Team USA Honors Fallen Teammate After Olympics Hockey Win

[mnhtnbb]

7. The fact that they were athletes doesn't overcome the effects of alcohol.

Alcohol impairs judgment by inhibiting the prefrontal cortex—the brain area responsible for reasoning, impulse control, and decision-making. This leads to poor risk assessment, reduced inhibition, and increased impulsivity, often causing individuals to ignore consequences.

Impaired Risk Assessment: The ability to evaluate danger is diminished, resulting in higher risk-taking behaviors.

Reduced Coordination and Reaction Time: Impaired function in the cerebellum and brain pathways results in slower reactions and poor motor control.

False Confidence: Individuals may not realize how impaired they are, leading to overconfidence in their abilities.

alcohol.org

The brothers each had significantly higher blood alcohol levels than the drunk driver who hit them. They put themselves at risk needlessly when they decided to ride their bikes--drunk--at night next to a busy highway. Maybe they would have made the same decision anyway if they hadn't been drunk because they were young and overconfident in their own abilities. Maybe. It's much easier to blame a drunk driver for a tragedy than to accept the fact that maybe the brothers made a poor decision that put themselves in a risky situation because they were also drunk.

Higgins was impaired over the legal limit, with a BAC of .087
the brothers' BAC was higher than Higgins' at the time of the crash, with Johnny being .129 and Matthew at .134.

https://6abc.com/post/gaudreau-brothers-nj-crash-bac-levels-sean-higgins-trial/16151165/