TRICIA TAYLOR

• Eighteen-year-old Tricia Taylor of Detroit was in court in December 2002 to hear the plea of the illegal alien who caused her to lose both legs above the knees. Jose Carcamo was driving under the influence (.08 percent blood alcohol level) and speeding when he drove over a curb and smashed Taylor into a wall. One report stated that Carcamo has had 17 violations since 1995. Another noted that he was drag racing at the time of the crash. It is agreed that the car was travelling between 50 and 75 miles per hour on a street posted for 25 mph. Taylor's companion Noah Menard suffered a fractured skull and collarbone, as well as requiring eight pins to reconstruct his mangled elbow. The INS had twice begun deportation proceeding against Carcamo to return him to El Salvador, but regrettably did not follow through. Carcamo will be out of jail in a few years, but Tricia Taylor faces a lifetime of pain and disability because of another failure of the INS to remove a dangerous alien. Incidentally, drinking to excess and then driving is celebrated in Hispanic cultures rather than condemned. Sentencing Update: On January 13, 2003 Jose Carcamo was sentenced to 3-5 years in prison. Four months after the crash, Tricia Taylor still must take pain medication, antibiotics, anti-depressants and sleeping pills. Chronic bone infection means she may yet lose more of her right leg. Carcamo sent a note of apology to Taylor and Menard, but misspelled the names. She responded, "It hurts me every time I see him. He acts like he's sorry, but you'd think he would know our names." She is not forgiving, either: "I have my whole life with no legs ... I'm only 18. He gets no forgiveness."