Editorial: Tragedy result of one poor choice

There will be few people in Marton whose lives would not have been affected by Grahame Jensen. By all accounts he was a fine man who gave many years of great service to a number of community groups - not least of which the local volunteer fire brigade, in which he spent 50 years. This amazing achievement was noted by this paper in May last year.
Likewise in January this year, when Mr Jensen passed away in tragic circumstances, that too was noted, along with further tributes for his achievements.
In his five decades as a firefighter he would have touched many lives. Many more people would have been touched by Mr Jensen's deeds in other ways, as evidenced by correspondence received by this newspaper in response to our coverage of an inquiry into his death.
As our report of the coronial inquiry stated: Mr Jensen was over the drink drive limit, and had been offered a ride home by his host. In its simplest sense, he made a mistake, one for which he paid the ultimate price. Should we have treated his case differently because of his standing in the local community?
People make mistakes, there is no getting around that. Mostly, those errors of judgment do not have such dramatic or lasting consequences.
More than anyone, Mr Jensen would have known the dangers of drinking and driving. As a firefighter, he would have been called to the scene of countless accidents caused by a driver who had been drinking. He should have, and probably did, know better.
We can only be grateful that in this case Mr Jensen did not make anyone else a victim of his tragic decision. What would our response be if his actions had led to the death of a young mother? What words of comfort might you offer to her children left behind? It's okay because he did a lot of good over the course of his life? The people of Marton know the real Grahame Jensen, and they should remember him for all the good he did. But we should all remember one lesson from his tragic death - good people, who ought to know better, can make bad decisions; decisions that can have catastrophic consequences.
Yes, Mr Jensen was a pillar of his local community, but the fact remains: it is never okay to drive when you are over the limit.
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