Putting the Brakes on Drunk Driving

By Mary Nichols

There is a famous Spanish song, titled “Amor Eterno,” (Eternal Love) a song that sings of a loved one taken before his time. The lyrics state, “It pains me so much you are not here. How I wish you were still living, that your eyes had never closed, and I could be looking at them. Sooner or later, I will be with you again.”

The pain voiced through the lyrics is incomparable to the pain many suffer when they lose a loved one to drunken driving.

In 2007, Texas ranked number one with 3,363 alcohol-related fatalities, and South Texas alone had a total of 563. Texas and the Rio Grande Valley have the highest drunk driving fatalities in the country. It’s a problem that victims and authorities feel needs to be addressed.

Mission Chief of Police Leo Longoria feels people who choose to drink should be more responsible.

“People who are out there drinking and driving, don’t realize the consequence and the loss they can bring upon an individual,” said Chief Longoria. “If you drink and drive and get caught or die, you’re not going to be able to see your daughter or son graduate, (you will) miss out being a grandfather, or seeing your spouse. You lose all the comforts that come with being part of this earth. Most importantly, you take someone else’s life.”

More than Numbers

Unfortunately, these fatalities are happening in our own backyard. In 2008, the City of Mission had 278 DWI arrests. This year alone, Mission PD has already had 144 DWI offenses. The largest group of offenders, Chief Longoria says, is between 22 to 35 years old.

“I think it’s steadily increasing. I don’t know what is triggering that. I don’t know if it’s because we’re pursuing more DWI arrests and working more traffic, or if there just are simply more DWIs by violators,” said Chief Longoria.

Mission’s neighbor, McAllen, had an astonishing 1,006 DWI arrests in 2008. Of the 1,006, 180 were female offenders and 826 were male. The age group with the highest number of DWI arrests was 20 to 24 year olds.

Ana Verley, victim’s advocate at Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in Edinburg, feels there are a variety of factors that play into the high drunk driving statistics.

 “One is the easy accessibly. It’s been a tradition almost, because Mexico is right there. It’s easily accessible. And attitude has a lot to do with it as well. We have a relaxed attitude, especially in our culture. We consider it a right of passage for our teens,” said Verley. “It definitely isn’t. I think sometimes people don’t consider drunk driving a serious matter. They just think everyone does it.”

Stolen too Soon

Whatever the reason people get behind the wheel drunk, the damage is the same. A life and a family are destroyed.

On May 25, 2005, the lives of Lydia Sanchez and her family were shattered, when a drunk driver took the life of her 17-year-old daughter, Jessica Sanchez.

 Jessica, a Mission High School student, had just gotten off from work at H-E-B in Palmview. She and a friend went to eat dinner. After Jessica dropped off her friend, she headed home. Around midnight, Jessica was pulling out from the stop sign at the intersection of Los Indios and Conway in Mission, when suddenly, a truck swerved into oncoming traffic and hit Jessica’s side of the car, killing her instantly.

“We were not allowed to go to the crash site. The accident happened on Wednesday and we didn’t get to see her till Friday,” said Lydia Sanchez, Jessica’s mother. “We were walking around like zombies. It was a complete shock and something that felt surreal. Not knowing if it was really her. It was hard to believe and hard to accept.”

The driver, a La Joya schoolteacher, was sentenced to 10 years for intoxicated manslaughter. Ironically, a drunk driver had killed the driver’s father, when he was a young boy. The driver is expected to be released April 26, 2010.

The drunken driver took away the main artery that helped the Sanchez family function, Sanchez said. Her daughter was the glue of the family.

“She always was the planner and making sure everyone played their parts. She was always peppy and smiling. She was known for her smile,” said Sanchez pointing to photos showcasing Jessica’s Julia Roberts smile. “She was just one of those happy go lucky people. She always tried to take care of you, her brothers, her sisters, or her nieces. She tried to make everything special.”

Sanchez said Jessica loved to sing. Even though she had a terrible voice, she loved to belt out songs by her favorite artists like Intocable, Duelo, Ramon Ayala and Britney Spears. Her favorite food was an enchilada casserole, and her favorite color was pink. Lydia used to call her, Pink Tuskedero and always tried to bring back something pink from the store for her daughter.           

