" ... Mustang was attempting to make a left turn into a driveway when Rauner attempted to pass it on the left, crossing the center line, colliding with the Mustang ..." Stupid, senseless, criminal.

How do these people get a license, let alone keep them? Perhaps they should start issuing psychological tests to see if you have the patience and common sense necessary to drive a car.

Let's have some respect, a young life was lost and that's something we should be mourning. I hope others can learn from this terrible accident.

I'm sorry, but we should not be mourning because someone did something incredibly stupid and ended up killing themselves. What other's should learn is to have some common sense when driving.

Nikolay was a personal friend of mine. To say something like that was just heartless and cold. I agree, what he did was stupid, but we should be mourning. Not because he died because he did something stupid, but just because he died. How would you feel if one of your friends LOST HIS LIFE the same way? Yes it was stupid, but don't go talking about people like you know them. Nikolay was not a criminal, and he was not stupid. He just made a mistake...a mistake that cost him his life. So next time you decide to be cruel and heartless, maybe consider what it would be like if it was a good friend of yours... Some of us are mourning because we lost a friend, the circumstances don't matter. Were mourning the loss of a life, not celebrating the death of a criminal. Get it straight. Death is more damaging than stupidity, so maybe learn a little empathy with the OTHER side of the spectrum, and stop being so one-sided.

Thank you Lucas. Nikolay was my son. My heart is broken. His father is beside himself. His little sister is in tears. His fiance is berefit. As are his cousins, his grandparents, aunts, uncles and his friends. But Brook's comments have kicked me to the curb and shot me in the heart. Nikolay may have made a misjudgment. But he never was a mean, cruel person who would intentionally hurt anyone, especially at the most horrible moment in their life. Brook, if you are so without any mercy to someone who makes a mistake, how do you account for the fact that you have purposefully made a mother, whose son has just died, feel even more pain than she thought was ever possible than having her son die? Is that what you call "common sense"? Telling a bereaved mom, f%$^ you, your family and your dead son? Is that what you would define as virtuous? Cameron, who was in the car with Nikolay, came to our house from the hospital the night of the accident b/c he knew Nikolay never had any ill intent and he had to tell us how sorry he was that Nikolay was dead. Yet you, a perfect stranger to us all, feels free to make cruel comments about our beloved child and friend, in our time of such intense suffering. As much as I would wish for your to some day feel the pain we do and then perhaps realize how callous you have been, I will not do so. This is not something Nikolay would have condoned. He may not have been perfect. But better imperfect as opposed to smug, hateful and heartless.

Well said, Karen. I am so sorry for your loss and pain. Be glad that those citing thoughtless comments are not part of your life and focus on the ones that love you and your family, dear friend.

YOU (Lucas and Karen) should be mourning, NOT the general public. This is not cold and heartless but a basic fact of life. Someone performed an act that was unacceptable and resulted in injury and death. This was noticeable enough to draw public attention and (thus) public commentary. Avoid blaming the public opinion because you knew Nikolay personally; if he had not performed the poor behavior and this incident had not occurred, then no one would have said a thing.

Understand that my purpose is not to "kick [anyone] to the curb"; instead, I want to note that this incident is not one for public outrage but for reflection on how people behave behind the wheel. Bad and/or aggressive driving is a major issue that plagues our country; over 56% (according to a study by AAA) of vehicle fatalities were caused by poor or impatient drivers. The fact that one of these drivers killed themselves only highlights the importance of trying to prevent such behavior.

On a psychotherapeutic level, responding to public comments regarding this matter is probably not the best thing to do in your current emotional state. You have lost someone important and have a lot to deal with. I recommend avoiding public forums discussing this incident as your view of the matter is affected by your proximity to the incident. Your time would be best spent among your circle of support rather than among strangers who are viewing the entire matter from an outside perspective.

One final note: I have lost people because of their behavior, from suicides to overdoses. I feel for their loss yet recognize their own poor choices and the consequences. To those that don't know the full story I usually leave them be; only when an incorrect presumption is made do I correct them. Neither side may fully understand what the other feels, but that does not preclude each side from said feelings.

Nikoley was such an amazing, giving wonderful person. I am honored and grateful to have ever meet him. The kind of person that would give you the shirt off his back and then ask if you need help putting it on. He had a heart as big as a room. We all make mistakes.None of us are perfect. To kick a dog when they are down just shows what kind of people some are.That is just wrong (BROOK)!. Ever hear if you can say anything nice don't say anything at all .Maybe when you get a life & grow up you won't be soooooooooo uptight, Brook! Too bad you don't have better things to do then JUDGE people., Your friends probley "checked Out" to get away from you! .

Wow Brook! You comment on an article describing my son's death and then blame me for daring to read such article and the related comments.
Next, you proceed to chide me for pointing out how hurtful your comments were to me. Then you ever so "kindly" advise me to avoid public forums discussing an event which occurred in my life because my "view" of such incident just might be affected by my "proximity" to such incident. Well, Brook, although it is clearly obvious that such a wise and toughtful man as you has obviously learned all the lessons that life has to teach and thus there is nothing more for you to learn about kindness or compassion, as you are so obviouosly on such an elevated spiritual and intellectual plane that clearly someone as stupid and lowly as I, surly could never make any point which would every make a person such as yourself think that just perhaps, just maybe, that you are a smug asshole who justifies his actions by hiding behind a cloak of "objectivity"! So please continue to amuse yourself at the expense of others by making your clever little comments regarding our lives and do not worry your pretty little head that we might be real people that you are hurting- as we are obviously too stupid to understand that it is our own fault if we take your thoughtless comments about events in our lives so personally.

I will stand with being the bad guy in this whole mess then, since that's where everyone stands. You request that I look at this incident as more than just a death of some stranger, yet you label me cold, heartless, cruel, callous, smug, hateful, thoughtless, stupid, uptight, kick people to the curb, kick dogs when they're down, make them hurt more than ever before, have no life, have no humanity, have darkness within, etc... without knowing a thing about me.

All you know is that I dared to suggest that this tragedy was evidence of poor driving behavior and that the general public is not obligated to be in mourning over the accident. Since this was your loved one you took that as an attack on you and yours and a lack of sympathy for your pain. No matter how much I say that this was neither an attack nor a lack of condolences to those involved, you will probably continue to use me as your villain during this emotional time.

No Thank You Brook, I would have nothing nice to say to you, I stay clear of people like you. You don't have issue's, you have the whole subscription Pal! I think we will wipe you off our shoe's and go on......
Are you happy now?? Do you just scan the papers doing this?? Is this what gets you off?? SICKO

I'm cutting off comments on this article. No one has violated our terms of service, but I don't want this to become a shouting match. What happened was a tragedy.