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Ex-Auburn TE Phillip Lutzenkirchen Died in Car Crash

Clubfitter

Clubfitter

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www.amtrustwebsite.com
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/07/philip_lutzenkirchens_sister_a.html#incart_big-photo

Very heartwarming letter from Abby to anyone and everyone who knew her brother.

Abby Lutzenkirchen penned a letter to fans and friends Wednesday in the wake of her brother Philip's passing Sunday and asked AL.com to pass it along. Abby plays soccer at Alabama, a school she chose as her big brother was making a name for himself as one of the best tight ends to ever play at Auburn. Abby reflects on their time together as brother and sister, and as star athletes at rival schools.
 
bamaga

bamaga

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First , I will offer sympathy for Phillip Lutzenkirchen's family. His mom and dad are undergoing unimaginable grief. You simply are not suppose to bury your children. Secondly the seatbelt story hits home for me. Please wear them!!
 
Matt0424

Matt0424

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I have yet to comment, and I won't say anything about what happened, but I just wanted to say he was as much a pleasure to watch as ANY Auburn player I have got to watch. From all I have heard he was as good as a guy as he was a player. My condolences to his family, and all those close to him.
 
Relayer

Relayer

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I just happened to be chatting with a small group at the office two weeks ago and one of the managers said he never wore a seat belt when he was in the back seat. I asked him when was the last time he was in a car wreck. He didn't answer but I think he had never been in one. I told him he would be flying all over in a bad wreck. He pretty much dismissed my comments.

I learned my lesson in 1983 when I fell asleep at the wheel and hit a tree. Luckily, I was only going about 20-25 mph and only banged into the steering wheel, dashboard, and windshield. I've always worn my seat belt after that.
 
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uaintn

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Just an incredibly sad story all the way around. At that level of intoxication, he probably wasn't fit to make a judgment about whether the driver was in good enough shape to drive.

Same old moral to the story: Don't drink and drive. If you are drinking, have a designated driver you trust. Always wear your seat belt. If you are the DD, don't drink and buckle up your occupants if they can't or won't do it themselves.

Prayers continue for his family and especially his sister, who is part of the Alabama family.
 
BamaJama17

BamaJama17

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Well that's no surprise the driver was intoxicated. Lutz made two stupid decisions to ride in the car with a drunk driver and not wear his seatbelt and it cost him his life. I'm sure he was a great guy but it's his own fault.
 
NationalTitles18

NationalTitles18

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Davis failed to stop at a stop sign at a T-intersection, crossing an intersecting road and impacting a ditch at an unknown speed before traveling an additional 89 feet and striking another ditch, according to the traffic crash report. The vehicle traveled further along the edge of a church driveway before hitting a fence, going airborne 42 feet and overturning several times near Upper Big Springs and Lower Big Springs roads.
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This driver was going very fast. Very sad, indeed.
 
Chukker Veteran

Chukker Veteran

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I can understand why they would make it public that the driver was drunk, but why release the details on Lutz? They should have kept that out of the public discussion as a courtesy to his family.

If a backseat passenger dies in a car wreck, his alcohol level has nothing to do with why the car crashed.
 
crimsonaudio

crimsonaudio

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Crimson1967 said:
I didn't know you could still walk at that level.
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Probably couldn't, at least not well.

The driver's BAC was 0.17, Lutz was 0.37:
0.16-0.19 BAC: Dysphoria predominates, nausea may appear. The drinker has the appearance of a "sloppy drunk."

0.25 BAC: All mental, physical and sensory functions are severely impaired. Increased risk of asphyxiation from choking on vomit and of seriously injuring yourself by falls or other accidents.

0.30 BAC: STUPOR. You have little comprehension of where you are. You may pass out suddenly and be difficult to awaken.

0.35 BAC: Coma is possible. This is the level of surgical anesthesia.

0.40 BAC and up: Onset of coma, and possible death due to
respiratory arrest.
 
crimsonaudio

crimsonaudio

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Chukker Veteran said:
I can understand why they would make it public that the driver was drunk, but why release the details on Lutz? They should have kept that out of the public discussion as a courtesy to his family.

If a backseat passenger dies in a car wreck, his alcohol level has nothing to do with why the car crashed.
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I agree, but it explains Lutz's decision to let his friend drive.
 
B

BigEasyTider

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Chukker Veteran said:
I can understand why they would make it public that the driver was drunk, but why release the details on Lutz?
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You've got cause and effect reversed. "They" didn't release anything. Autopsy reports (which will necessarily include toxicology reports) are public records in Georgia, available for anyone to see and obtain, and that is true regardless of the identity of the particular individual involved or the cause of death. And since Lutzenkirchen was a public figure and since alcohol was obviously a factor, it was bound to come out.

But that doesn't mean anything special or different was done in this case. There was nothing made available here that otherwise wouldn't have been available for, say, the death of a 95 year old woman who died peacefully in her sleep from heart failure.
 
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Chukker Veteran

Chukker Veteran

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BigEasyTider said:
You've got cause and effect reversed. "They" didn't release anything. Autopsy reports (which will necessarily include toxicology reports) are public records in Georgia, available for anyone to see and obtain, and that is true regardless of the identity of the particular individual involved or the cause of death. And since Lutzenkirchen was a public figure and since alcohol was obviously a factor, it was bound to come out.

But that doesn't mean anything special or different was done in this case. There was nothing made available here that otherwise wouldn't have been available for, say, the death of a 95 year old woman who died peacefully in her sleep from heart failure.
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Thanks for the explanation. Reading the article, I noticed there were three passengers, only one had their alcohol level made public. After reading your post, I understand the difference was because one was deceased, while the other two survived.

I'm not sold on the idea that the general public should be privy to this type info, even though I understand the points you make about why the autopsy info was made public. My thought is that common decency would keep this info about Lutz private to not add to his family's grief. But evidently that's not the top priority in situations like this.

I just feel badly for his family. They've dealt with his sudden death, his funeral, now they get to deal with everybody talking about how drunk he was.
 
Superdad

Superdad

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Chukker Veteran said:
Thanks for the explanation. Reading the article, I noticed there were three passengers, only one had their alcohol level made public. After reading your post, I understand the difference was because one was deceased, while the other two survived.

I'm not sold on the idea that the general public should be privy to this type info, even though I understand the points you make about why the autopsy info was made public. My thought is that common decency would keep this info about Lutz private to not add to his family's grief. But evidently that's not the top priority in situations like this.

I just feel badly for his family. They've dealt with his sudden death, his funeral, now they get to deal with everybody talking about how drunk he was.
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If some young person thinks twice about their actions, then maybe some good will come out of this.
 
M

mdb-tpet

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Alcohol continues to destroy so very many lives. Coupled with high speed travel in cars, this just makes for a repeated sad story every day. I've lost friends to drunk driving in the exact same manner that Lutz died, yet we as a society seem to not learn our lesson. To Chukker above, I understand your point, but this accident probably cost tens of thousands of dollars in public monies to investigate etc. So as a taxpayer, I would want the ability to see a report on accidents where our public monies are being used.
 
U

uaintn

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A very good point. Most people wouldn't be able to. He was a very big guy. A BAC at that level could be fatal, especially when you consider that presumably some time had elapsed between when he took his last drink and the crash.

I agree with those who say perhaps some young person will read and be warned -- otherwise it is hard to find good in this tragedy.
 
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