The Tragedy of Drunk Driving

by Lauren Kenny

It all starts with an early morning phone call that every parent dreads. A police officer is on the other line saying their pride and joy, their child, has been a victim of a car crash and is in the hospital. What the parents don’t realize is that their life will never be the same ever again.

According to Drunk Driving Accident Statistic, alcohol related car crashes kill someone every 30 minutes, and injure someone every two minutes. When the parents later arrive at the hospital they will realize their child has been a victim of a drunk driver. Some may say they don’t know which one is better, that their child is alive but is now faced with many issues or that their child is now at rest. They learn about the horrific injuries their child has endured. That’s where they begin to realize everything has changed. For the next few weeks the victims’ family’s lives are put on hold. They don’t go to work, they don’t relax.  They just sit by their loved ones side and help them get through their struggle. This not only takes a toll on the families mentally, but physically as well.

Parlon, the father of a son who was killed, and a daughter who was injured by a drunk driver, states “Life has changed for me and my family so dramatically since that night. And I thought that time would heal things. But it’s difficult even for me today to even talk about it.”

After the victim is released from the hospital reality begins to set in. The families will then go back to a completely different life style. Life as they once knew would be over, and a new life will follow. They will have to get reacquainted with things and people that they have neglected because they were busy supporting their child. The victim realizes what they have lost, and what they will never be able to gain back again from that one night. Some victims have lost chances at being an athlete and some lost their career, because they are unable to perform to the company’s level due to brain injuries. Even after the injuries are completely healed, they are never like new again. Some victims have struggles with walking, talking, hearing, seeing and eating; all the things people take for granted. The victims will deal with the sadness and then deal with the anger they have. Eventually, some victims will accept it. Unfortunately, most never reach that stage. This is one of the many hardships that must be endured. The action of drunk driving is often thought of as a minor mistake. Unfortunately, the culprit does not usually realize the extent of their mistake until it has caused excessive damage to something or someone.

The memories of this night will be with the victim and their family forever.

When Lillie, a victim of DWI, was asked the question, how many times do you replay that night she replied, “Probably every day.”

Another mother of a son who was hit by a drunk driver says, “every time I hear my phone ring at night my heart drops. I can’t have my kids call my house phone at night anymore I make them call my cell phone so at least I know they are ok if they call my cell.”

One thing many people do not realize the families struggle with is the financial aspect of the accident. When all the surgery’s, hospital stays, doctor visits, and therapy are done with, one might think they got through that time in their life and it’s over. However they are wrong. The bills that the families are left to pay are extensive. From that one night that they didn’t cause or ask for costs them thousands of millions of dollars that most people don’t have.

Parlon states, “Those have been probably the hardest times I’ve had, are going through the medical records and reading about the injuries that he suffered.”

The bills make the families relive that night over and over again. They have enormous stress that could have been avoided. Both the financial and emotional burdens are overwhelming.

The victims and their loved ones will also have to face the drunk driver in court. They want justice, however at the same time they want it to be over and never have to see them again. It’s even harder for the victim to realize they will probably never receive the full justice that they had hoped for, due to the law. In New York, if it is your first DWI offense you will be fined anywhere from $500 to $1000. Possible jail time for a year and lose of license for 6 months. Second DWI offense, you will be fined anywhere between $1000 to $5000. Mandatory jail time of 5 days and/or community service and lose of license up to 1 year. Third DWI offense, a fine of $2000 to $10,000, mandatory jail time for at least 10 days, and loss of license for a year, ignition interlock device and required alcohol evaluation.

Tragic drunk driving accident

Drunk driving not only affects one or two people, it can affect a community. Drunk driving can tear apart families and cause excessive and extreme stress in someone’s life. The trauma that drunk driving causes, cannot be explained. The endless struggles and sleepless nights faced by the victim are immeasurable, and most likely incurable. There is no face of drunk driving. It happens every day. Innocent lives are lost through senseless and irresponsible behavior. We as a society must work together in finding ways to end this epidemic of drunk driving. It not only negatively impacts lives, it destroys them. Through years of extensive community workshops and extremely harsh penalties, hopefully drunk driving will diminish and eventually become non-existent. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. Nothing happens overnight. Hard work and dedication towards the common goal of putting drunk driving to an end may be the only cure.

Statistics from

http://www.nysdwi.com/newyorkdwipenalties.html

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