could? Those kids are never going to say they deliberately boxed him in, yet why did the truck go into the turn lane? It's for turns, not driving.
And imagine being surrounded by three trucks of teenage boys, and you're in a little car. Maybe Davis was angry...and why not? Maybe his survival instinct kicked in and he just wanted out and thought he could make his own way. There were a lot of poor choices made that day, but I still hope Davis is acquitted. A Dodge Ram is no midget truck. Why let a teen drive one?
And I agree with Brett's statement...stop diluting responsibility. The boy who drove the truck is responsible for what his truck did that day.

Wow sad that lives were lost. But I think that he should not be charged if in fact they were over the line. I am shocked to think that teenagers were NOT at fault.

This is a horrific tragedy for all involved, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and others impacted. As a Police Officer in Metro Atlanta, I have worked, unfortunately, several fatal wrecks. Last week a discussion was brought up as to whether people were calling 911. Ms. Burg was asked if she would call 911 in the future while she was on the phone discussing the trial. Just last week, dispatch put out a call on a reckless and possible drunk driver in the area I work. I was one traffic light from the area given on the radio and was checking the area within thirty seconds and the vehicle was gone. I ended up locating the vehicle headed back the other way after he had turned around on a side street.
In this Michigan case, even if an Officer was in the area, and a lookout was put out on these young men, due to speeds, this was unfortunately a set of circumstances already set in motion. The time delay alone from placing the 911 call, to dispatch putting the call out, to the Officer responding, everyone was behind the ball to start with.

Murder requires intent to kill the individual(s). I am sure Davis was not intending to harm these kids. He definately should have been the mature one and stay away from them.

This is a horrific tragedy for all involved, and my thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and others impacted. As a Police Officer in Metro Atlanta, I have worked, unfortunately, several fatal wrecks.
In this Michigan case, even if an Officer was in the area, and a lookout was put out on these young men, due to speeds, this was unfortunately a set of circumstances already set in motion. The time delay alone from placing the 911 call, to dispatch putting the call out, to the Officer responding, everyone was behind the ball to start with.

I see we still have the annoying slide box up on the screen..

I think this trial of Davis is a total waste of tax payers money. Everyone who has taken the stand in one way or another blame the kids in the trucks.
Also shouldn't the court instruct people about speaking in a clear voice and to answer yes or no ? Not the idoit from the state ?

Why single this man out? All four vehicles were involved so every one should be treated the same.

From reading the other comments, it seems that a lot of people are quick to blame the teenagers for this accident merely because they were teenagers. From the testimony so far, it seems like all the problems started with the appearance of Mr. Davis and once they started, he (Mr. Davis) did nothing to remove himself from the situation. I would ask the In Session panel if the past driving records of those involved could be admitted as evidence? I think it would have been very powerful for the prosecution if they could have stated that the teens had driven that exact same route from their off-campus class since the start of school without incident. Conversely, if they had any accidents, that would be a point for the defense.

Am I ever going to here the same story twice? I'm sure the jury is wondering the same thing? After watching this trial from the beginning the only thing I am sure of is that there were 3 trucks and a car behaving badly. Was Davis the cause? Opinions don't matter.

This case reminds me of the old saying,
"All in fun till someone gets hurt"
Except that (3) people were killed!!
Sad but true...
Scott in PA

your perception of road rage and the definition of road rage and actual road rage can be wildly different. Only Davis knows whether he was raging on the road or just playing in the game. Either way it was stupid and dangerous but the state says road rage and they have to prove road rage. Not sure how you can prove this unless the guy pulled a gun.

March 4th, 2010 1:57 pm ET

I can't believe that the defense attorney said that they were lucky that they didn't have a wreck before the fatal one. How would this make them lucky! I feel sorry for the families and the other boys. I hve been in a similar incident but I took it upon myself to pull off the road and call the police and I hope prevented a similar fate.
-------------------------------–
How about that they were lucky that THEY didn't kill someone INNOCENT? A mother with her children perhaps. Again, I seriously doubt that the day of the wreck was the first time they drove like morons. Good thing the idiot driving only took out HIS friends, who were NOT innocent and who obviously didn't see a problem with the way their clueless friend was driving.
1) Driving is NOT a RIGHT! It's a PRIVILEGE and a HUGE RESPONSIBILITY.
2) A vehicle becomes a DEADLY WEAPON in the hands of the wrong person; a kid who thinks it's a toy ( or even adults who think they have the right to drive like fools).
3) I hope the teenage FOOL driving that day NEVER get's his license back. EVER! This goes for any adults who cause wrecks that kill ( or maim ) people because they CHOSE to drive like idiots.
If Mr. Davis has to go to prison, then the teen who started it to begin with should do LIFE! After all, if not for HIS lunatic driving, none of this would have happened.
I have NO sympathy for teen drivers who end up dead or in prison because they think it's their right to play on the road with innocent people in their path. Again, this goes for adult morons as well.

Looks like to me every witness story is very differnt.to convict mr.Davis of manslaughter the have to proove this beyond a resonable doubt it's so many doubts,I truly believe he didn't cause the accident mr.davis jus was in da middle of this tragic but didn't get killed.because the friends of the decease should be charged.all played a very important part.even the people who witnessed did nothing to help they should have notified police of road rage.

