The family of a Quad City woman, struck and hit by a truck, says Debbie Goodwin was walking home after a night out with family and friends, and ironically, she had chosen not to drive because she had been drinking.
"She left her car parked after she had a few drinks because she didn't want to hurt anybody, and she ended up getting killed that night. Isn't that ironic? She made the right choice and still had to pay a price. It doesn't make any sense," said Goodwin's only brother, Rob Dagit.
Dagit and other family members attended a preliminary hearing for Moses Clemente, the man accused of striking and killing Goodwin with his truck as Goodwin walked on the off ramp around 3am on February 9th near John Deere Road.
Clemente, 30, is charged with several counts of aggravated reckless driving, driving under the influence, improper lane usage, and driving on a suspended license.
A police officer testified that Clemente's blood alcohol level shortly after his arrest was .15, nearly twice the legal limit.
"It's the same thing as a convicted felon having a weapon with their finger on the trigger, don't you think? He shouldn't have been in a motor vehicle with his foot on the gas and his hand on the steering wheel," Dagit said.
Silvis Officer Mark Copeland testified Clemente said he had been out watching soccer at a friends's house and then closed down an East Moline nightclub called "The Pulse," and that he saw someone "come out of the shadows" on the off-ramp and believed "somebody ran out in front of him."
Copeland said Clemente didn't stop, but an officer near the scene observed a truck with serious front end damage, and another officer soon found Goodwin's body.
"The first couple of days, I was punching the walls of my garage, cussing at God blaming him, but I know it's not his fault. There are bad people in the world. The man didn't have a license to drive, he had no business behind an automobile, let alone drinking alcohol," Dagit said.
But defense attorney Donovan Robertson says there are still questions about what happened that night, because police testified that they believe Goodwin was struck by Clemente's truck and then run over by a second vehicle.
"I think it's tremendously important as to the source of the injuries, what caused the death? And I don't think we're any closer today after this hearing than we were beforehand," Robertson said.
"It's a tragedy for both families, but there are many 'what ifs,'" he said.