Robert Henry Baker, 66, killed, and Alicia G. Breckheimer, 31, critically injured after a head-on crash on I-82 near Hermiston, Oregon

I buried my father last week who was killed in a tragic accident. When I first found out I didn't wish anything bad for anyone, I didn't know what had happened or what the circumstances were. Then I found out that the driver that killed my father had been drinking. I was a little angrier but wished the woman a speedy recovery and wished her family the best. Then I found out that she was almost 3x's the legal limit and this was her third offense! I didn't even know how to feel. I was completely numb and did not how to react. I know the family of the woman is going through their own personal hell and I don't wish them any more heart ache than they have coming due to the irresponsible behavior of this woman. I sincerely hope the family is able to recover from this and move on with their lives. All's I want is for justice to prevail and for this woman to take responsibility for her actions and not try to get a plea bargain or come up with some excuse for what she did. She consumed enough alcohol to impair her judgement and she chose to get behind the wheel. Due to her Impairment she made numerous other decisions that night of her own free will. She chose to keep driving, and I can only assume she realized she was pretty hammered. I imagine her laughing about how drunk she is and how she will laugh and joke about it with her friends the next day. She chose to keep driving, she chose to make that turn down the wrong side of the freeway, she chose to accelerate and she chose to kill my father. I don't care what anyone says, "why would she choose to kill anyone?", "why would she choose to drive the wrong way down the freeway?" She made that choice when she got into the drivers seat of her pretty little car, drunk, and made the conscious decision to drive home. These are the decisions that an irresponsible human being makes. My Dad made the decision to attend a concert with some friends from a band he was in back in college, my Dad chose to have a good time and drink Coca Cola and Coffee, my Dad chose to make the drive home because he had responsibilities at home the next morning and place he obligated himself to be. He chose to drive the speed limit and to make the journey home safely and responsibly. These are the choices a responsible human being makes! It is my understanding that this was her third offense and she was almost three times the legal limit when she killed my father. I feel horrible for her family that they have to suffer for mistake, I no longer feel sorry for her. I hope the justice system does its job and puts her away for life! I hope they lock her in a cell and she has to sit there and think about what she has done. She will have her day in court and the entire family of the Man she murdered will be sitting in that court room waiting for her to be sentenced. What ever the judge decides and sees fit to hand down as sentencing I can assure you that the 14 Grandchildren, 5 Children and countless loved ones and friends, will not think it is enough! The emotions and feeling from my family are in no way a direct reflection towards her family, I wish they did not have to go through this but, she made her decision and something tragic happened because of it and she needs to take responsibility and pay for her mistake. Even if she gets life in prison with no chance of parole her family will be able to come visit her and see her, talk with her, hug her and kiss her. My family does not have that option. We get to see a granite headstone where the remains of our father are buried. I hope a day does not go by that she does not feel intense emotional pain for what she has done. Unfortunately I can only imagine she is sorry that she got caught. If she were able to leave the scene in anyway I have no doubt that she would have fled. Do not blame her family or ostracize them, they did not force the alcohol down her throat and they did not make her drive. These were her choices and her choices alone. I wish the family a speedy recovery through all of this and can only tell them that time will heal their pain.

My heart goes out to the Robert (Bob) Baker family. To be killed by a drunken driver out on their usual binge is an insult to innocent people just living their lives. Drunks often drive intoxicated . For every DUI they get there are hundreds of other times they never got caught. The only way to ensure they never kill anyone again is to put them in prison until they are too old to drive. I don’t have any pity for drunks that cannot keep from getting behind a wheel. The drunk not only affects their shattered life but those of the other families involved. Nothing can ever bring Bob back but the person responsible should forfeit their freedom for the rest of their time on earth. If this message is repeated enough and loud enough then maybe it will deter one drunk from killing an innocent being.

While following this case, I understood the DUI driver was scheduled for trial in Aug 2014. I saw this on the Oregon Courts calendar. For whatever reason, this case was removed from the courts schedule. A phone call confirmed that the defendant got a delay of trial for an indefinite period. I can only ask why? It does not seem fair that the guilty party can still remain free while the Baker family can only be frustrated by the legal system and Robert remains confined to a grave site.
Additionally, the defendant entered a plea of 'not guilty'. Makes no sense. You don't get on a freeway in the wrong direction at 1 AM, gut full of booze and hit someone head on and not be guilty. Even after a delay of time to take her BAC while being care flighted, to treat her immediate injuries, she was still above the legal limit. Where is the 'not guilty' part of these published facts. We can only wish she would take responsibility for her actions and shoulder what justice demands.

Any word on the Trial?