YOUR COMMENTS

this woman is a fine person in the community and her loss and pain is real!
someone needed to be held accountable, and in this day and age you need to hit them where it hurts, the wallet! kinda funny though that the other sons house was in foreclosure and ready to be sold at auction, but all that signage is gone now! like i said hit them in the wallett!
- george, hillsborough

So if they were just trying to punish those who did wrong why did they sue the relative who owned the vehicle?
- TJ, Concord

This is why society has been on the decline for years. No one wants to take personal responsibility for their actions anymore. No one put a gun to Mr. Dennis' head and made him drink before he got behind the wheel of his car and drove into the officer. Having been in the restaurant business before, i can tell you it is impossible to know everyone who is drunk or intoxicated in your establishment. I don't believe the restaurant should be held responsible. But everyone is looking for the big payday, including the underwater bottom dwellers that call themselves lawyers. I hope the settlement was worth it to the family.
- Paul, Merrimack

Ahh to live in a country where self accountability no longer exists. Oh wait, we already do...
- Kevin, Portsmouth, NH

In our litigious society, is it any wonder that the retaurant would be protesting its innocence? Any business owner with half a brain would immediately think about potential lawsuits in such a circumstance.

The insurance company probably settled because, barring any third party evidence to support the restaurant's claims, they saw a trial as a lost cause. Remember, civil law suits only require a preponderance of evidence (>50% likelihood of fault) for the plaintiff to win.

Once again, the lawyers make out, we all pay (through increased prices to pay higher insurance premiums) and we get another lesson that personal responsibility is no longer important.
- Dan, Auburn

Melvin, why is it a good day? A business that employs people during these times actually might shut down. Over serving is a very fine line my friend. There are many times where I have left an establishment and had a pretty good buzz. Happened all the time down at Fort Sam. Does that mean they over served me? Even better did the business shove drinks down anyone's throat? Nothing will bring this young man back, but blaming the business is just another example of society unable to place blame where it belongs....the person who did the crime. We are going down a path with no personal responsibility anymore. I feel for the family, but the bar did not force the criminal to drink, and sometimes you just can't tell if someone has been over served. So hooray! Maybe we can lose some more jobs in NH.
- Dave, Amherst

While losing a loved one is a terrible tragedy for anyone involved, I dont see how anyone can hold the restaurant responsible. I know many people who dont look or act intoxicated after having 5 or 6 drinks over the course of an evening, so how can you force a restaurant to pay this kind of claim? This should have been the responsibility of the driver who had too much and drove drunk. Unless of course the restaurant put 6 drinks in front of him in an hour - but those details are not provided here so its difficult to jude culpability without all the facts.
- Joyce F, Londonderry

An adult male chooses to drink excessively, decides to drive, decides to flee the scene of a fatality, and as a result, the restaurant should be closed????

The only one at fault is the drinker/driver. The end.

Unbelievable...........
- Mike, Bedford

Blood money.

Yes, the driver and the restaurant should be punished. But, how does anyone justify the lawyer getting $300,000 and the parents getting 800,000 (assuming 30% fee)? Did the parents suffer financial loss? If not, why the profit?

Have the parents experienced pain and suffering? Absolutely. Does money mitigate pain and suffering? Not if it is genuine. Life is full of pain and suffering and most people deal with it rather than profit from it.

I am sorry for your loss but enjoy your new found wealth.
- Frank, Concord

Any time the family of a victim of drunk driving is awarded a sum like this one, it is a good day. With any luck the business will have their insurance canceled and go out of business.

As much as this settlement is, it isn't enough to bring the young man back.
- Melvin, Keene