This Exact senerio happened on interstate 86 to me only instead of pickup truck three dump trucks while passing one I found myself in the passing lane boxed with one in front one behind me and one directly beside me. A game involving not myself. My wife was ready to panic and we just let it play out and eventually they let me buy. Perhaps they thought I was someone else. I asked my wife if I cut someone off or something and she said I did not do anything to provoke that behavior. The difference I believe is I did nothing to esculate the situation. How would someone else react? Who started this and how someone reacted. This case has two many confliction statements to convict. Why is it if an officer of the law is involved and is guilty of lying and also breking the law its all kisses and hugs.

I can't believe this case ever came to trial, since the prosecution's own witnesses are ensuring that there's reasonable doubt of Davis' culpability. The testimony of the young men involved, who make it sound as though they were just innocent lads returning from altar boy practice, would be laughable if the case weren't so tragic. Although Davis is guilty of road rage and driving recklessly, which he chose to do rather than just stay away from the teens, he's clearly not responsible for the fatal accident.

I think the prosecutor is using this case to further his own career - which he's doing by grandstanding on top of three graves.

I have watched every minute of this trial and I am lost as to how or where Davis' car impacted the bus. Only visible damage to bus is on front and the angles at which the bus and pickup came to rest I dont see how his car could have hit first if he was in fact infront of the bus. Someone please help me out with this

While the boys may have been driving irratically, Mr. Davis was the experienced driver in this situation and set a very poor example with his actions. It appears from what I have heard that he did have a direct impact on what happened that day and needs to be held accountable. If we want to 'teach our young people a lesson', we should lead by example and not participate in such nonsence but rather we should discuss the consequences before they even start driving. My son's scout troup brought in a former police officer who had been in a head on collision and is now paralized from the waist down because a pickup truck ran a red light and turned left in fromt of him. The only thing that saved him was his seat belt. The same thing happened to my son a year and a half ago and I thank God, he was in a big car and was not injured, but it totaled his car. The worst part was that the other driver was a medical student.

Did somebody remove adam holmes' brain? He doesnt seem to "recall" anything. I dont believe these kids are interested in telling the truth. I only believe the eye witnesses that arent little kids. Davis is a punk. All he had to do was move to the right lane and let the idiots drive around. If he doesnt do time for this, he'll just do something stupid again and go to jail for that. He seems to have the smarts for that.

come on here... 9 teenagers in 3 pickup trucks; driving erratically....sounds like a recipe for disaster. Why not punish them, rather than the guy who happened to be in their way?

The ones most guilty of the crash are either dead or not being prosecuted. I believe that they are using Mr. Davis as the scape goat. He made poor judgement but he was not the cause or the reason for this horrific accident.
If the teens had lived and there were kids in the bus, they all would be going to prison. But it is easier to put all the blame on someone older as in Mr. Davis. He shouldn't have got involved but he is not to blame either. All those teens that lived should be right there with him.

What is going on with this case!!!! I think the teens involved should be on trial. It is very sad that children died because the we acting like teenagers as one of the Witness said . I believe that Davis got court up in this trying to slow them down. I believe the teens were committing road rage and Mr. Davis got the blame. I do not believe these young witnesse's are going to give blame on their friends. If I was a Juror I would be totally confused by these so called witnesse's.I haven't heard or seen any real evidence that Mr. Davis caused this accident, Just show us the real facts that show Mr Davis did this and forget about all these playing with cars on a billboard. Only the real facts please.

while watching this trial I feel the prosecuter is the defences best witnesses.Their is to many inconsistant stories.

the teenagers are out to save them self"s who has not had someone come up behind so fast that you tap your brakes to tell them to SLOW DOWN , so that means road rage if so we are all guilty of this . I think he is being being made a example of . I feel pain for the family 's , but you cant always blame others.

I believe when The officer questioed the defendant at the scene and his testimony wasn't clear or changed they thought this was a break that they the procecuting attornys seized. Once thay happened a HE became THE target of not only procecuters but angry parents as well as the teens. Someone who could take the fall and appease the multitudes. Anyone who has either been involved in such a tragedy or just witnessed one has to have time to gets their thought straight. Anything he said without being given his rights should not come into play. He was tramatized as well as many witnesses and clear thoughts might not just happen.

This is a horrible tragedy of that there is no doubt and while there seems to be enough blame to pass around we are missing two vital points, vehicles are not toys and road rage is nothing to be dismissed either. As an adult Mr. Davis should have realized the impact his actions could have as well. Hitting your brakes in front of another car teaches no one anything other than an accident can happen. If you're suffering from road rage either pull over or remove yourself from near the offending vehicle...let what will happen happen..but pull yourself out of the equation. I believe he should have been charged for his actions and I'm pleased to see he was.

I have to respectfully disagree with In Session commentators that there are too many conflicting stories to determine what happened here. The witnesses each saw what they saw at widely varying times, from widely different vantage points, so naturally their stories are going to differ. Nevertheless, its kind of like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. Even though no two pieces are exactly the same and even though no single piece is sufficient by itself, when you put all the pieces together, you can see the whole picture quite clearly.

What we know from the pieces we’ve seen so far is that there were 9 teenage boys in 3 separate trucks driven by James LaCoursiere, David Doyle, and Casey Tozer. One or more witnesses saw Doyle and LaCoursiere driving at excessive rates of speed, weaving in and out of traffic, sometime passing on the shoulder, other times passing in the left-turn-only lane, kicking up dust and debris, generally endangering their own and other people’s lives.

