Sunday, June 15th is Father's Day, one of those Hallmark holidays Americans love to celebrate. The Satterstrom, Harding and Batra families of San Jose won't be celebrating this year - two families have each lost a son and one family, their father and mother, in a horrendous vehicle accident almost a year ago.
Tragic losses, over the ages, occur due to force majeure, an act of nature, war or disease. The losses of the Satterstrom, Harding and Batra families were the force of a homicidal, reckless, teenaged driver, 19-year-old Erik Satterstrom, who in less time than it takes to brush your teeth, killed himself, his passenger and best friend, 18-year-old Maxwell Harding, and two pedestrians - Inder Paul Batra, 65, and Uma Batra, 57, who literally never knew what hit them. Inder Batra was a renowned physicist and his wife, Uma, a dietician. The parents of two stunning daughters who were graduates of UC Berkeley, the Harvard Law School and the Harvard School of Business, the Batras had just learned that they were to be grandparents.
The evening of the accident, July 23, 2007, began pleasantly enough. Erik Satterstrom had dined with the Harding family and his buddy Maxwell at the Harding residence in San Jose' Almaden Valley. The two planned to be roommates that fall at California Polytechnical State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo, where Erik was already a student.
The friends left the Harding residence and got into Erik's Nissan 350Z and headed westbound on Graystone Lane. It was about 8:20 P.M. The legal speed limit on the two lane road was 35 mph. As Erik drove he accelerated dangerously. Police reports say Erik's vehicle reached speeds of 78 mph.
The vehicle skidded across both lanes and careened into Inder and Uma Batra, who were enjoying an evening stroll. Eyewitnesses recalled seeing the Nissan moving at a high rate of speed when it veered into the eastbound lane, then back across the road and onto the shoulder where the Batras were walking. The Nissan continued out of control until it struck several trees west of Annie Lane, exploding in a fireball and killing the two teenage boys on impact. All four victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
Erik Satterstrom's reckless driving has forever changed the lives of Puja and Mala Batra, clients of Alexander Hawes, LLP, and the daughters of Inder and Uma Batra; the parents of Maxwell, Jo and Martin Harding, and Erik' parents, Joy and Norman Satterstrom.
As the three families adjust to their loss and approach the first anniversary of the accident, there is much to consider and remedies that should be strengthened in order to prevent these tragedies in the future.
Teenage driving is a complex issue. Some 6,000 teenagers die in vehicle crashes each year, the leading cause of death of 16 to 20-year-olds. Researchers report that two-thirds of the fatalities are male. Temple University researchers found that teen drivers were more apt to engage in reckless driving if a friend was present. They found the risk of a crash doubled with just one passenger.
When Maxwell Harding got into his buddy's Erik car, he became the next proof point in this statistic.
The evening when Erik Satterstrom took out four lives, including his own, was by no means the first reckless driving incident for the 19-year-old. On March 22, 2007, one week after purchasing the 350Z, Satterstrom was cited for speeding. Three weeks later, on April 13, 2007 he was cited for running a red light.
On July 17, 2007, less than a week before the fatal crash, Satterstrom was convicted in Traffic Court of the speeding charge of March 22nd. The conviction apparently didn't slow him down.
On July 25, 2007, two days after the crash, the San Jose Mercury News quoted a friend of Erik's, saying, "he was always taking risks, and he was a fast driver ... who thought he was invincible." Erik's co-workers at Orchard Supply Hardware said he "had a devilish side. And it came out when he got behind the wheel of his 350Z. 'He drove really fast out of our parking lot...' ", according to the newspaper.
Satterstrom did not fit any stereotype of a troubled teenager. He was a straight A student from a Christian high school who was immensely popular and entertaining. He was also, by choice, out of control, and that made him a killer behind the wheel. If he had survived the crash, Satterstrom would have been prosecuted for killing three people.
When it comes to Erik's buddy, Maxwell Harding, personal responsibility comes into play. Since they had such a close relationship, it is highly probable that Maxwell knew Satterstrom was a reckless speeder and had been cited in court. It is also highly probable Maxwell may have been in the car with Erik on other occasions when Erik pushed the limits.
In response to his death, Maxwell's parents created Maxwell's Pledge, and have launched a campaign to have teenagers pledge in their son's name to be safe drivers. Unfortunately, Maxwell's Pledge ignores and glosses over the harsh fact that no teenager should follow Maxwell's lead, let alone take a pledge in his name.
Maxwell Harding voluntarily rode with a driver whom he must have known was an extremely dangerous driver. Alexander Hawes has published a tougher Alexander Pledge, which holds both parents and teens accountable and essentially asks the teenager to take personal responsibility and not get in a vehicle with the Erik's of the world, and to pledge to be a safe driver and publicly admonish reckless drivers.
Everyone must have zero tolerance for dangerous drivers, if our driving culture is to change. Zero tolerance means never riding with anyone who has ever driven dangerously and teenagers must warn everyone they know as soon as they learn someone is a dangerous driver.
The Alexander Pledge - unlike the Maxwell Pledge - addresses parents directly and asks them to take responsibility for their teenage drivers and to hold them accountable. The most effective means is electronic monitoring. For $500, parents can install a GPS system in their child's car. The system will track location and speed, and whether the occupants are wearing seatbelts. This information is relayed back to a responsible adult.
In some GPS systems, parents can set a "geo fence" for the family car and receive a phone call or an email if it travels outside the electronic boundary. Insurance companies are offering discounts for families using technology that sets a car's maximum speed, how far it can travel and a curfew, which if violated, results in a call or email to parents.
Parents who are providing cars to teenagers must install a GPS system to monitor their teenage driver to prevent them from killing themselves and inflicting on their families the pain that Satterstrom inflicted on Mala and Puja Batra, Jo and Martin Harding and his own parents.
Another issue of responsibility and accountability is adequate insurance coverage. Since Erik Satterstrom was over 18 years old, he legally had sole possession of the car. This meant the Satterstrom's were not legally liable for their son's actions while driving the vehicle. To their credit, however, they made sure that Erik had substantial liability coverage as a separate insured under the family Allstate policy. Many families in this position buy a minimum $15,000/$30,000 policy because a teenage adult usually has no assets to protect and is otherwise uncollectible. The key in buying insurance is to buy the biggest policy available/affordable so you can get uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage at the same levels.
Erik Satterstrom's early citations, after getting his hot Nissan 350Z muscle car, cries out for preventive action, at the very least a GPS system so that when he drove at reckless speeds,warning bells would go off and parental action could be taken. Parents need to think about the consequences of un-monitored driving and of indulging teenagers, statistically prone to reckless driving, by allowing them to have speed-prone vehicles. Giving Erik Satterstrom a muscle car turned him into an instrument of death.
This Sunday, the Satterstrom and Harding families and the daughters of the Batras face a painful Father's Day. Sunday is also another important day - it is Cal Poly's graduation weekend. One thing is for certain: Erik Satterstrom and Maxwell Harding will never be among the graduates.
Further Reading:
Teenage Drivers
Four Dead In SJ Almaden Valley Car Accident
Talking to Teens About Driving
Teen Depression, A Guide for Parents & Teachers
Teen Brain Blamed for Reckless Driving
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