Man who crashed Corvette makes initial appearance

[Rob]

Posted Online: 5-26-2007

Man who crashed Corvette makes initial appearance

Christina Ortega, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13861, cortega@heraldargus.com

LA PORTE -- A La Porte man who crashed his Corvette resulting in the ejection and subsequent death of his passenger made his initial appearance in La Porte Circuit Court Friday.

Anthony Traicoff, 49, is charged with three counts of operating while intoxicated, one a Class A misdemeanor, one a Class D felony and one a Class C felony. Judge Thomas Alevizos entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

According to court records, Traicoff was driving a 1985 Chevrolet Corvette in the area of U.S. 35 and CR-525W around 7:01 p.m. May 18 when he lost control of the vehicle after crossing a set of railroad tracks. The vehicle veered off the west side of the road into a ditch, ejecting his passenger, Wendy Burns, 36, who ended up in a ditch nearly 100 feet from the car.

Traicoff told police Burns had not been wearing her seatbelt. She was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend where she died Sunday, May 20, at 9:48 a.m. from severe head trauma and internal bleeding.

Traicoff was arrested at the scene and a blood sample taken from him at La Porte Hospital following the crash revealed his blood alcohol level was .17 percent.

Alevizos set a trial date for March 3, 2008. If convicted of all charges, Traicoff faces up to 12 years in prison.

[XS-Style]

Fellow vette owner or not.... DWI resulting in a death... take him out back and shoot em.

[XLR8]

What's that quote?
With great power comes great responsibility. Or something like that.

Jane Ann

[jrose7004]

Lock him up and throw away the key!

[randomize27]

12 years?

Sorry, he planned to drink, he planned to drive, he killed someone by taking deliberate action.

1st degree Murder to me.

I got robbed back in September at my store. The guy hit two other stores since.

He's getting 10 per offense, and he didn't kill anyone.

Just wrong.

[XS-Style]

Random, Im with ya on the capitol murder charge.

Penalties for this sort of thing just arent strict enough. I do have a personal bias though. 13 years ago my older sis died in an auto accident, ran off the road by a drunk driver. The lady got charged with DWI (she had priors), driving while license revoked, death by auto, and leaving the scene of an accident. She paid court costs and walked. Shes still carrying on with life, I assume. The point is shes still alive, and someone I loved isnt, because of her choises. She no longer lives around here, as I promised the judge in the courtroom that day that she was as good as dead if I ever saw her again. Thats a promise id still make good on today, even with the number of years that have passed. Drinking and driving are things you vollentarily do, theres nothing accidental about either one. Sorry to rant.

[Norseman]

The passenger should have had her seat belt on!