Drunk Driving’s Toll

An open letter to a drunk driver:

On Wednesday, Dec. 22, 1993, three days before Christmas, you killed a friend and employee of ours. She was only 26 years old, lovely, vibrant and alive, and you ended her life while escaping unscathed yourself.

You not only deprived her mother of her beloved daughter, and her friends and co-workers of a well-loved friend, you deprived the world of a wonderful person. She wanted to be a veterinarian, and you deprived the world of a bright, intelligent and compassionate lover of animals. She was kind and caring, funny and wonderful, and you destroyed her.

Whatever legal ramifications arise form this tragic incident, whatever punishment is inflicted on you, legally and spiritually, it can never make up for what you did, for the agony you have caused and the lives you have destroyed. Whether you spend years in prison, or get the proverbial slap on the wrist, you will never atone for the destruction that resulted from your decision to ignore the fact that you were obviously too impaired to drive.

I am writing this letter because I am very, very angry. But more important, perhaps you, and others like you, will stop and think about the pain and misery you may be causing by your carelessness and your selfishness. Perhaps you will remember what you did to this lovely woman on Dec. 22, 1993, three days before Christmas.

K. L. ANDERSON

Simi Valley