Gilroy
– Scott and Miki Kinkel say they have seen no remorse from the
teenagers involved in the tragic accident that killed their teenage
daughter.
”
These kids aren’t hurting like you think they are,
”
Scott Kinkel said.
”
To this day, I have not heard so much as one, ‘I’m sorry your
daughter was killed,’ I have not heard one apology for (their) part
in this tragedy, nor have I seen one of these kids show the
remotest level of responsibility for taking part in this event.
”
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Scott and Miki Kinkel say they have seen no remorse from the teenagers involved in the tragic accident that killed their teenage daughter.
“These kids aren’t hurting like you think they are,” Scott Kinkel said. “To this day, I have not heard so much as one, ‘I’m sorry your daughter was killed,’ I have not heard one apology for (their) part in this tragedy, nor have I seen one of these kids show the remotest level of responsibility for taking part in this event.”
On Aug. 1, 15-year-old Gilroy High student Erin Kinkel was riding unrestrained in the bed of a truck driven by Anthony McDowell, 18, of Morgan Hill. McDowell was speeding as he drove on Redwood Retreat Road at about 1am and, after making an unsafe maneuver, he lost control, according to the California Highway Patrol. Kinkel, a popular cheerleader, was thrown onto the road and died en route to a trauma center.
Sept. 2 would have been Erin Kinkel’s 16th birthday and two GHS students marked the day with effort to turn the tragedy into a positive message.
Emily Castillo and Alex Williams are in the process of handing out 1,000 buttons with Erin’s picture and the phrase: “Remember Erin Kinkel. Remember your seat belt!”
Castillo handed out buttons to Kinkel’s friends who gathered at Erin’s gravesite on Sept. 2.
“It was a bittersweet day,” Scott Kinkel said. “No parent wants to spend their daughter’s 16th birthday at her grave. … But the cars and cars of people … made it sweet, and they told stories and remembered her.”
The Kinkels say they haven’t slept since the accident, and when they do, it’s restless sleep.
They want McDowell and the others involved to feel the full weight of their actions, something that the Kinkels say won’t happen without McDowell’s prosecution.
“Tell me why this boy can violate two vehicle code violations, drive recklessly and irresponsibly, and also secondarily, allow children to ride illegally and unsafely secured in the back of the truck, be the sole and primary cause of an accident, and we can just let it go,” said Scott Kinkel, Erin’s father.
“He has to be prosecuted,” said Miki Kinkel, Erin’s mother.
The Kinkels said they and others were angered and saddened by an editorial published in The Gilroy Dispatch on Sept. 3. The couple believes the editorial is counter to the message of responsibility and consequences that they’re trying to spread. The editorial urged the District Attorney’s office to drop the pending misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence against the truck’s driver.
They particularly take issue with the editorial board’s note that drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash. Illegal driving was the factor and is no less reprehensible, they say.
The Kinkels want McDowell and the others to educate their peers on the dangers of treating vehicles like playthings. If McDowell is convicted, it’s likely they will have a say in his sentence.
“I want him to do this (community service) 100 percent,” Miki Kinkel said. “But I also want him to go to jail.”
Scott Kinkel agreed, but only if McDowell claims innocence. McDowell is set to be arraigned Oct. 26 at the San Martin Courthouse.
“If he steps up to the plate and accepts his part, his responsibility in this, I will be in his corner,” Scott Kinkel said.
Questions to McDowell were referred to his attorney, Ingo Brauer, who could not be reached.
Prosecution is the most effective way to reach young drivers, the Kinkels say. But in the meantime, they point to some other local teenagers who already have gotten the message.
Jessica Rioux, a senior at Morgan Hill’s Live Oak High School, wrote the Kinkels to say their daughter – who she knew only as an acquaintance – has inspired her to speak about driving at local schools. She also is hoping to get a printing shop to sponsor stickers with “Remember Erin” on them.
Meanwhile students are wearing the buttons donated by GHS parent Mark Zappa’s Zapp-A-Form Printing and Promotions of Gilroy and the GHS football and cheerleading teams dedicated the season to Kinkel. Both teams wear the initials “EK” on their uniforms.
“Cheerleading is a big part of our football program,” Head Coach Darren Yafai said. “This is the least we could do to honor Erin.”
A sign reminding students to drive safely will soon be erected in the GHS student parking lot, as well.