At some point, Stephen Davis got involved in all this, at which time the situation quickly escalated from the collossal stupidity of teenage boys driving recklessly to something more like road rage as Davis and the boys began to challenge each other—driving at high rates of speed, tailgating, cutting in front of each other, brake-checking, boxing one another in, and on and on and on until the inevitable fatal crash occurred.

While I haven’t yet heard enough evidence yet to determine what Davis’s role was in all this, it’s clear that both LaCoursiere and Doyle equally contributed to this accident and are equally responsible for the tragic deaths of their three young friends. The only reason Doyle isn’t facing criminal charges is because his lawyers cut a deal with the prosecution in exchange for his testimony so he was able to dodge the bullet... this time.

The teens should not have been driving the way they were but they arnt saying they didnt do anything wrong. Mr davis should have backed off like everyone else and let them chose their own fate, it could have been much different had he not got involved, more then likely they wouldnt have been in that lane to even be near that bus and had they been it would have been no fault but their own and Mr. Davis would simply be and eye witness.

From the testimony so far if one is at fault all is at fault. The boys all seem to imply they had nothing to do with the road rage or brake checking. I would like to know who started all this. None of the boys say why all this started simply that Mr. Davis is at fault. If so, what caused all this to go down. These boys have selective memory. If I was in a situation like this, I would have remembered every detail, 17-years old or not.

Isn't it convenient how these teens testifying all remember everything Mr. Davis did and when it's self serving they remember what they did, but the rest of the time when it could incriminate them or thier friends they conveniently "don't recall".

I've been a victim of road rage before. An older man decided that I was driving to fast for his own taste and wanted to teach me a lesson, so as I attempted to pass him he gunned it and would not let me into his lane. I slowed down and attempted to merge into his lane behind his car. As soon as I did this, the man break checked me continually for about five hundred feet and then slowed down to 5 mph. Because of the traffic I couldn't get into the other lane so I honked at him (BIG MISTAKE!) and turned at the next light only to have him veer around, tail gate me, flash the high beams, and STALK ME TO MY HOUSE. He proceeded to tell me there that I was an idiot that was going to kill someone because I was so reckless. Road Rage is a very scary and serious thing that NOBODY should engage in no matter how upset someone makes you. Life is just too important!

Well; I think at this point, Davis is TOAST. However; every other driver of those involved should be charged the same. Those kids went WAY to far in their antics, and payed the ultimate price for being idiots.

I think both parties are in the wrong. And I agree with the person who said Mike Brooks needs to go elsewhere. He's getting on my nerves.

Although this whole thing is TRAGIC; I would hope that some of the parents and reletives of those involved would read some of these blogs. Maybe they might need to wakeup and realize their little angels aren't so innocent and were acting like spoiled little brats with no responsibility. At least 85% of these posts are all in agreement that the kids are lying and are also at fault at least equally as Davis is. If the kids weren't being boneheads; this would never have happened.

I have just started watching the trial on 3/8/10 and i would like to give my condolences to the parents and families of this young men, I'm a mother
of four, I can't imagine how hard it could be to not be able to see one of my children anymore. My prayers are with all this families with the ones that lost children as well as with the families that did not but were involved. God bless and remember that God always brings the truth to light.

Best Regards,
ana

As noted on the show, the testimony of most of the witnesses is so inconsistent as to not be believeable. The boys' involved are tainting their testimony so as to absolve themsleves of blame and place Davis at fault. A couple of the female witness's accounts are so bizarre that one might ask if they were even in Michigan when the accident occured! Doyle got off real easy considering his role in the incident (by his own admission). Lecoursier (sp) is clearly the definitive casue of the crash. Davis is not without culpability. He was clearly involved in aggressive driving.

First of all I'd like to offer my sympathy to the families of all of the victims. With that being said I have to say that the prosecuting attorney is correct in prosecuting Mr. Davis if he indeed changed lanes and hit his brakes to prevent the pickup from passing him. In my opinion what he did is a form of road rage. Even if the pickup was driving erratically... It was not Mr. Davis' job to stop the pickup truck driver from driving like an idiot.... that's what the police are for.... Mr. Davis should have gotten out of the way and called the police to let them take care of the issue.

Will people who already know the outcome of this trial PLEASE
not tell everybody else in their blogs?

Ryan, can you please answer a question that has been bugging me for almost 16 years now? In the OJ Simpson trial, WHY didn't they test the
inside of that infamous glove for OJ's DNA? Surely there would be some
skin cells or something with DNA belonging to him if the glove was indeed his?? PLEASE help me with this! (sorry to digress from the Davis trial, will get back to that shortly!)

One might think that Mr.Davis was a victim.One might think that Mr.Davis is not guilty.One might think that the teens were 100% at fault.One might think that Mr.Davis was just a good guy.Well if this was the case why in the world did Mr. davis at no time during this trial take the witness stand.Just for the simple reason if any to tell his side of the story.Or even show any sort of remorse?For the life of me I can't figure out why the majority of the above comments are defending Mr.Davis and pushing all of the blame on the teens?It is not just the teens that give different testimony.The bus driver and the drivers of the other cars all seem to tell some what of a different version of what happened that day.But one thing that sticks out is Mr.Lacoursiere attempted to illegally pass Mr.Davis.And Mr.Davis for whatever reason choose to steer his vehicle into Mr.Lacoursiere's vehicle pussing Mr.Lacoursiere's vehicle head on into the school bus.How in god's name is Mr.Davis not responsible for causing this horrible crash?Mr.Davis was not a hero that day saving all of the other driver's on the road that day from these teen's.Mr.Davis acting as a vigalante on his own mission.Please don't forget that Mr.Davis was illegally transporting a AK-47 ASSAULT RIFLE in his vehicle during the time of the crash.

