Acton firefighter charged in crash that killed comrade

So they do prosecute drunk driving.. probably because he killed someone. Worcester police, take note. Drunk driving.. needs to be stopped. Not just let the people go...

were they wearing fhere seat belts?

a tragedy that has caused a death he will live with this for the rest of his life along with the time in prison such a senseless death may God have mercy on his soul because society is looking for stern retribution

How sad- what a tragedy for both families, but I must admit I'm not surprised at all. Two firefighters returning from a fund raiser-- is anyone shocked to learn the driver was drunk? Now I'm waiting for the Acton Fire Department to try to consider this a line of duty death because the fund raiser was somehow work related.

"When will we ever learn?"
2 people lost to the Evils of Alchohol. Why does this stuff get such a hold on people?

Firefighters always are portrayed as heros regardless of the outcome of ones death, what heros allowed a twice the legal limit guy get into his vehicle, nice way to watch out for the welfare of your "brothers"
To think this guy had the nerve to carry his coworkers helmet knowing his drinking and driving was responsible for his buddies death.

The facts of the case are so clear and irrefutable. Why doesn't this guy do the right thing and just plead guilty. Save himself the agony of a trial and save us all the unnecessary time and expense of prosecuting this stupid loss.

wow....i never thought it was possible for people to show absolutely no remorse...instead of focusing on a family without a husband and father you stereotype a profession.....what a class act.

As a Firefighter you think he of all people would have known better.

It's the culture of the fire service. Go the Boston Fire Department union website and check out their instructions for St. Patrick's day (google local 718). What other profession do they have to send out a reminder to their people not to get drunk and act stupid on public streets? These "heroes" actually need to be reminded not to violate the law by drinking in public. Perhaps the Acton guys should have sent out a reminder not to get drunk and then attempt to drive home in a nearby state.

It is a terrible tragedy for the family that lost their husband and father. What was he thinking getting in the car with his drunk friend? An it is not right by any means to indict a whole profession due to this. However, firefighters have earned this high level of respect, but there are many times when individuals do not live up to it, and that is a sad fact.

These "Heroes" as you say....are human and have bad judgement calls just like anyone else and sadly enough it has come at a very high cost in this case. So while many of you sit here and read this story from the outside looking in and never actually living a moment like this...and God help you that you never have to go through something like this and watch the pain of your friends, take a moment and think. And I mean THINK. You go to work in the morning and sit behind a desk, maybe talk on the phone, hey maybe there is stress involved in your job, there is stress in every job....but the job of these "Heroes" that you are quoting is such a selfless job. They go to their job having no idea of what the day is going to bring or what kind of danger they may have to put their lives in at your expense...not theirs!! The majority of the time, they may be the first ones on the scene at a car accident and they sure as hell would be the first ones to run into a burning building to save your mother, father, sister, brother, or child without even blinking an eye. So when saying, "as a firefighter you think he of all people would have known better" or questioning the status of a hero...take time and think about what you are actually saying. Because to me most of what is written above means absolutely nothing. Things happen that could be prevented every day and regretfully this is one of those situations. The world lost a hero, yes. But more importantly a family lost their son and brother. A wife lost her husband and best friend. Two beautiful children lost their father...who they will always know and be reminded was a hero. Many people lost a dear friend that was funny and kind and never had a bad thing to say about anyone.....and yes the world lost one more brave Hero that would risk his life for you or me any day of his life and that was taken from him way too soon. My heart aches for Leo's family and I keep them in my heart every day.

why does his profession matter? the fact is he was.20 blood alcohol content. he was drunk and had the nerve to get behimd the wheel. the question is would it matter if two people who were not firefighters were in the accident

What about the people @ Mt. Wachusset? Didn't anyonethere notice how drunk this guy was when he was being served?

Are the owners of Wachusset Mountain criminally liable if it can be proven
the alcohol consumed by the driver was served either by their staff or by
their agents ( if the affair was contracted by the owners) ?

IT DOES NOT SURPRISE ME AT ALL CONSIDERING ALCHOHOL IS SO PREVALANT IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE. JUDGES LAWYERS ATTORNEYS LEGISLATURE AND INTO THE COMMON COMMUNITY.ALWAYS ON SALE AND ACCEPTED AS A RIGHT OF PASSAGE.SORROW FOR ALL FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THIS MYSTERIOUS FLUID.LIFE GOES ON.

DUI has no place in our profession. We are held to a higher standard by the public and we have to live up to that. Of all people, we should know better than to drive impaired. We see the results every day.

First and foremost my heart goes out the the families involved.
Some of the comments here make sense and some are just downright insensitive. DUI is a major problem in the U.S and elsewhere
the ONLY way to stop it is to force the auto makers to install I.I.D.'s in ALL new cars then EVERYONE will have to blow into their car every 15 minutes or so.
then if you get someone else to do it for you then you should get a life sentence in jail. Also these bars , resteraunts and lounges need to stop the insanity. they SERVED these people, How did they THINK they were getting home ? Skiing ?

To say drinking and driving needs to be stopped is true but it isn't reality. My heart goes out to both families because the roles could have been easily reveresed. It doesn't matter what profession you are in; people make mistakes. If you are going to blame James because he "should have known better" then you need to blame everyone at that fundraiser who allowed him to get into that car and drive. Keep in mind, when intoxicated, you're judgement is impaired and someone should have stopped BOTH of them. The person killed "should have known better" to get into a car with someone who was drunk. Had the person who was killed lived, would we be judging James so harshly? He made a huge mistake, yes, but it is something that he will have to live with for the rest of his life. The fact that the Hayes family is supporting James should say something not only of his character but of the situation. Do I think he should not suffer any consequences? No, absoultely not. However, there are thousands of people in Massachusetts who have more than one DUI and are still driving with a license and repeating the same offense. How in the world does it make sense to sentence James to jail for vehicular homicide when there are so many drivers still on the roads that don't even learn their lesson after their first offense? Does that mean that in order to get drunk drivers off the road they must kill someone first?

Believe it or not..90% of you people on here writing your nasty comments are out of line! None of you where there, at the function, or in the car! So, needless to say, no one knows the real story of what happened, becides James and Leo. Being a VERY good friend of BOTH, including Leo, Leo wouldn't want James to be blamed for this tragedy. It was both their mistake! Are we all heart broken that god took such a young handsome , father, son, and brother's life? ABSOULTELY!! Everyone makes mistakes, some times worse then others, but put your self in James's feet, think about how you would feel and keep your nasty thoughts to yourself.