District attorney's office drops charges against Michael Waltrip
By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. – NASCAR team owner/driver Michael Waltrip said he spoke to several schools about driving safety as part of a deal to have the charges dropped from a motor vehicle accident during the Easter weekend last year.
Waltrip hit a utility pole and rolled over his vehicle in the April 7, 2007, accident. He walked home. In a statement at the time, Waltrip
said that he fell asleep at the wheel.
The Catawba County (N.C.) district attorney’s office dropped the charges of reckless driving and failure to report an accident in early
February with the reason listed as “best interest of justice,” according to court documents.
“What I did was really beneficial for me,” Waltrip said. “I went and spoke to high-school and grade-school children in the Catawba County area and explained to them the importance of operating a motor vehicle safely and how being tired or distracted is the quickest way to have an accident.
“Kids are so handy to text these days, and driving while texting is a bad deal, so I just really worked my hardest at being entertaining and to let them know that somebody who knows what they’re doing behind the wheel can make a mistake, and that mistake can be tragic.”
Waltrip said the talks averaged about 30 minutes to “eight or 10 schools” over a month-long period.
“I look at it as just an opportunity to change one child’s life forever with their decision-making … is what makes me proud,” Waltrip said. “I got a lot of positive feedback from it. I’m very thankful to turn something that was an unfortunate accident into something could be positive for many people for many years to come.”
Phone and email messages to Catawba County Assistant District Attorney Eric R. Bellas were not returned.
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Michael Waltrip
Comments
3 responses to "District attorney's office drops charges against Michael Waltrip"
Dan bordelon said:
Mar 28, 2008 at 2:28 PMGood for Michael. I am glad that he and the county were able to make the best out of a bad situation. I also think it could make a positive influence on some young person's life and possibly spare them a much worse fate. Kudo's to both the county and Michael.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportLois Merrill said:
Mar 30, 2008 at 1:56 AMMichael seems to always put Michael first!!!!! This should not have been dropped. Same as Nascar......searching for the things to sweep under the rug, instead of making examples of these 'super-stars'. He needs to be used as an example instead of going to the schools and 'probably' using his sappy humor to weasel his way out of this. How many times can he explain his bad behavior to his kids??? Those are the ones to be really concerned about. Seems, as he has gotten his own team out on the track, he has lost track of what he has said he believes and stands for.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportEvelyn Montonen said:
May 15, 2008 at 7:42 AMI just "love" people who will ALWAYS "kick a dog when he's down". I hope that the same kick comes their way when the situation warrents it !!! Kudos to Michael for doing the right thing after an unfortunate situation.
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