Sanchez said Jessica wanted to be a forensic scientist and the family used to gather to watch crime shows like “CSI.”

“We used to watch how they would do the autopsies. Just thinking about that, a stranger had to undress her. A stranger had to cut her open,” said Sanchez, pausing between each word. “It just felt like she got violated and I put all the blame on (that drunk driver). He could have prevented that. Even though she was already gone, she had to go through that.”

Jessica missed out on her prom and her high school graduation. Most importantly, she was taken from her family and the bright future she could have had. She left behind three brothers, a younger sister and parents who still have not been able to overcome the emptiness they feel. They will never be the same. To add more to the pain, the family has to continue to write letters to the parole board, in order to keep their daughter’s offender in prison.

Sanchez grasped onto the pink water bottle, a memory she carries of her daughter’s favorite color. She tried to hold back her tears, but her pain was visible through her eyes.

“He took our faith. We just have endless questions. We never rest thinking maybe I could have done something different or maybe I should have called her,” said Sanchez. “He took something precious from us. He didn’t just take her life, he took our lives too. Our household is not the same and I don’t know when it will be. We don’t feel joy anymore.”

The following year, another Mission family tragically lost their 11-year-old daughter to a drunk driver. On July 4, 2006, Yusmen Saenz, and her family were riding bikes in their neighborhood on the 500 block of South Moorefield Road. Although it was almost 11 p.m., the street was very well lit, and Saenz watched her daughter, Claudia Yaneth Cantu and her now eight-year-old son, Julio, enjoy their bicycles from the past Christmas. Saenz and relatives saw that a car was coming, so they asked the kids to move to the side of the road.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Saenz said the car began to accelerate quickly. She recalls yelling at the driver to slow down. All of a sudden, the car swerved and crashed directly into young Claudia’s bicycle. Claudia ran across the street to escape, but the car hit her, said Saenz.

Saenz said she screamed, not knowing what was hit. She saw something flying high in the air. Once it hit the ground, she realized it was her daughter’s shoe.

“The car finally stopped and my daughter was hit. We called the ambulance. They said she was fine and that she was breathing. But, then when they lifted her I saw all the blood,” Saenz said with tears in her eyes. “They took her to the hospital, and I didn’t think she was going to die. I thought she was just a little injured and that she was going to be fine.”

It happened to be the only car that drove by that night. The driver was a 23-year-old woman from Mission, who was later sentenced to 12 years in prison for intoxicated manslaughter and one year for criminal negligence homicide.

“Since that night till now, my life has changed completely. I used to be very happy and loving. When I would hug both my children, I felt complete inside. Now I feel like half my heart is missing,” said Saenz. “We have all suffered greatly. Sometimes we feel we don’t want to live. We live with fear when in the car, or when we hear ambulances.  Life has changed 100 percent.”

Claudia was a model student at Escandon Elementary in La Joya. She loved to sing, read, and write poetry. Saenz says her daughter wanted to be a teacher and help those children who come over from Mexico and need extra help to adapt to educational system in the U.S.

“She would say, ‘Mom when I work I will give you all my money to take care of you.’ She was very innocent,” said Saenz. “She was very loving. She would tell us everyday she loved us, and she liked to say a lot of jokes and be playful.”

There was one poem that Claudia wrote before she passed away. Saenz had part of it decaled on the back of their truck.  

It reads: “Jesus I’m going to read the Bible to know more about you. No matter what happens, I won’t come down off my cross, because I know this road is difficult. Jesus, I ask you to help them not deter from your path.”

Saenz could no longer hold back her pain and anguish. She cried uncontrollably with her head down, and attempted to wipe away the eyeliner that made its way down her red cheeks.

“It’s like if she was telling God in advance before she left us, to take care of us,” she said, composing herself. “And to help us stay on his path.”

The family has great faith that they will meet Claudia again one day. However, going through each day without her is pain and loss they are slowly trying to overcome.

