DWI Hit Parade!

From WKBW
BUFFALO N.Y. (WKBW) Dr. James Corasanti received the maximum sentence for his conviction on a misdemeanor DWI charge related to the hit-n-run death of 18-year old Alexandria Rice.
Erie County Court Judge Sheila DiTullio handed down the sentence.
The 57-year old doctor will spend the next year in jail, pay a $1,000 fine, have his drivers license revoked for six months, and will have to install an ignition interlock on his car for 12 months after he is released from jail.
The sentencing brings to conclusion a case that had been the focus of intense media and public attention.
In late May, the doctor’s acquittal on five felony charges led to a public outcry and condemnation of the jury.
But Corsanti was convicted on a lesser charge of common law Driving While Intoxicated.
The charge carried a maximum jail term of one year, and that was imposed by Judge DiTullio ….MORE

From Buffalo News
Dr. James G. Corasanti took his family to Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Lackawanna Thursday, a day after an Erie County Court jury found him not guilty of felony charges in the death of Alexandria “Alix” Rice last July.
“He addressed these personal issues with those of his family and Alix Rice as anyone does in their own fashion with their own God,” said attorney Thomas H. Burton, trying to counter what he said was misinformation about a party at Corasanti’s Getzville home Wednesday night after the verdict.
There was a gathering, but it was anything but cheerful, said Burton ….MORE

From Buffalo News
Dr. James G. Corasanti has previously been accused of drinking and driving.
Fifteen years ago in Niagara County, police charged the Getzville doctor with driving while intoxicated, according to law enforcement officials.
The charge was eventually reduced to driving while impaired, and he pleaded guilty to a violation. In the time since then, he has not had any alcohol-related charges, according to records at the state Department of Motor Vehicles…..MORE

Letter to the Editor
Last I checked investigators still do not know for sure who was driving the car that fatally hit and killed young Alix. 
There are too many variables in this case and I feel your cartoon was ridiculous and disrespectful to all parties involved.
A young girl riding a skateboard on a dark street in the middle of the night is a recipe for disaster.
 Unfortunately for Alix it proved to be fatal and very sad, but we still do not have any proof that the doctor was even driving or in that car the night of the accident.
You should consider retracting your article until you have all the facts.
Kimberly Grace
(Editor’s Note: your desire to have the articles retracted will require a withdrawal of the criminal charges against Dr. Corasanti.  At such time the updated news will be presented, along with appropriate commentary.
It is unfortunate that he decided to refuse the breath test, but as a medical professional, he knew without a doubt that the measure of blood alcohol in his system would prove he was intoxicated and he undoubtedly had the presence of mind to call his attorney on his cell phone prior to being found by police.
How you can blame this tragedy on the skateboarder shows the mentality involved in the mindset to rationalize continued driving after drinking.  This death shows that even drinking an amount less than needed to pass the legal limit can still impair one’s reaction times to challenges presented ahead on the roadway.
Pedestrians and others on non-motorized wheels need to understand they have a shared obligation to avoid collisions and not to veer out in front of traffic.
Too bad the Doc didn’t blow, then you could really be his champion. It was a ridiculous choice on his part if he was innocent….and regardless of who’s fault it was, maybe the doctor could have stopped at the scene and attempted to render aid to save her life instead of leaving her like a dead animal.)
Your views are invited: send to staff@dwihitparade.com

Police still seeking info on timeline of deadly crash…who was in the vehicle with Dr. Corasanti? 

Police Seek Public Help in Corasanti Case
From WBEN
Amherst police are issuing a call for eyewitnesses, after a prominent doctor was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident over the weekend.
Dr. James Corasanti has been charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident and misdemeanor DWI, after police say his car struck and killed 18 year old Alix Rice on Heim Rd. in Amherst late Friday night.
The Amherst Police is asking for assistance from anyone who may have witnessed the accident or has information about the activities or Dr. Corasanti on the evening of July 8th….MORE

From WGRZ
AMHERST, N.Y.- After her funeral, Matt Cioppi couldn’t help but stop by the Heim Road location where his former co-worker and friend, 18-year-old Alexandria Rice, died Friday night.
“It was good to see a lot of support for her, and see all the people that really cared about her, and she would have really loved to see all the people there,” said Cioppi.
Rice was riding her skateboard home from her job at a nearby pizza shop when she was hit by a car and killed.
Earlier Tuesday morning, hundreds of people honored her memory by attending a service at Beach Tuyn Funeral Home in Williamsville.  ….MORE