Family of Chatham DUI crash victim speaks out: “He does not remember killing my son”

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) – The family of a man killed in a DUI crash is talking about the tragedy for the first time.

The Georgia State Patrol says James Bostwick was driving drunk on the night of March 21, 2024 when he hit a bicyclist, 30-year-old Forrest Long. It happened at the intersection of Highway 80 and Bryan Woods Road in Chatham County.

Long’s mother and father now say they just want justice for their son’s death. They say a simple DUI charge does not go far enough, and they want James Bostwick to face them in court.

“There’s an individual that’s probably going to get a slap on the wrist and a standard fare of a first offense DUI and walk away,” Brandon Long said.

According to preliminary reports, Bostwick’s blood alcohol level was at 0.237. That’s three times the legal limit in Georgia.

“The man does not remember killing my son. He was blackout drunk. He does not remember killing my son, and so you’re going to have to face me,” Destry Suffridge said. “For some reason, the charges haven’t been brought in such a way that they recognize that Forrest was even killed in this.”

The crash happened around 8 o’clock that night. Brandon believes his son was biking to the store after leaving Bull River Marina, where they both work. Even though it was dark, Brandon maintains his son would have been seen by a sober driver, and that he was obeying Georgia bike laws .

“They’ve killed a young man on a bicycle on a very heavily trafficked road that is properly marked. And it seems as though everyone was doing what they’re supposed to, except for the individual that was driving,” he said.

While both parents say they recognize that accidents happen, they believe their son would never have died that night had Bostwick not been intoxicated.

While they know it won’t bring their son back, they say they want that issue to be addressed at the hearing.

“I don’t know that there can ever be closure whenever every day is a new chapter over what we’ve lost. But knowing that accountability is occurring, definitely helps,” Suffridge said.
Bostwick’s hearing begins at 1:30 p.m. on October 17, 2024. WSAV will be there.

We did reach out to District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones’s office for a response to the family’s concerns, but we haven’t heard back yet.

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