A very avoidable tragedy
Just what does it take?
For Christopher Tulumello, crashing a vehicle into a tree last January apparently did not make enough of an impression.
Neither did his impaired driving conviction.
Sitting through a victims impact panel designed to impart the dangers of drunken driving apparently did not take.
A revoked license did not keep him from getting behind the wheel of a pickup truck.
Now, it's too late.
Tulumello's mother calls him "a good kid."
But prosecutors will press vehicular manslaughter, vehicular assault and driving while intoxicated charges against him as a result of his fatal hit-and-run Wednesday night.
Worse, it's too late for Amanda S. Knowlton, 23, and her son, Isiah, 4, who police say were struck by the pickup as they crossed Main Street at LaSalle Avenue. Knowlton was killed and her son was injured.
What more can we do to stop the Christopher Tulumellos around us — before it's too late.
-- Patrick Lakamp