Mr Vitale-

you keep saying "these kids"

the fact is that the three kids your client killed were passengers and you have no right to attribute attitudes or behaviors to them

your client seems to be the kind of person who looks for excuses to get into fights- and whatever emotion it was to cause him to stomp on his brakes after cutting into speeding vehicles is the kind I will feel safer knowing is behind bars

my guess is mr vitale will go before the jury and say 'these kids' and 'that vehilce' trying to distract the fact all killed were passengers

now mr davis killed three people by stomping on the brakes daring another driver to ram him or fight him

lets see him pull that one in prison- and I hope he receives consecutive terms for going down to the kid's level

I've heard and read things people have said about Davis and that he should have "backed off" from the teen's reckless driving. LaCoursiere had the choice to "back off" from Davis...why didn't he? That boy chose to take the lives of his friends in his own hands...he is the primary cause of their deaths. No, Davis should have never gotten involved, but that deadly accident would have never happened if LaCoursiere had made a responsible decision.

“Keith March 10th, 2010 12:26 pm ET – From the testimony so far, it seems like all the problems started with the appearance of Mr. Davis and once they started, he (Mr. Davis) did nothing to remove himself from the situation.”

It may have started with the appearance of Davis, but what did the boys do to remove themselves from the situation? Nothing! As a matter of fact, they chose to continue their irresponsible behavior making the situation worse.

How did Brandon Decoopman manage to see EVERYTHING that was going with all vehicles involved from the time they left the school? He said he was sitting in the center of the back seat. His head must have been spinning like a top trying to keep up with all of it. I do have to say one thing for him…he was the first one of the boys I have seen to show any sort of emotion.

How can any one person be held responsable for this. They are all responable. I don't think there has been a matching story out of anyone.

I wouldn't believe a single word spoken by the teeagers who were also involved in this incident. The driver who recieved immunity was as much a part of this accident as either of the two that have been charged. He just was lucky not to be a big part of the aftermath.
3 cars on 1 car and they are all harrassing him and he is to blame because he is 4 or 5 years older?? At 22 he is supposed to be the "adult" when he is being ganged up on by 3 cars?? Come on. When you are 17 or 18, you can kill just as easily as somone who is 22 yrs old.
If one driver was charged, all drivers should have been charged. NO deals.

Was that a bluetooth in the one witnessed ear?? The one for the defense that the prosecution did not cross examine! If so, is that allowed on the witness stand?

The above comment from Jack Weber just blows my mind ! How can You say or even refer that Davis was a victim? Per one of the above comments Davis was illegally carrying a AK-47 in his vehicle.The teens were the victims and Davis was the aggressor!

Does it bother anybody that there is a bad message being sent by the state of Michigan? Apparently it is o.k. to be irrisponsible and wreckless while driving as long as you are under 18, as Mr.Doyle so eloguently put it " WE WERE JUST BEING TEENAGERS".
All drivers no matter the age should be responsible for their actions
or they shouldn't be given a drivers license.

How does an "adult" (Davis) dive in and out of a center turn lane to block a truck to teach people a lesson not be seen as idiodic and dangerous? Who enforces the law? Davis? I think there are people that have higher qualificaions than him. For those who like to play traffic cop, try anger management first. Then go thru 1200 hours of training.

Forgot to thank AXLE. Hope you're right man.

My Question is if Mr Davis did not swerve to try to stop the truck from passing how did his car wind up in a slide where his car went side ways into the bus. Cars going straight just don't slide sideways when the brakes are applied. I am in no way saying that the boy's were totaly innocent when I was young I did some foolish things as well. From the skid marks I believe Mr Davis saw the kid trying to pass him and swerved over to stop the kid and when he tried to steer away from the oncoming bus that I am sure he did not see until the last second it put him into a slide. Either way Mr Davis from what I can see from the skid marks played a hand in the accident.

I just want to say...if they are accusing him of "playing their game", and the expert JUST SAID...that the 2 cars did NOT touch. Then why are the other teens that were also "playing", not being charged as well?
Also, I just wanted to add...what if the truck in front of Davis(driven by another teen), brake checked him, causing the Blue pickup to slam on their brakes behind Davis....both of them could have lost control by hitting their brakes without touching? That would place the blame on the other teens.....

It's clear to me: if the bus ended up facing 2pm after been hit by the pickup truck:

Davis got to the middle lane (yellow lane) first, lost control of the car, skids toward and hit the school bus, the pickup truck at high speed try to not hit the red car lost control, hitting the bus.....and that is why the bus ended up at facing 2pm.......The officer is wrong.

Alex

i love this crime seen reconstruction guy, he is the one to beleive. the kids that were on the stand, making them selves look so innocent. they were lying out of thier teeth. all the kids were speeding out of control. they kids are to fault, come on going some 80 miles an hour is crazy. you are taking your own life in your hands. all these kids were speeding. they are all guily. davis should not be the only one on trail.

