Thrashers' Heatley, Snyder injured in car wreck

[AvsGirl41]

They should let Heatley go to the funeral. There's time enough (his whole life) to punish him with the law. He's punished enough by having to see his friend buried.

He should be able to pay his last respects, it's only right.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

i think the courts will allow him to go, but it is the doctor's orders that may not allow him to go. he has to undergo massive surgery on his knee mid week.

 

[Chizip]

heatley is being charged with vehicular homicide which carries a prison sentence of 3 - 15 years

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

and his lawyer is the lawyer who defended Ray Lewis.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

[q]Heatley will be allowed to attend Snyder services

By JOHN MANASSO and STEVE VISSER
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writers

Fulton County Magistrate Richard Hicks will allow Atlanta Thrasher Dany Heatley to attend the funeral of teammate Dan Snyder in Canada on Friday.


PHIL SKINNER / AJC
Thrashers GM Don Waddell said the team is doing what it can to support Dany Heatley, who was charged in the crash that killed teammate Dan Snyder.


Related:
? Sign Dan Snyder guest book
? Previous stories about the crash




According to Hicks' office, a consent order was signed today after a request by Heatley. The hockey star remains free on a $50,000 bond, which now covers upgraded charges of vehicular homicide.

The Thrashers team will play its opening game Thursday night at Philips Arena, then fly to Canada for Snyder's funeral Friday in Elmira, Ontario, a small town about 70 miles from Toronto.

The funeral will be 1 p.m. at the Elmira Mennonite Church in Snyder's hometown.

Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said the team discussed whether to play Thursday's season-opening game.

"The Snyder family expressed concern for the team to play the game and to move forward," Waddell said. "They really felt the team needed to play, that Dan would have wanted it that way."

Waddell said the team is doing what it can to support Heatley.

"There's lots of ways you can lend support," Waddell said. "His family is in town with him. He's going to have some difficult times coming up. Whatever we can do to support him, certainly, we're going to be there for him."

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard asked the Atlanta Police Department to charge Heatley after Snyder died Sunday night from head injuries suffered when he was riding in the black Ferrari that Heatley crashed on Lenox Road in Buckhead on the night of Sept. 29.

Heatley was initially charged with serious injury by vehicle, reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions, driving on the wrong side of the road and striking a fixed object. The injury charge was updated to vehicular homicide. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

Heatley was released briefly Monday from St. Joseph's Hospital to spend time with family.

Vehicular homicide is a misdemeanor if only speeding is involved, but it can be elevated to a felony if it involves factors such as drunken driving or reckless driving. Heatley's agent, Stacey McAlpine, said that "alcohol was not a factor" in the crash.

The average sentence for vehicular homicide in Georgia is about 7.4 years, said Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter.

Howard is awaiting the results of a test of Heatley's blood for any alcohol or drug content before taking the case to the grand jury, Friedly said. Friedly said he was not sure how Monday's state Supreme Court ruling will affect the results of the test.

"Our appellate division will have to review the ruling and we'll go from there," Friedly said.

The court ruled that police cannot require drivers involved in accidents with serious injuries or fatalities to submit to blood or breath tests without probable cause. Before Monday's ruling, the "implied consent" statute allowed police to seek the tests even when there was no indication the driver was impaired or intoxicated.

District attorneys in metro Atlanta say the public has been demanding vehicular homicide cases be prosecuted vigorously and judges have been handing out stiffer sentences.

"We all have to travel the road and the only thing you can control in your vehicle is your speed and the manner you drive," said Clayton County District Attorney Bob Keller. "I think the public is getting more and more intolerant of drivers who put innocent people in harm's way."

-- Staff writers Tasgola Karla Bruner and Saeed Ahmed contributed to this article.[/q]

the hospital where he is at is 5 mins up the road from me. not that that means a damn thing.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

i feel so sorry for both Dany Heatly and Dan Snyder's family.

[q]Associated Press
The Thrashers' Dany Heatley (left) says goodbye to Graham Snyder, father of Dan Snyder, after the funeral in Elmira, Ontario[/q]

[q]Stick-tapping salute escorts Dan Snyder to his hometown grave

Associated Press

Elmira, Ontario -- With young players tapping their sticks on the street in tribute, Dan Snyder was buried in his hometown Friday, five days after he died in a crash in a car driven by a Thrashers' teammate.

Members of the Thrashers, including star forward Dany Heatley on crutches, joined friends and family at the private burial for the 25-year-old forward.

Dozens of mourners hugged each other at the cemetery. Heatley, the driver in the crash, had a cast on his right leg and red flower in the lapel of his dark suit.

Later, young players tapped their sticks on the street in a hockey salute as the funeral procession headed on foot for a service at the Elmira Mennonite Church, where a long line of people waited to enter.

Snyder died Sunday, six days after the car crashed into a wall in Atlanta, throwing both men from the vehicle. Heatley, who sustained a broken jaw and knee ligament damage that required surgery, has been charged with vehicular homicide.

The Thrashers won their season opener in Atlanta on Thursday night, then flew to Canada for the funeral in Elmira, 70 miles from Toronto.

The Thrashers said they would give the puck from the winning goal in Thursday's 2-1 victory over Columbus to Snyder's family as a tribute.

"We have to have closure," said defenseman Chris Tamer, who scored the decisive goal. "This will help us move on. We have to move on."

Snyder grew up in Elmira and played junior hockey in nearby Owen Sound. On Friday, police cordoned off the main road through the town of 7,800 to prevent a traffic jam as thousands converged.

"We remember Dan Snyder," read a sign in one shop window. A photo store across the street displayed jerseys and photos from Snyder's career.[/q]

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

i'll stop bumping this thread. but i just wanted to say that i drove along that road that accident occured. i saw the skid marks and the crash site and the memorial that has been set up along the way. the part of the road where accident occured was a nice straight section of the road and no hills or curve. it is just weird. oh well.