EDITORIAL:

Sara Noel Harris’ death in a violent car crash has sparked a debate in the community about who’s responsible.

Was it entirely the Huntington Beach woman’s fault? After all, tests show she was drunk when her car crashed on Adams Avenue in Costa Mesa Oct. 7. In fact, her blood-alcohol was .14, above the legal limit of .08. There were even traces of marijuana in her system, but it’s hard to say if that contributed to the accident. And police say Harris’ boyfriend told investigators that the two were playing a “cat-and-mouse” game racing cars before the crash.

Then there are some who say the bartenders where she and the boyfriend were drinking the morning of the crash bear some responsibility. Lawyers sometimes file what they call “dram shop” lawsuits against liquor establishments when they believe someone was served too much alcohol and it leads to an accident. The fear of that liability often prompts restaurants and bars to instruct their servers to cut off obviously drunken patrons or to make efforts to summon a cab for them.

We’re not going to offer an opinion on whether that should have been done in Sara’s case. That’s better left to the investigators who are still reviewing the case.

All we know is one of our residents died long before her time.

She was only 21. We also know she was a softball star as a teenager and was much loved by family and friends.

It’s easy to want to place blame when something terrible happens. It’s just human nature. We’d like a reason or a scapegoat.

But our efforts in this case would be better spent mourning the loss of Sara and taking a valuable lesson from her death. Let this be a cautionary tale that’s especially powerful during holiday celebrations. The next time you’ve tossed back a few with your buddies and you wonder — even for just a moment — whether you’re in good enough condition to drive home, think of Sara and ask a friend for a ride home. Or call a cab. Better to spend a few extra bucks on a taxi fare than a whopping hospital bill — or worse, gambling with your life and losing.

We hope your holidays are fun, but more importantly we hope they’re safe. No one should have to go through the holidays grieving like Sara’s friends and family are. And to them we extend our sincerest condolences.