I believe the pickup may have just brushed the red car. At the speed they were going it would be almost indistiguishable with air turbulence. This would explain the path of both vehicles before collision. In effect the same result as a pit manouver. The fact that there is no evidence or residue on either vehicle does not rule out this posibility. If there ever was any residue on either vehicle it could be lost after collision with the bus. Its funny the expert would not even mention this a posiblity in my mind shows partiality.

The simulation is fine, but two cars hitting at the same time and the bus turning and facing 2pm? No! No!!!!! So then why did the red car hit the car behind the bus?
I think the (Davis) red car, lost control of his car hit the bus first, the pickup truck at the same time trying to avoid hitting the red car, not able to get control of his car hit the bus. That is why the bus ended up facing 2pm.

Regardless of which car/truck hit the bus first or whether or not they made contact with each other, 2 things are very clear 1st both drivers are very guilty of endangering many lives 2nd its obvious that stephen davis was forcing the truck further left as he tried to pass. This is simply clear because he was target asphyxiated on the truck, realized were he was and over compensated to the right evident of the impact behind his b-pillar. both are guilty point blank.

i want to say, i really like this reconstructive tech, he is great. he makes you really wonder if the kids that were on the stand, saying "oh no we were not speeding", he really makes them look bad. i would not take what they said with a grain of salt. these kids were speeding, going some 80 miles an hour. that is crazy. if davis is charged with killing these kids, then all the kids that were driving should be charged as well. they were all playing the same game. the parents of the dead kids should be ashamed of themselves for wanting davis to take the blame for killing these kids. the kids killed them selves. and you heard that one kid say that the parents of the dead kids were friends with these kids and there fore would not file charges against them. the parents do not want to face the fact that their kids were going 80 miles and hour and they basically killed themselves.

I think that investigator just (Steven Davis) off the hook.

This case is very simple Davis did one of the two he either was swithching lanes minding his own business when half way in the lane he noticed a truck heading straight towards him at a high rate of speed and then immediately took action to swerve right causing his vehicle to lose control. Or Davis saw the truck speeding and decided to switch lanes over in attempt to one up (revenge) LaCoursiere by making him slow down and keeping him from advancing.

LaCoursiere is obviously more at fault PERIOD!

There's no way to determine what Davis intentions were.

Oh heck yes, not manslaughter, the teens should be charged also. This is not fair. fifty, fifty to me, if the teens were being good in the first place this would not have happen. The teens are just as guilty!!!!!!

Carlos March 11th, 2010 2:11 pm ET

How does an "adult" (Davis) dive in and out of a center turn lane to block a truck to teach people a lesson not be seen as idiodic and dangerous? Who enforces the law? Davis? I think there are people that have higher qualificaions than him. For those who like to play traffic cop, try anger management first. Then go thru 1200 hours of training.

DITTIO FOR THE TEENS, THEY STARTED IT. Davis would not have gotten upset if they were behaving. Davis should have back off, but the teens started the ball rolling down hill. They are just as guilty.

I agree with the crash investigator Brian Mcnair. Davis did try to block he didn't judge the closing speeds correctly then over correcte and spun out in attempt to get out of the way.

Think about it people if you were minding your own business driving in a calm manner their is no way you will spin out. Davis mad a dramatic attempt to block were he lost control.

Their all at fault but LaCoursiere is much more at fault.

I agree with the crash investigator Brian Mcnair. Davis did try to block he didn't judge the closing speeds correctly then over corrected and spun out in attempt to get out of the way.

Think about it people, if you were minding your own business driving in a calm manner their is no way you'll spin out. Davis made a dramatic attempt to block where he lost control.

Their all at fault but LaCoursiere is much more at fault.

The jury needs to pay close attention to the scientific evidence. Eye witness accounts are highly unreliable. In this case there are many versions. However, it appears the trafic reconstruction facts tell the story of both vehicles crossing the center lane. Why would Davis, the defendant, be crossing the center lane in front of the blue truck? Except to block the trucks path from passing him. Both drivers are at fault for crossing the center lane into oncoming traffic. Davis may have agitated the blue truck's skidding by crossing the center lane in front of the blue truck. This is a tragedy and people need to respect themselves and others when they are driving. Driving is not a time to prove anything, except restraint! God Bless the Families.

my heart goes out to the famlies of their lost
I know what they are going through I to lost a19 year old son to a head on accident which he was not at fault it was raining and the guy had bald tires crossed the center line and hit him head on rolled over on his car and caught fire what i think ,it was both of their faults the teens for speeding and trying to pass and Davis for blocking them not all teens are bad drivers did you ever take a look at the adult drivers specially the ones that cant live without a cell phone while driving they are just as bad as teens so why talk about the teens I have been driving for many years and had more problems with adult drivers then teen agers

Eye witness testimony is often mistaken or blatantly bias. This scientific evidence is more plausable but remember not necessarily factual but a posibility. Not all reconstuction experts have the entire picture only posibilities. Scientific evidence is not factual only posible. DNA evidence can only be absolute. In my mind this schould of been hammered home.

March 11th, 2010 3:50 pm ET

Carlos March 11th, 2010 2:11 pm ET

How does an "adult" (Davis) dive in and out of a center turn lane to block a truck to teach people a lesson not be seen as idiodic and dangerous? Who enforces the law? Davis? I think there are people that have higher qualificaions than him. For those who like to play traffic cop, try anger management first. Then go thru 1200 hours of training.

