At least 32 lives were totally changed because of the behavior of one individual. Of the 32 people who were physically involved in the incident 21 were sent to hospitals. Countless others who witnessed the horrible incident will no doubt carry the scars of that they saw with them for a very long time.

The penalty for the individual whose poor choices and careless actions created all this mayhem could only cost him 5 years of his life or less.

25-year-old Neilson Rizzuto is only charged with negligent vehicular injury, a hit and run with serious injury, and reckless operation. While his bond has been set at $125,000 one legal analyst is suggesting that the law can only do so much in regards to his sentencing.

Fortunately for him, nobody died. That helps him a lot, and really the statute that he’s going to be charged under has a maximum five-year sentence.

Those are the comments of legal analyst Tim Meche as reported by the Louisiana Radio Network. 

Based on police reports Rizzuto had a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle. Get this, if he is able to make bail he will most likely be placed under house arrest and not allowed to drive.

So, you screw up the lives of over two dozen people and you get to sit at home and watch TV. It's no wonder justice wears a blindfold.

Leon Caznizzaro is going to do everything he can to make an example of this guy, but the statute that he’s charged under just doesn’t carry a lot of jail time.

Canizzaro is the Orleans Parish District Attorney who will be pursuing the charges against Rizzuto. However, analyst Meche says the law is the law and five years is the maximum for the charges in which Rizzuto is charged. Now, it is possible more charges could be added as the investigation continues.

You might be wondering how do public defenders plan to defend an action that is seen by most as indefensible? How about sympathy. How do you have sympathy for someone who got drunk and drove into a crowd of people? According to Meche, here's how that might unfold.

He was probably abused as a child and maybe has mental health issues, and chances are they may be able to paint a sympathetic picture of this guy.

Oh, well in that case he should have been allowed to kill a few people too. NOT. I am sorry that life is tough. I am sorry that Mr. Rizzuto has had his alleged demons to deal with. I am even sorrier that our legal system and statutes seem to lean more in favor of the person who committed the crime and less against the innocent victims who were just out to enjoy a Mardi Gras parade.

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