“I also assume it’s been hard for the young lady that caused the accident and her family,” said Saenz. “Her life is also ruined, it’s not the same, and (has) been difficult. You never imagine when you are drinking that it can happen to you.”

Consequences

Much is at risk for a DWI offender. Intoxicated assault is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in a state penitentiary and a fine of up to $10,000. If a driver kills someone while driving under the influence, it is considered intoxicated manslaughter. That crime is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

DWI consequences for first to third time offenses vary. In any case, offenders will automatically be stripped of their driver’s licenses for 90 days to two years. This will also include a yearly “surcharge” up to three years, ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 per year. Offenders can also spend jail time anywhere from 72 hours to a year in jail and two to 10 years in prison for a third time offense.

“Buzzed driving is drunk driving. Your impairment begins after your first drink, whether you feel it or not,” said Sgt. Jody Tittle, spokesman for Mission Police Department.

The legal limit for intoxication in Texas is .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC). However, drivers can still be cited for impaired driving or other drugs, regardless of their BAC. Texas also has a zero tolerance law. So it is illegal for anyone under 21 to drive while under the influence.

Think Before You Drink

On average, a drunk driver kills someone every 40 minutes. Three in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash sometime in their life. The average first-time drunk driving offender has driven drunk 87 times prior to being arrested.

To most people, these are just statistics. But for the families torn apart by drunken driving, they have a powerful impact. However, victims feel no one really understands the gravity of the situation until it happens to them.

“Put yourself in my shoes…. Just imagine that someone came and took your loved one away,” said Saenz. “From that moment, there will be an empty chair, an empty room, and most of all, a life will always be destroyed and incomplete. For what? A moment of supposed fun? And the price is someone else’s life. Is it really worth it?”

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July 4 Tea Party at Speedway

The McAllen Tea Party Association will host an Independence Day Celebration at the Rio Grande Speedway on Saturday, July 4, beginning at 5 p.m.

The event will feature a patriotic program with musical performances by Chris Matthews, Rene Davis and Logan Moore.

As part of the patriotic program, actors will appear as the 13 delegates to the Constitutional Convention and Town Criers will announce the historic actions taken 200 years ago. All will appear in full costume representing that time period. Benjamin Franklin will also be present to read the Declaration of Independence.

There will be booths presenting information about the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and different forms of government.  Give aways will also be available for the children attending the event. 

The events organizers have put together a program that promises to be inspiring and uplifting as they celebrate this nation’s Independence Day. Admission is free and all are invited to attend.

As an added bonus, anyone who attends the Tea Party from 5 to 6:30 p.m. will receive free admission to the races that evening and the fireworks show.

The Speedway concession stand will be selling non-alcoholic beverages, hamburgers and snacks during the event.

The Rio Grande Speedway is located on South 10th Street, 3.9 miles south of Expressway 83.

SAN ANTONIO — H-E-B officials are asking local shoppers to look inside their freezers for beef products that are a part of a voluntary recall.

The store’s recall is in connection with the voluntary national recall by JBS Swift Beef Company for possible E-coli 0157:H7 in some of its products. H-E-B is notifying its customers and advising them to check their freezers for the beef products.

The following JBS Swift Beef Company products are involved in the recall:

• Raw Beef Briskets with plant inspection #969 (EST #969) with sell-by dates between May 12 and June 20.
• Raw Beef Inside skirt steaks in a Styrofoam tray with sell-by dates between May 4 and June 20.
• Hill Country Fare Beef for fajitas with a sell-by date of May 23.
• Any fresh ground beef in a Styrofoam tray with sell-by dates between May 9 and June 20.

“Currently, H-E-B does not have any of the impacted JBS Swift Beef products in its stores or in its supply chain,” a news release states. “H-E-B has no reported illnesses, and there have been no reports of illnesses in Texas due to this recall.”

“H-E-B is issuing this recall in an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of our customers. Please return products impacted by this recall to the nearest H-E-B store for a refund or replacement.,” the release states.

Customers with any concerns or questions can contact H-E-B Customer Relations at 1-800-432-3113.

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