Last night as my daughter, grandson, and I were getting her car loaded up to go swimming at a relative's home, we heard sirens. We waited a few mins. before taking off as to allow the vehicles passage on the highway we were going to travel over. The wailing did not cease as more soon followed. A wreck at the edge of our normally quite little town. It surely was one of those with serious injuries (possibly multiple victims) to so many flashing lights, ect. To make a long story short. A young woman, driving at a high rate of speed had gone of her side of the road, over corrected, went off the other side, over corrected again, came back onto the pavement and right into the path of a big tow truck. She was extricated from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the hospital. This was a little before 6pm. I often travel this highway enroute to my own home, however last night took an alternative route because at 8:30pm they were just hauling the vehicle(s) away and investigators were still there. I was haunted all day and because there was nothing on the local news and last night about all was said....."a young woman......bad....extricated". Tonight a local paper stated the above. Names were given. AND the last few lines of the article stated toxicology reports showed this young woman 'under the influence'. (The driver of the truck...unharmed) It was that part 'under the influence (of alcohol)' that brought so much saddeness to my heart. I DID NOT KNOW HER....yet her being 21 simply spooked me. Most likely because my own daughter is only a couple of years older and she drinks on occasion and has gotten behind the wheel. Not excusing, her getting drunk on occassion, however, my daughter has gotten wiser, and no longer tries to drive home from parties, ect. She always arranges beforehand for someone totally sober to do that. Usually when I've read, heard, ect about accidents if I don't know the victims, the incident is quickly dismissed. For whatever reason, this was not the case tonight. I need a 'face' for the name and to know something about her. I 'googled' the name/city. Result.... MySpace page with pics./articles/a mother and brother MySpace pages with pics., ect. (It is of course, assuming that this was her because all these pages were meshing togethor by certain facts, above all the name and the face.) If this was her......a college student, beautiful, and an athlete. All kinds of swimmer's awards that included some on lower levels of national competion. Middle class family. The brother an only surviving sibling now. I just want to cry. And yet.....all the personal experience with my ex AH, with lost relatives/friends......as well as all that I've learned through AA, I know all the preaching, begging, pleading, teaching about consumption will not stop anyone from drinking. It just is soooooo very sad to think this very young life has come to a halt because of AlCOHOL. There's no need for advice or further words. Just thanks for allowing me to share my feelings.
There are solutions and fearful listeners too fearful to act which makes the situation sadder. The DUI count (in the paper weekly) here is astronomical. Still there are solutions which are not catching on. HP always. (((hugs)))
Jerry, Yes.....solutions..... and correct 'too fearful to act'...... Couldn't keep thoughts at bay today. A big part of me just want to go outside and SCREAM a litany of lovely language at anyone who would listen about the adversities of consumption. Rarely....does all the ranting work....this much I have learned both from AA and through trying to cope with the horrors of alcohol. (Just had a thought....don't think I say the 'horrors of alcohol' from here on out. Thinking all of the sudden a better statement would 'the whore, alcohol' for it is a seducer, very friendly and VERY giving to numerous partners and she does NOT give a damned about any of them!) An added detail to the story....she had gotten a DUI the day before! Googling also led to a 'court case' that if remember correctly started in 2008. She was 'litigant' and scrolling down the repeated dates show the repeated phrase, 'work detail...non appearance'. There are no word for word details so it is a mystery if she was being sued or the one suing. It makes one wonder....what that was about. She was a honor student who had interaction with students from Ivy League colleges through educational programs. And as stated above a very good athlete. Guessing her father had been her swim coach as his name appeared as such in an article. Assumptions, that this person in the accident was in fact the same I had found last night in articles, Facebook, MySpace is true. I found her obituary survivors matched. It was the messages of sympathy through the newspaper's obit column that gave one the sense she was VERY well liked by many. It was purely selfish on my part to post this all. I couldn't help but think of my own children, all only a few years old than this girl. And with each thought a silent prayer that they be given wisdom in regards to consumption and the HP strengthen sobriety within each of them. My heart goes out to her family!
