Drunk drivers an across the board problem | IT WAS just past 10 p.m. on a Sunday night. The scene was near the Green River in Washington state not far from Seattle. By Surj Rattan News Reporter What was about to happen in the next few minutes would end up changing the lives of three people forever. A 21-year-old man named Brian leaves a local tavern and gets behind the wheel of his car to drive home. As he dives along a nearby road, Washington state trooper Michael Buckingham pulls up behind Brian and turns on his lights and siren. But Brian doesn’t stop. “Since he didn’t have a long ways to drive home and since he knows the road like the back of -his hand, Brian doesn’t think it will be a problem if he drives home,”’ said Buckingham. “Now, instead of pulling over and stopping, like most people ~ would do, Brian’s thinking tells him it’s all right to try and out run the police car. His thinking is impaired. “He doesn’t realize that the police can check on his identity by plugging his licence plate number into a computer. He doesn’t real- ize the police can just go to his house and wait for him there and bust him.”’ As Brian atterapts to out run the police car, an S-curve sud- denly appears in the road. The S-curve goes right, and Brian's car goes left. Don, who is sober, is in another car travelling in the opposite di- rection. While he doesn’t sce Brian’s car or the police car, he can see the night sky illuminated by the flashing blue lights of the police car. He pulls over to the side of the road. Suddenly, he sees Brian’s car come directly at him. ‘Don has just enough time to say a prayer and hit the floor board. Brian's car richochets off Don's car and goes end over end three times. Brian, who is not wearing a seatbelt, is thrown from the car at a conservative speed of about 50 miles per hour,’ said Buckingham. Don’s car slides into the middle of the read and comes to a screeching halt. The police car hits Don’s car. Gasoline begins to leak, and the police car becomes engulfed in flames. Buckingham: would spend the next seven months in hospital. He also had to undergo reconstructive surgery. He is no longer a policeman, but spends his time going to schools in Washington state and B.C. talking to students about the dangers of impaired driving. He was recently at Keith Lynn Alternate School in North Van- couver to speak to students there. ‘His story is a chilling reminder of the damage impaired driving can have on people’s lives. Brian was fortunate that he landed in a blackberry bush. His physical injuries healed after six months. Because Don was wearing a seatbelt, his only physical injury was a broken hip. But Buckingham points out that the emotional trauma caused by an impaired driving accident can, and often does, last far longer than physical injuries, ‘*...it was not that bad for Don because he was wearing a seatbelt. But tell that to Don’s dad who died four years later from a heart attack because he could not bear to see the emotional stress the ac- cident was causing Don. “Tell that to Don’s wife who left him because she could not deal with his emotional trauma. Later, Don quits his job because FORMER WASHINGTON State trooper Michael Buckingham, who was Involved in a drinking driving . NEWS photo Mike Wakefield accident, new goes to schools in Washington State and B.C. to talk to students about the dangers of impaired driving. He was recently at Keith Lynn Alternate School in North Vancouver. of his stress ievei. “Brian healed physically after six months, but he tried to com- mit suicide twice because of his emotional trauma.”" One of the reasons impaired driving is such a problem with youth, Buckingham said, is because they see adults doing it. Too many people, he said, have the attitude that impaired driving is not their problem but someone else’s. “te’s a North American, across-the-border problem, and until we understand that we’re not going to solve it,’? said Buck- INTERMEDIATE HEALTH CARE Mon. - 10 am.-4 p.m. Sat. & Sun. Tt pm.-4 p.m. A Dig nified Lifestyle for Residents _ “Maintain oT Independence, Individuality, and Quality of Living at Bevan Lodge” . This includes a private room, ; three nutritious meals per ‘ day in our dining room, laundry and housekeeping service, nursing treatments and care as required in- cluding administering medications and round-the- clock = nursing coverage. 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