Families of OxyContin Victims Share Their Grief in Court

By Keely Hyslop

Published on July 24, 2007

At the Virginia courthouse where the sentencing hearing took place Friday, testimony was given by parents whose teenage children had died from OxyContin overdoses. One Florida mother, Lee Ness, held an urn that contained the ashes of her only son as she testified about his OxyContin-related death.

Teresa Ashcroft, whose 19-year-old son died after overdosing on OxyContin, compared the experience of losing her son to receiving a life sentence.

Others who testified had lost spouses to the drug's powerful effects. One Georgia man, Ed Vanicky, testified to losing his wife when she overdosed on OxyContin after being prescribed the drug to treat a bad back.

Prior to testifying in court, many of the witnesses told their stories at a morning rally that was held in a local park and attended by more than 100 people. Later in the day, marchers demonstrated outside the courtroom while carrying photos of loved ones they had lost to the drug.

At the hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James P. Jones accepted the plea agreement reached between prosecutors and the executives' lawyers. As part of the agreement, the executives will each serve three years of probation and complete 400 hours of community service.

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Keyword Tags: personal injury, pharmaceutical litigation, misc defective drugs, oxycontin

Comments

1

My heart goes out to all those families that suffered and will suffer the rest of their lifes because of the loss of a loved one due to some of the careless and cold minded individuals that run these big companies with these big CEO titles and cannot see beyond the greed of their titles, until one day it hits home for them as well. And how are legal system just gives them a little tap on the hand with serving 3 years of probation like if this was to solve the problem that this country has now! It is absolutely sad to see how we are considered the "Most powerful nation" have doctors that intentionally prescribe this medication to human beings with the sole purpose of getting them "addicted" and start their little business at all cost! And how our laws and body of drug enforcement organizations cannot keep up with enforcing stricter penalities and preventing the lost of lifes because perhaps the budget does not permit to do so? It is amazing to see how are nation has sucumbed to what we are now and we expect that the future generations to come and all grandchildren and children of children are going to be able to "live a normal and healty live"? Come on Big guys wake up and smell the roses you too have children and grandchildren as I do, but perhaps you as I did will not have the opportunity to save there life as I was able to do a few days before my son could of lost his. It will one day hit close to home because I was one to think it would never !!

Michelle, over 3 years ago

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