Why do they think they're immortal?

[mebuffyg]

A 22-year old boy that was in one of my classes died last night as the result of a drinking and driving accident. He and a friend had been out drinking and were on the way home. They were about hour away. They both had been drinking. The one driving lost control and they wrecked. It was a single car accident. The young man that I knew was thrown from the car and died. The other boy was taken to hospital and later released. He wasn't really hurt at all. He will now be charged with vehicular manslaughter. I know that people always think that it won't happen to them. Why do we think this way? A young man full of promise is now gone because of a stupid mistake. Life is so short as it is. Why do we risk losing what little time we have? I know that they all think that they will be fine, they have done it a million times before. Its just so said. But I am mad too. I have seen first hand what doing this will do. If for just one day these people who choose to drink and drive could go to an insurance company and see a vehicle that has been involved in an accident like this they would realize the gravitiy of their actions.
Sorry, thanks for letting me get that out.

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[onfire4god57]

My heart goes out to you, your friend and his family. My husband and I have fought long and hard for the last 26 years to help stop drinking and driving.

See 26 years ago this Memorial weekend, my husband who was only 23 at the time became a victim of a drunk driver. He was walking when this car struck him from behind at what they estimate at 80mph. He was crushed and shattered from the waist down, with what the doctors could actually count, 160 compound fractures. He also recieved major head trauma which caused him to spend the next 2 years in the hospital in a coma. Because of the head trauma he also since then developed a mulitple seizure disorder, meaning he has both Clonic and MyClonic seizures. Three years ago he was also diagnozed with early onset alhemizers, which they are leading to the head trauma. Throughout the last 23 years he has also had 56 surgeries all relating to this accident, including the amputation of both of his legs above the knees.

The unfortunate part for my husband is that the woman who hit him was the daughter of a small town sheriff. I should mention that it was a small town with alot of corruption going on. Back then people didn't really know that there was such a problem with drinking and driving. This woman (thanks to her father) got off scott free. She never had to pay a dime to help with his care. In fact is until this day there is still a cover up with the incident. But that's another whole story.

I did want to say though that people think the only person that is effected is the victim, but unfortunately that's wrong. Drunk drivers not only effect the lives of those they hurt, but it also effects the lives of their families and friends. See for us our lives will never be the same because we will never be able to live a "normal" life like everyone else does.

Sorry that I took up so much space in your post, but this really hits so close to home for me.

Again my sympathy goes out to you, and please feel free to pm me if you'd like to talk.

Mary

[iluvmybaby]

A friend of mine was almost killed after he rode with a drunk driver, three years later the SAME guy that almost killed my friend actually DID kill him, the only difference is that the women that was killed had family who had $$$

[usascs]

So sorry

[cls]

So sorry

[Bubblescc]

How Awful, I am so sorry!! Your in my thoughts and prayers!

[alwyznatiz]

onfire, what a very sad story. Unfortunately, her father should have been more so involved in making her pay a price for her stupidity being that he had sworn to uphold the law. But having lived in Tennessee all my life, I'll be the first to say that in our small towns what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander. We had a General Sessions judge here that his wife was notorious for drinking and pill popping then going out for a drive. When she'd get picked up, they'd just call the judge to come get her at the jail. He's no longer a judge, but someday that woman is going to hurt or kill someone.

buffy, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Unfortunately I have found that most younger 20-somethings don't realize their own mortality. I'll admit that even I don't think I did. It takes time and maturity. Often times, sadly enough, it is seeing a friend killed that helps realization set in.