TC March 11th, 2010 3:50 pm ET

DITTIO FOR THE TEENS, THEY STARTED IT. Davis would not have gotten upset if they were behaving. Davis should have back off, but the teens started the ball rolling down hill. They are just as guilty.

Hey TC, you're right about the teens being in the wrong too. I guess I just blasted Davis. I have no problem with people trying to do what's right when something is going wrong. I just don't like when in the process a school bus is taken out. The drivers involved should be prosecuted. But Davis had the right to be upset, not the right to engage if the kids were misbehaving.

Is it just me or does it seem like the Prosecutor is putting on a great case for the defense??

I tend to agree with some other posters that the reconstruction seemed to show that the accident was caused by Davis trying to block the pickup from passing him and pickup's speeding up to get around. I don't think you can discount the witnesses though in order to know what happened leading up to the accident. As I didn't actually watch every witness testify, but didn't some of the other drivers testify to Davis brake checking and trying to block them from passing? And I could be wrong, but didn't LaCoursiere get blocked by Davis before the final move that took them both into the bus? It seems there's a lot for the jury to keep track of and this is a very tough case for the prosecution to prove! I could definitely seeing the jury being out for a few days on this one...

Diane brought up a good topic & that is driving while using your cell phone. A lot of states have outlawed the use of using your cell phone while driving. Here in Ohio it's still legal. I even saw a person texing & driving at the same time.

why isnt the driver of the blue truck on trial for this tragic accident the parents of the teens who died should be angry at lacoursiere he should have been more careful with these lives in his car i hope this haunts him that his the only one to blamme for these teens and he should be held responsible and charged . Why did the prosecution went after davis and the lacoursiere.

I believe these teens have been involved in this type of behavior before. Unfortunately, they lost their lives before anyone took note of their recklessness.

The truck drive was obviously following too close. If he had to swerve into the center lane during a "break check" from Stephen Davis then he obviously was driving too close. He had a reponsibility to back off, but didn't. Instead he accelerated putting the lives of his passengers at risk. Therefore, that implies to me that he had the road rage. Moreover if the cars did not touch, even if Davis swerved into the lane of the truck, the truck driver should have slowed down. Since he did not, he is technically at fault.

If one is guilty they are all guilty.

mr davis's attorney just seems too, whats the word i'm looking fore. i think he should have chosen differant-to me he could have gotten out of this but it does'nt sound like he will with this ho-hum representation

I wonder why Davis did not get on the stand. J.

it is my opinion and the opinion of the five family members watching this case that mr davis be acquitted of all charges because he was attempting to protect the citizens around him along with the teens who were driving the way they were. yes he shoulda called 911 but seriously he was doing a civic duty. something bad happened in the end but it was bound to happen. let the man go! hes suffered enough!!

i find it difficult to understand the prosecutor's decision to go after davis. the behavior of the teen drivers was clearly the most critical factor in the crash with the bus, had these boys not been driving like maniacs, the 3 boys who are now dead, would be sitting in their classrooms, preparing for a bright future.

I believe that everyone involved (in the game) should be charged with negligence.

i'm wondering how could davis possible go over to another lane to avoid lacoursierre's truck when it was testified in court that he was being blocked in by doyle's truck....and why isn't all the other teens involved being charged in this case....its unfortunate that our children don't take into consideration the lives of everyone else around them when they start playing games on the road...my heart goes out to everyone involved in this sad case...but this cannot be blamed on any one person

Just because there was no contact between the truck and Davis's car does not mean Davis is innocen If someone driving next to you swerves at you, it is natural instinct to swerve away. I am really tired of hearing about teens bad driving. One "expert" stated she thought the legal age to drive should be 18-what rubbish! If she considers a 16 year old a "child", then I don't think 2 years later, they should be considered "adults". An 18 year old can fight for this country during a war but yet this should be the age to be able to drive–what an expert! Davis is 24 at the time of this accident–I don't think he was driving as an adult. I think more importance should be placed on elderly drivers and if they are capable of driving. I see more elderly drivers who should not be behind the wheel and I am a nurse who sees the effects from poor drivers. I raised 4 children who were not perfect, but they knew the importance of being able to drive and I've seen drivers of all ages who have "road rage", it's not just teens who are horsing around on the highways. Quit vilifying teens and look at all age groups.

I just want to say my Prayers go out to the families.. On the other hand I hope they do not charge Mr. Davis with manslaughter. No one on the stand had a consistent story. EVERYONES story was different or they couldn't "recall" what happened. Free Mr. Davis

HE SHOULD NOT HAVE ENGAGED. It looked to me that the red car and the teal pick-up made contact just before the accident due to the red car swerving into the front of the truck. The skid marks show me the red car was forward of the pick-up and as contact was made it pushed the pick-up into the oncoming lane and at the same time sending the car into a sideways skid. If the red car had not come in contact with the truck, the accident may not have happened.

Even if the vehicles did not make contact. The red car swerving into or toward the pick-up to keep him from passing is what caused the accident.

Do you think it's possible that Doyle was "break checking" Davis causing him to swerve???

MAY GOD BLESS BOBBIE,NICK AND JORDAN ......................

