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Jan 2, 2008 6:28 pm US/Eastern
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Bond Set At $1.25M For Driver In Deadly Ohio Crash
TOLEDO, Ohio (WJZ) ―
The man accused of killing five members of a Parkville family in a drunk driving accident Sunday made his first appearance in an Ohio courtroom Wednesday.
Derek Valcourt reports on how the news hit many kids hard as they learned two of their classmates were killed in a car crash.
Michael Gagnon, 24, said little in court Wednesday as he faced a judge for the first time since his arrest for Sunday night's crash. The self- employed construction worker has only a cut on his chin, but the Griffin family in Parkville has been devastated.
Mother Bethany and her four children, including an eight-week-old baby, all died after Gagnon crashed into the family's Chevy Astro van, while driving drunk the wrong way down an Ohio interstate.
Police say Gagnon's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.
Attorney Rick Sanders spoke to Gagnon and his family.
"The family is understandably distraught. They have wanted from the get go to express their thoughts and prayers to the family of the victims. Unfortunately there's no one here that we are aware of today to do that, but they are certainly sorry for the events and express their thoughts and prayers to the other family."
Meanwhile, news of the crash has been especially tough for teachers and classmates returning to Carney Elementary.
"We knew there would be a lot of work we had to do in that school today," said Lynne Muller with Baltimore County Public Schools.
An entire trauma team of eight counselors were on hand at school Wednesday to help students and teachers deal with their grief.
School counselors say with a tragedy like this, kids ask a lot of questions.
"Sometimes they are looking for people to blame which is what you would expect. The adults [are] sort of feeling the same way. How come this guy did what he did. How come they were all killed, how come someone wasn't more careful? All the questions that all of us have," said Muller.
A Toledo judge set bond at $1.25 million for five counts of aggravated vehicular homicide.
Gagnon had his driver's license suspended multiple times for not providing proof of insurance or registration.
He also had two speeding tickets since 2002 but had no points on his driving record before Sunday's crash, according to the Michigan secretary of state's office.
Jodie Griffin, the mother of one of five people killed in a wrong-way crash in Toledo, released this statement Wednesday:
"We want to thank the community for all of their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. We are grieving deeply for our beloved Jordan along with her stepbrothers, stepsisters and stepmother who died in the accident.
Our daughter Sydney is making progress not only daily but hourly. She remains in critical condition at St. Vincent Mercy Children's Hospital and we remain hopeful for her continued improvement.
We ask for your continued thoughts and prayers and ask the media to please respect our privacy as we continue to care for our family."
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