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Seat Belts and Drunk Driving

Do one and not the other. Seems simple and obvious, right? Not necessarily.

Texas passed a law on September 1 requiring seat belts in all seats now. Before then, they were only required in the front seat. Do you buckle up every single time you are in the back seat? I think I do, but I could not tell you for absolute certain that I do. I will from now on though, no question about it.

Now for drinking and driving. Obviously the a-hole that I am about to talk about had to have had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than just a drink or two, but I'm asking you to stop and think, even after just one drink, if getting behind the wheel of a car is really absolutely necessary. Is the risk of killing someone else or yourself really worth it?

Jon and I woke up Sunday morning, sore and basking in the glory of our fun races the day before, when I looked at my phone and saw 8 missed calls and a few text messages. They were all from my best friend Mike, who had been frantically trying to get a hold of me for about 10 hours because his two sisters were rear-ended by a drunk driver Saturday night on 610 near 290. One of his sisters was driving and the other was in the back seat, without her seat belt on. After the car flew over the guardrail and flipped down the side numerous times, it landed upright. The sister who was driving was alert and ok and looked around to check on the others and realized her younger sister was not in the backseat. She got out of the car and found her thrown at least 25 yards further from the far, unconscious and barely breathing. Forty-five minutes of CPR could not bring her back and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver's car also flew over the guardrail and both caught fire when they came to a stop. The driver fled the scene on foot but was caught a short time later. He has since been charged with intoxication manslaughter and it was also determined that he was in the US illegally and was without insurance.

I cannot say much more about this right now because I am pretty much without words and feel more helpless than I have probably ever felt before. Mike's family is experiencing deja vu in the absolute worst way right now as his mother died of cancer six years ago as well. He, his dad, and his sister know all too well what lies ahead in the upcoming hours, days, weeks, months, and even years. Please pray for them, not just today or tomorrow, but for a long, long time. They will be needing every prayer they can get.

Comments

June said…
ugh. there are no words. i am sorry for your loss, but there isnt enough pain and torture to inflict upon the person that SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN HERE IN THE FIRST DAMN PLACE that would make me feel better ... i am glad they caught him, but alas, and i hate to say it...unless he dies for his deed, he wont pay near enough.
Coach Liz said…
So sorry to hear about Mike's loss. Ever since I was in a car accident when I was 12 and the car that I was in the back seat of was rear ended I have always worn my seat belt in the back seat and tell everyone who is in my backseat to buckle up. I was thrown into the front seat of the car and hit my face on the dash breaking my nose and getting two nice black eyes. I did not have a seat belt on and we were not hit too hard since we were in traffic leaving a Northwestern University football game. I can only imagine how hard that car had to hit Mike's sister's car for it to go over the guard rail and flip like that.

I will be keeping them in my prayers.
Unknown said…
My heart goes out to Mike and his family. The six years I spent working as a prosecutor where I handled way too many of these cases tought me that the pain is deep and the healing process is long. But know that I will be praying.
my heart goes out to you and your friends and family. Thanks for sharing your story - hopefully it will stop at least one person from making a life changing terrible decision. XOXOX!

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