Dear Drunk Driver,

Do you remember?

Do you remember that hot, humid, summer night when you thought it was okay to drink and drive? Do you remember crossing over the center line hitting me, head on? Do you remember the sound of metal crunching as you hit me going full speed? Do you remember the amount of fear and terror that flooded my mind? Do you remember me being covered in my best friend's blood because she had flown out of her seat, crushing her bones and face into the center console of the car? Do you remember the sounds of sirens flooding your ears, wishing it would just stop? Do you remember the thousands of red and blue blurred lights racing towards the accident scene? Do you remember not being able to escape, trapped inside your own car? Do you remember wishing you would wake up from this nightmare? Do you remember, because I do.

This accident happened 13 years ago and still to this day I can remember everything that happened that night from the time the metal crunched together, to when you fled your car, to when I was finally able to reunite with my family. I was 6 years old when this happened. It was a summer night when seeing a movie at the drive-in movie theater with my best friend and her family. We were on our way home and you decided it was okay to drink and drive, crashing into us and ripping us of our innocence. If only you could have had a crystal ball to see the impact of your decision. I wish you were the one to call my family and notify them about what had happened, explain to them what you had done, instead of my parents getting a phone call no one wants to hear. 10pm, the phone rang. It was from the Emergency Department at the local hospital. My mother answered the call to hear, “You are needed at the hospital. Your daughter has been in a serious car accident.” To hear the amount of fear in her voice. I wish you were able to answer the questions she had in her head - Is she okay? What happened? Why? That night changed our lives forever.

Drunk Driver your actions left an impact on my life in more ways than you could ever think of. You changed my best friend to a point where she wasn’t herself anymore. You took away part of her childhood, leaving her in a wheelchair and walker for months. Every time I pass the drive-in movie theater, I can’t help but get sick to my stomach remembering that night. The night I screamed for my mom, the night I had never been so terrified in my life, the night I, at 6 years old, had to wash my best friend’s blood off of my body. The night you don’t even remember because you were under the influence.

You are good for one thing and one thing only. At the age of 6 you taught me a life lesson, NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE. Not only did you put yourself at risk but you put everyone on the road that night at risk. Nothing is ever worth that. Nothing is more important than your own life and the lives of everyone around you. Consider yourself lucky. Your mistake did not cost anyone their life. It just robbed them of their innocence. I hope you learned your lesson

Sincerely,

The innocent girl whose life you put at risk