Stephen Davis had every opportunity to move over to the right lane and avoid all of the actions of the teal truck driven by Mr. L. He could have backed off and slowed down to get totally away from Mr. L's erractic driving. As other witnesses testified, they did this, and from what I heard, there was definitely room for Mr. Davis to get over to the right lane and away from Mr. L. Apparently it was Mr. Davis's choice to stay where he was. I don't think he should be charged with manslaughter, but I do think he should be charged with the lesser only because of what I said above. It was his choice, and definitely a wrong choice. Everyone can "guess" what would have happened with the teal truck had this occurred, however, a guess is not an actuality.

Why would any 1 pass in the turn lane if there was another lane on the right.... and they tell you in defencive driving to tap your brakes for a tailgater. What about road rage on the teens part

The driver Lacoursierre could see above or over Davis's car. He Lacoursiere saw the bus and just tried to get past Davis before the bus. We have some train tracks here that just had flashing lights and people would try to beat the train. - My dad said that they would take his '68 Chevelle SS and pratice their baseball bat swings by trying to hit mailboxs with a baseball bat.

not guilty

GUILTY- 50/50 Sixty mph in a 50 speed zone, Speeding , passing in a turn lane. all parties should be taken off the road for 5 years. One year in prison and 10 year probation, Davis, joined in a teen age game. All drivers are guilty.

Yes the boys were driving recklessly. Maybe they would have crashed on their own, maybe the wouldn't have. We'll never know. HOWEVER, Mr. Davis decided to also be a juvenile by actively making the decision to engage in bad driving and teach the teens a lesson. He should have instead been a RESPONSIBLE ADULT and called 911 to report the teen's driving. I hope the jury teaches Mr. Davis a lesson and find him guilty of manslaughter.

In the case of this trial, the drivers involved thought only of themselves. They had no concern of their passengers, their families, or drivers around them. Those people are all victims. The last thing they wanted to do is spend months preparing to go to trial. The last thing the families of the deceased wanted to do was to say goodby forever to their loved ones. The last thing the witnesses wanted was to have to remember this horrific accident for the rest of their lives. Kids have an attitude that it's my life and I can do what I want, if something happens it's my problem. That's not what happens. The minute they make a wrong decision that results in a horrible end, it becomes someone else's problem. My brother was in a terrible accident that left him in a coma. He was drinking and driving. It affected the person who found him in the wreck. They had to give him CPR and go to a stranger's house to ask them to call 911. It affected the ambulance drivers who had to drive in an ice storm to rescue him and transport him many miles to a hospital. It affected my mother who had to decide whether or not to pull the plug on him. It affected his brothers and sisters who had to take time out of busy schedules to visit him and help our mother see him during a year's worth of hospitalization and rehab. It mainly affected him because now he is handicapped because of the brain injury he received. People have to think about how their decisions affect the people around them. It's not just their lives. The actions of these kids changed many lives the moment that accident occurred.

This case just angers me,..this is so simple...if the punk driving the truck isnt in the center lane doing 80mph plus...his friends would be alive today,...PERIOD,..end of story. The rest of this case against Mr. Davis is a joke. What gets me the most is when the asked the kid doing the driving of the pickup if he felt any responsibility for his friends death,..he quickly said NO. Nice kid there,...must have grown up with some great parenting.

Furthermore,.....this prosecuting attorney would be getting under my skin with his antics if i was in this jury box,...just because you get animated and raise your voice doesnt make you right,...believe me ive tried,..and my wife has taught me that just doesnt work. This is deciding a young man's future and you better come at me with a little more than your mis-managed frustration.

After listening to all the witnesses testimony, I was just wondering why none of those many driving and seeing what was going on managed to call 911 and get the police there???
I recall at least 3 witnesses commenting "we pulled back" because something bad was going to happen. How many minutes were they all on that road? At least long enough to call 911.....
Bottom line I think is many were negligible in this tragic accident.

Its easy to say that he should have removed himself. However there were three of them preventing him from doing so. And those that did remove the selves where looking from behind, not being tailgated or boxed in. It's not like he was performing a "Swoop and Squat".

In reading other comments I wonder if we are watching the same program. The other teen that was in the other truck was charged. His trail is not suppose to be held with Mr. Davis...so why is everyone asking why isn't he on trail also??? Mr. Tozar's trail is separate from Davis...as for the ones asking why isn't Mr Tozar charged for the same thing that Mr Davis is...That's because Mr Davis and the dead teens were involved directly with the collision with the bus where as the Mr Tozar's truck was not involved in the collision with the bus although Mr Tozar was involved with the road game.

Iam so sorry to hear about this,I have a 17 year old son and he is my baby,I don't know what I would do without him ,it seems to me that everyone involved will be serving life sentences. regardless who is at fault. my prayers go out to each and everyone of the families.

First, who bought these kids these HUGE, honkin' trucks? You know the kids couldn't afford them. Didn't they realize how kids mess around in them? Second, guilt or innocense, whoever was messin' around no matter to what degree, is guilty to some extent and should each be charged. THIRD, I was thinking this court case would be such an excellent learning tool to go along with driver's ed. These kids can get a feel as to what CAN and DOES happen, instead of thinking they're so-o infalible.

This was a tragic accident that could've been avoided if it weren't for the two parties involved. The teenagers in the blue truck were doing the wrong thing as was Mr. Davis and the result isn't unexpected. However, Mr. Davis is guilty, in my opinion, of negligent homicide. He deserves to spend a couple years in prison.

