Drunk Drivers ...

[Sanny]

There have been several posts lately about drunk drivers. My husband does commentaries for the ABC affiliate in Minnesota and went after drunk drivers in his Tuesday commentary. If you're interested, here is the link ...

Drunk Drivers Commentary

 

[Russ]

Good job Bob on the commentary and bringing more awareness to this issue.

I never talk about this much because it is a very hard subject for me to deal with...in 1974 my grandfather was killed by a drunk driver. He was just mowing lawn on the garden tractor and the drunk driver just came right into the ditch from the black top road and he was killed instantly.My grandma heard something but wasn't sure what all the commotion was about.... she was baking a cake.... one of her favorite cakes at the kitchen window but the cornfield blocked the view 1/2 mile towards the small town they lived near the accident scene....it took the parish priest knocking at the door within minutes of the accident to tell her.... Katie there's been a horrible accident, we need to call the kids. They didn't even want the family to identify him...it was so horrible.

I never really got to know him because I was little. He wasn't a young man but his life was far from over.Some would say he lived a full life of 74 years.

I often sit back and think how hard that day must have been for grandma, she is in her 100's now actually nearing 105 and thankfully her mind lets her rest of any memories and worries of past or present days. She never much talked about it ever and to this day if anyone brings up the type of cake she was baking the day grandpa died...we all remember and the memories/stories all come flooding back to all the generations many, many years later.

If I ragged on any of my friends about drinking/driving it is because I care DEEPLY for your life and the lives of others. It is because I want you to live and not with the memories of causing a death of someone else or leaving your family with the memories of your own death.

So, if I seem a little weird about drinking/driving now you know why....it is because I care about you.

 

[Marty]

Mary, Please tell Bob thank you for that. (((( )))

 

[Ashley]

I dont agree with drunk driving, but I have been thinking about that and drug addicts lately.

I went to the doctor the other day for something. When I left there I have never disliked a doctor more. She was rude and lack major people skills. After being there and the questions I got, and the interigation for not answering how I was expected to, I dont blame people for not wanting to get help with there addictions.

 

[hhpminis]

This is an epidemic. I doubt that there is not one person of legal age that does not in some way know a person or is a person that was directly effected by an incident involving a drunk driver.

For me it was my brother. I was 17 he was 20. He was in a car with a friend driving down the main street of the town we grew up in. A drunk who was ready to turn into Perkins restaurant to have late night breakfast saw a police car half a block away. Rather than thinking logically and continuing his turn into the restaurant, he got scared seeing the police and took off at a high rate of speed so as not to get caught. This led him to a curve in the road about 1 mile away that he lost control. My brothers car was pushed under a semi trailer that was parked at the side of the road. He was instantly killed from massive internal injuries and like Russ, we were not asked to identify the body as it was too mangled and the coroner knew us and did it for us.

It did not stop there. In the car with my brother was a mutual friend of mine and his, he lived. He was in the car for 2 hours with my brother while they untangled the car to remove the two of them. All the while with his dead friend, my brother within inches of him. In a moment when I considered myself strong and thought I could somehow console my friend, I listened to him relive the incident and share all the gruesome details of the awful night. For many years I had nightmares that I too was in the car. I could see and touch my brother. I would try to stop the bleeding, shoving my hands into his mangled body looking for a source of life, knowing that if I could only do it better, he would live.

The drunk driver was also killed in the wreck. He got off easy in my opinion. Those of us that survived had a part of us die that night too. He never had to see the things that my friend saw or that I saw and still at times see in my dreams.

Now you tell me, who are the victims here. It is nothing less than murder, premeditated murder, when someone gets behind the wheel of a car and they do not have 100% of their ability because they have chose to indulge in a few hours of "casual" fun.

 

[alongman]

Excellent Bob!!!! Your message is saved on our start of shift computers at work! I think people are often of the "invincible" mentality that it won't happen to them or just are too ignorant to know otherwise. I see way to many unnecessary deaths and usually alcohol has had some factor in it. If your message helps save one life, it was worth it!

 

[Marylou]

Had my hubby watch the report with me. Both of us say right on!