A noninvincible life-destroyer on wheels

March 20, 2003 -- a day that will live in my heart forever. As Operation Iraqi Freedom began overseas, one young man in a South Carolina small town destroyed a part of my family.

This young man (we'll call him Mike) was a 22-year-old from a small town in the Lowcountry. He left work on March 19th with a lot on his mind and decided to meet some friends at a bowling alley to drink some beer and take the edge off. 

Sounds like a normal guy so far, right? Mike was a young guy, troubled, and looking for help. His "friends" were encouragers, for lack of a better word. They encouraged him to drink more, to drown his troubles away. The bowling alley served the group too much beer that evening -- more than legally allowed. And in a town where taxis are pretty much non-existent, and with such "encouraging" "friends" who did not assign a DD, Mike took off to another friend's house. 

This friend knew Mike had been drinking heavily and tried to take his keys once he arrived. But Mike took off, still upset about life troubles, still looking for liquid and temporary comfort. He saw a blurry Bud Light sign in the window of a gas station and pulled into the parking lot. Mike staggered in, picked up an 18-pack, bought it from a cashier ready to get off work, and teetered back to his truck. 

Mike opened the pack and popped open a Bud. Forgetting his seat belt, he got back on the highway and drove for another hour, still drinking. A few cars honked at him. By now it was a little after 5 a.m. It was raining and foggy, or was it blurry. Mike wasn't so sure. Singing to a country song, something told him to go home, but he pushed on.

Another car honked. Mike heard a scraping sound and tires screeching and turned his head to look. The car next to him pulled off to the side and checked out the damage. The guy called the police and gave them Mike's license plate number. Another guy drove beside him waving him down.

Mike turned his head back to the road and sped up. Only... it looked different. It felt bumpy. He straightened it out and got back on the road. Now there were lights headed in his direction. He was in oncoming traffic and had crossed the median. A car swerved to get out of his way... and Mike hit the Nissan Sentra behind it head on at 80 mph. 

The driver of the Nissan was my cousin, Carrie. She was a beautiful, intelligent blonde-haired, blue-eyed 23-year-old. Carrie was on her way to work at MUSC in Charleston. As a lab tech, she was devoted to having a part in saving lives. 

The story of "Mike" is as close to the story as we know it. The way I see it, he was a normal guy. He had a lot on his mind. And, as most people become this way with alcohol in their systems, he thought he was invincible. Mike thought nothing could actually happen to him. 

Not only did something happen to him, something happened to a completely innocent human being. Mike killed himself and he killed Carrie. She died instantly, so she never felt any pain. Mike died in his truck before police arrived, but suffered a great deal beforehand.

A fire burns in me whenever I hear someone say, "Yeah, man, I don't know how I made it home last night. I was so drunk." Or... "I blacked out for a few seconds, and I woke up in a ditch." Or... "I've had a lot of close calls."

Some people believe they are not only invincible, but Mike's tragic end would never happen to THEM. They would never kill someone else. No way!

Do any of you really believe Mike set out to have that kind of an evening? To kill another person? Someone he didn't even know? A beautiful young woman with a beautiful future ahead of her?

I went to the auto shop where the tow truck had taken my cousin's car after the accident. My father and I went to collect Carrie's things for my aunt. Dad didn't want me to see certain things, but I told him I was old enough to handle it. I wanted that image in my head forever so that I would know I'm NOT invincible. 

You know what I saw that day? A car so totaled, I understood why she died instantly. Two white sneakers still stuck on the gas pedal and floor underneath the smashed dashboard. A Christian worship CD still in the player.

I left the car lot with two things on my mind. 

1) I will always miss Carrie, but it is comforting to know I will see her in Heaven again one day.

2) I want to use this story as a way to change others' lives. I want to create or encourage those already in Congress to create stricter legislation against DUIs. I want to make a difference in this world. I don't want Carrie's death to be in vain. 

Did you know that 37% of fatal crashes in the United States are caused by alcohol-impaired drivers? Thousands. Tens of thousands are killed every year by something so preventable! My solution: instant jail time (amount of time dependent on many factors) and license suspension for at least a year for first-time offenders. Absolutely no exceptions.


Also for first-time and any previous offenders, we should look more into breath alcohol ignition systems. A very ingenious invention!

May God be with those who have lost others to the life-destroyers on wheels. Alcohol/drugs and driving are like a laxative and sweet watermelon -- the end result is a mess. May we have people rise up in government who will prevent these unnecessary deaths.

Love, peace, and freedom,

Jenna J.

P.S. Please read my next post, "In Memory of Carrie"...