A Campbell man with a serious alcohol problem drove into, and then over, his 41-year-old stepdaughter on Thursday afternoon, and his wife is speaking out to the media about the terrible incident in order to raise awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.
60-year-old Filip Handl, who reportedly would start drinking at 8 a.m. on some days, was being helped by his stepdaughter Lesley Carroll to park his GMC truck in the driveway Thursday afternoon when he became momentarily enraged and, seemingly on purpose, stepped on the gas and struck Carroll. As his wife Frances Handl tells the Chron, "he pushed his stepdaughter through the double gates on their property, [and] "She fell down and was halfway underneath his truck."
EMTs at the scene, once the truck was lifted off her, found Carroll unresponsive.
Filip Handl is being held on suspicion of murder, and the Santa Clara DA is deciding whether to charge him with murder.
Here's what his very candid wife has to say about this tragic event:
"For at least the last three years, I harped at him to stop drinking, or at least to stop drinking one beer a day. It’s ruined our family, the alcohol and driving. Jail is a good place for him. Maybe he can dry out and, if he gets strong enough, he can rebuild his life. He’s broken every heart in this house... If I can convince one or two people not to drink anymore, that would be a miracle."
Lesley Carroll lived with her mother and stepmother along with her disabled son and boyfriend of 22 years.