Drunk Driving Deaths and Convictions can Launch Many Unusual Partnerships

There are some cases where a drunk driver and a victim’s family forge a bond to teach others about DUI.

You would think the last thing the family of a drunk driving victim would want to do is talk to the individual who killed their loved one. While it does seem strange, it has happened a few times. In this instance, a Florida woman not only forgave the man who killed her 20-year-old daughter and her friend, but partnered up with him to tell others not to drink and drive.

It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows, but perhaps not as strange as a convicted drunk driver and the mother of the victim he killed. The woman openly admitted that the horrible pain of her daughter’s senseless death nearly brought her to her knees when she was told about the death by police. The man driving the vehicle that slammed into her daughter’s car was three sheets to the wind, and lost control of his vehicle. The two young women in the vehicle were killed instantly, a fact that attests to the speed of the other car and the force of the impact.

Faced with having to move on and cope with her daughter’s loss, the bereaved mother launched a foundation in her daughter’s name, with the goal to teach others about DUI awareness. Above all else, she wanted to prevent any more senseless deaths like her daughter’s. She started speaking locally, organizing various events and telling others about her daughter and how she died. She focused on the dangers of DUI and how the consequences can be brutally horrific, not just for the victim’s family, but for the offender.

As the years passed, she began to feel that there was a component of her presentation missing. She reasoned having the convicted offender with her during her presentations, the message she carried would be even more powerful. She began to lobby the justice system to have the killer join her, and since 2010, they have partnered as a team to tell their story to others. It stuns many audiences into silence and tears, as the man on stage, dressed in prison garb and still serving his sentence, tells them he always thought he was Mr. Big and bulletproof. The chains and shackles tell the true story.

The message this duo carry is to never drink and drive; a message that far too many individuals seem to ignore on a regular basis, until they are caught after maiming or killing someone else. At some point, the mayhem needs to stop. People need to take responsibility for their actions, and realize drinking and driving is the deadliest of all self indulgences, virtually guaranteed to seriously injure or kill others.

If you have been involved in an accident with a drunk driver, do not hesitate to reach out to a skilled and compassionate Austin personal injury attorney. They have your back. They understand justice and grieving and can ensure a fair and equitable settlement or jury verdict. An Austin personal injury attorney’s job is helping those harmed or killed by a drunk driver.

Bobby Lee is an Austin personal injury lawyer for The Lee Law Firm. If you need an Austin personal injury lawyer, contact an Austin personal injury attorney from The Lee Law Firm. Visit RWLeelaw.

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