I feel very sorry for the families of those who died. It must be very hard coming to grips that your child contributed to their own death. And at such an early age. Very tragic.

I believed all the witnesses even though there stories differed slightly. They saw things from their own perspective and the wreck took only seconds to happen. One persons recollection can be slightly different than another's. That's just human nature.

Davis was trying to get these "kids havin' fun" to CEASE. He's lucky he was not killed. Lacoursierre was ENTIRELY responsible for his friends' deaths. To charge Davis was obviously the idea of one of the sets of parents of the deceased, and I'm sure the DA did NOT want to bring the Davis charges to trial.

i've watched this trial progress everyday...so many witnesses and so many conflicting stories...yes davis should not have engaged...but what if he was blocked in by doyle's truck and had nowhere else to go...there was witness testimony that he was blocked in on his right side by the other truck....maybe just maybe he tried to get into the left lane and say lacoursierre's truck bearing down on him and he just swerved to get out of the way...remember what the officer said....lacoursierre was speeding in excess of 80 mph...thats like a bullet being shot from a gun...i know that if i saw someone coming up on the side of me i would have swerved out of the way...no one knows...maybe lacoursierre didnt see the bus until it was to late and thats why he slammed on his brakes

Having a license to drive a vehicle does not give you the right to claim the highway as your private playground and put others at risk . The teenagers were at fault for this accident by disregarding the safety of the other drivers on the highway where they were playing their game. Mr. Davis should have simply slowed down and called 911 to inform the Highway Patrol of the actions of the teenagers. Mr. Davis is guilty of bad judgement and negiligent driving but not guilty of causing the deaths of the three teenagers . The teenagers were the reason the accident happened and they should be held accountable. This is a trial l that should be required viewing for all teenagers before a license is issued .

I never heard, though I may have missed it, that the boy should have backed off to avoid an accident. All I heard from families and comments was that Davis should have backed off. I feel that Davis and the boys all showed bad judgement, but had the boys not started it, the accident would never have happened. Blame should not be placed only on Davis.

Congratulations to Mr. Davis, the verdict is as it should be. There were 10 people involved in this accident. Unfortunately, 3 lost their lives, but the 15 years minimum that the state was looking to give Mr. Davis, divided by 10 is 1.5. That is fair. I am the mother of a 16 year old and am always talking to him about using his head in regards to his choices. If he rides with a person who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs or an aggressive driver, he is making a poor choice. These people made bad choices and have now suffered the consequences. Let's remember that teenagers are young adults and if given the privilege to drive, they are expected to follow the rules.

I'm outraged at the verdict on Davis. The same 9 boys 5 days a week from Sept to April drove the same route. On this day Davis happened to be there and now 3 boys are dead and James LaCoursiere will face the charges that Davis got off on. Does this mean LaCoursiere will be sentenced to 15 years on all 3 accounts? Davis showed NO emotions through the whole trial UNTIL the verdict. WHY? He was able to hug his wife his family while the families of these boys DID NOT have their son's to hug.

Mr, Davis got off easy in court, but believe me GOD will remind him of his actions every day of his live. He needs to let the truth out or he will never be free. Davis needs to start by saying sorry for what he did.

It is easier for the families of the victims to feel more anger towards Davis because he is a stranger and the simple fact is that the less blame they place upon LaCoursiere........ the less blame is on the back of the parents for allowing their son to ride with LaCoursiere . One parent said that after the accident, he learned that LaCoursiere had a problem with dangerous driving. He should have investigated LaCoursiere's driving record BEFORE allowing his son to ride with him on a daily basis.

I agree with Cindy's comment. I think it would have been a powerful statement for the prosecutor to say that the boys had driven the same route many times before without getting into an accident. It could have been that this type of evidence could not be admitted at trial–I don't know. Overall I'm satisfied with the jury's verdict and sentence though. I think a couple of years in prison is enough to get the defendant's attention so that he wouldn't engage in this type of irrational behavior in the future. The 10-15 years the prosecutor was seeking, I think might have been a little excessive.

Cindy March 15th, 2010 11:17 am ET

I'm outraged at the verdict on Davis. The same 9 boys 5 days a week from Sept to April drove the same route. On this day Davis happened to be there and now 3 boys are dead and James LaCoursiere will face the charges that Davis got off on. Does this mean LaCoursiere will be sentenced to 15 years on all 3 accounts? Davis showed NO emotions through the whole trial UNTIL the verdict. WHY? He was able to hug his wife his family while the families of these boys DID NOT have their son's to hug.
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So, what you are saying is that because those kids drove the same route everyday, they knew they couldn't possibly have an accident? Are you CRAZY?? Perhaps you've been involved in an accident that caused YOU a brain injury?
These kids at that age had NO BUSINESS driving the way they were! Do you not get that? One year of driving experience does NOT make them experts and it doesn't MATTER that they "knew the route". Hell, I have been driving for over 30 years and don't consider myself an expert. That LaCoursiere kid started the whole ball rolling by driving like an ass, on a busy road, where other INNOCENT PEOPLE were driving. HE was more culpable in the deaths of his friends than Mr. Davis so YES, he SHOULD get more time!
I just don't understand why you think that because they knew the route, this made their driving LESS dangerous! Wow!

That bus driver drove that same route for a very long time. He never saw any cars or trucks driving out of the ordinary in the past?

whatever happen to time trails live.this insessions isn't worth watching at all.you need too bring back full live trails