Paying for drunk’s mistake
The holiday seasons have begun and for some unknown reason many people believe they need to consume large amounts of alcohol to celebrate, when in fact it serves no purpose for the upcoming celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and our New Year. Along with this phenomenon is driving after consuming large amounts of alcohol. Please allow me to try and reach those who insist on drinking and driving.
I was on my way home from shopping with my boyfriend and I was hit head-on by a drunken driver. A man got behind the wheel not caring about what he was about to do. In a matter of a few short seconds, he took from me my life as I knew it and destroyed it. My head was crushed into pieces; my collarbone was broken; my hand was crushed. Almost every one of my ribs were fractured; the vertebrae in my neck was pushed out of line. I had over 200 cuts, bruises and lacerations on my hands, arms and chest. My heart was bruised.
All this damage in just a short few seconds. The injuries were not the worst of it. The time stolen from my very young children is irreplaceable. The years of therapy, the time my family spent weeping and worrying not knowing if I was going to live to see another birthday, to see my beautiful girls graduate, to see them walk down the aisle on their wedding day.
He did not care that I may never walk again. To play with my children in the snow, to enjoy the simplest things he takes for granted everyday. It took me almost a year to walk again. I was in a coma.
I think the hardest thing that happened was when I looked at my babies and knew they were mine but could not say their names, because I could not remember them. I had to learn how to do everything all over again. But I was blessed with a wonderful family that stood by me through everything. My mother and children encouraged me to fight and keep trying, no matter how much it hurt. If it weren’t for them, I am not sure what shape I would be in today.
The focus of this letter is to ask these irresponsible and uncaring people to please think twice before drinking or doing drugs and then getting behind the wheel.
I don’t know why they do it, but something needs to be done about it. The man that did this to me got away with it. I had no day in court. I have never been able to confront him and tell him just what he did to me.
He had never tried to contact me to apologize for ruining my life. He was never charged with anything. Yet he continues to drink and drive. I see his name in the paper still for DUI. How does he get away with it? Why is he not put in jail? He gave me a life sentence. It isn’t fair.
My final word is this. The next time you decide to drink and drive remember the life you ruin, or God forbid the life you take, could be yours. Please don’t drink and drive.
Audrey Steinmiller
Smithfield