Denis Tri and Trisha Goken were best friends of my wife and I. In the mist of our grief and in the process of learning more of the circumstances surrounding this accident, my wife and I were extremely angry to read your disparaging story on the front page of your website. By printing he was driving too fast, is calling into question his high character and his strong judgment. He was a exceptional person, a honors graduate of US Naval Test Pilot school, with over a thousand hours of piloting the most advanced fighter aircraft in the US Navy inventory. You disrespect him by trying to characterize his actions that night as negligent and excessive, as if he were a novice driver carelessly speeding down the road. My wife and I were at dinner that night with him and Trish in Leonardtown. I was driving about 2 minutes ahead of him on my way home to Hollywood. He was on his way home to Solomon's Island. Rt. 245 had a lot of black ice that night, as I slid around a couple times on the way home myself. Excessive speed was not the cause of me sliding as I was only driving about 45 mph. I can tell you that Denis is not one to speed, especially considering the weather conditions. He was born and raised in Minnesota and knows how to drive in the snow and ice. This was a tragic accident caused by unexpected black ice on the road, NOT excessive speed. I demand that you offer a written apology to him and his friends and family.
Patrick Dean
Hollywood

(Editor’s Note: Deepest condolences and regret for the loss of life for this couple and what it represents to their family and our nation are extended but that doesn't change the facts. You are very lucky that you were not in a crash yourself when you admittedly were traveling at 45 mph on icy roads. The only safe speed under such conditions is about 15 to 20. On Jan. 19th there were about 65 wrecks on St. Mary's roadways and only one of them was serious, none were fatal.  Even though the speed limit might have been higher than the speed at which you were driving, Maryland law and common sense dictate that a motorist operate at a speed not greater than reasonable for weather and road conditions. During a ice storm it is not unexpected to encounter black ice on a road and any motorist is wise to slow down in expectation of such encounters. The Reconstructionist for the Sheriff's Department reported that this crash was caused by just that. A prudent decision for anyone would be to first, stay off the roads and second, to go slow. Failing to take either option can and does lead to death. For many readers, this is not news. Unfortunately, for others who tailgate in bad weather and pass slower vehicles in snow and ice storms, this information is unknown to them. To change this accurate report to attempt to soothe your grief would be to do a disservice to our readers and possibly lead to more deaths.)