Our society has a tendency to look upon suspected or convicted drunk drivers with disdain and disapproval, choosing to forget that the majority of DUI offenders are real people who feel shame, guilt, and regret for their actions. We ignore the fact that many drunk drivers are battling drug or alcohol addiction and are physically incapable of changing their ways on their own.

No one is really sure of the reasons that motivated a 45-year-old DUI suspect to take his own life in a Pennsylvania prison where he was being held while he awaited trial. Most likely, his death was due to the guilt he felt for causing the death of a woman during a DUI car crash. But however egregious his crime, it is sad that he felt that he had to take his life, making a tragic incident even more so.

According to Pennsylvania police, the suspect was arrested on July 13 following a car accident that killed a woman and critically injured a young girl. After a chemical test revealed that he had a blood alcohol of 0.17 percent, the suspect was charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI, along with several other felony charges and traffic violations.

After being charged and committed to the Lancaster prison in lieu of $100,000 bail, the suspect apparently jumped from an upper cellblock in an effort to take his own life. Witnesses say that he walked up a flight of stairs while he and a group of inmates were in a prison common area. He then climbed over a railing and dove to the floor. He was critically injured after falling the 13 feet to the ground, and was unable to recover.

Source: Lancaster Online, "Inmate who fell was in fatal DUI crash, police say," Ryan Robinson and Brett Hambright, 22 July 2011