Drunk Driving Car Accident: The Rock Shares Sobering Picture Of The Car Accident His Mother Survived; Reminds Fans That Choices Matter
Every now and then you see a celebrity making headlines for a citation they received in a drunk driving car accident. This week, instead of making the headlines for doing something wrong, the family of a famous celebrity were the victims of a drunk driving car accident. And this celebrity has a lot to say about the dangerous ordeal. It appears that even Rocks have soft spots. Last week Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s mother was hit by an alleged drunk driver in a head-on drunk driving car accident. Johnson has been by her side ever since the drunk driving car accident, concerned for the well-being of his mother.
And we don’t blame the Rock for being upset about the ordeal from the looks of the Instagram pictures he uploaded on August 10th.
“My mom & cousin @linafanene were struck head on by a drunk driver this week – they lived”
Johnson stayed by his family throughout their entire hospital stay. He uploaded Instagram pictures of his family, showing their strength as they recovered from their injuries.
When it comes to drunk driving, statistics are sobering. Every day in America, another 28 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes. Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash. On Average two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.
Johnson expressed his anger about the preventable accident when he wrote in the Instagram post, “First reaction is to find the person who did this and do unrelenting harm to them.” He ended the post, however, with more peaceful hashtags: #BearHugsAndGratitude, #100PercentPreventable and #ChoicesMatter. Johnson and his family members were lucky. They survived. The 5 examples below are recent examples of drunk driving accidents where the victims were not so fortunate. We wish more celebrities would inspire a positive message of safe practice like Johnson, and maybe accidents like this would cease to exist.
Drunk Driving Car Accident #1 | Taconic State Parkway 2009 Accident
Investigators said a New York mom had at least 10 drinks and smoked a large amount of marijuana before driving five children the wrong way down a highway and crashing head on into an SUV. Eight people were killed when a minivan driven by 36-year-old Diane Schuler, after traveling 1.7 miles in the wrong direction on the parkway, collided head-on with an oncoming SUV. Schuler had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, and even more alcohol still in her stomach, so fresh that it had yet to be metabolized. There were high levels of a chemical found in marijuana, enough to pinpoint her last use at 15 minutes to an hour before her death in the worst traffic accident in Westchester County in 75 years. In what was the worst car crash in Westchester County, N.Y., in 75 years, an intoxicated Schuler of West Babylon, N.Y., drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway in Mount Pleasant, N.Y. Schuler, her daughter, Erin, 2, and her three nieces, Emma, 8, Alyson, 7, and 5-year-old Kate Hance, were killed. One of the drivers in her path, Richard Rowe, managed to avoid a crash with Schuler who he said seemed “in total control.”
“I don’t understand. She was in total control of the car,” Rowe said. “Maybe initially she was confused, but she had lots of time to correct her mistake. If we had been 30 seconds later, we would have been hit by her.”
Three men in the SUV from Yonkers, N.Y., could not avoid Schuler. All three men, aged 81, 49 and 84 were killed in the head-on collision.
Drunk Driving Car Accident #2 | Carrollton, Kentucky May 1988 Bus Crash
On May 14, 1988, 27 people died when a drunk driver, Larry Mahoney, crashed into a church bus heading home from Kings Island. Mahoney, 36, a Kentucky factory worker, drove his black Toyota pickup down the wrong side of Interstate 71 head-on into a school bus. The bus, loaded with 67 people, 63 of which were children. The bus was returning to Radcliff, Ky., from a church outing, burst into flame. The crash ruptured the bus’ gas tank, sparking a fast-moving inferno that claimed the lives of 25 children, the bus driver and an adult chaperon; 34 other people were injured. Karolyn Nunnallee and Janey Fair, became President and Vice President, respectively, of the National MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) Association. It was determined that the lack of emergency exits, fragility of the gas tank, flammability of the seats and a cooler that was blocking the only functioning exit, all contributed to the high fatality rate.
Drunk Driving Car Accident #3 | Toledo, Ohio- December 2007
It was a crash that shocked a nation. A drunk driver killing a mother and four children here in Toledo during the peaceful Christmas season. A drunken driver from Michigan sped down a highway in the wrong direction for about seven miles before his pickup truck slammed into a minivan carrying a family home after a vacation. A woman and four children were killed on an Ohio highway when their minivan was struck by a pickup truck being driven the wrong way by a man whose blood-alcohol level registered three times the legal limit. Three other people in the van were injured in the crash Sunday night. Two of them were in critical condition. Witnesses described the accident scene saying there were Christmas presents, an infant car seat, and debris all over the expressway. Killed were 36-year-old Bethany Griffin, 10-year-old Jordan Griffin, 10-year-old Haley Burkman, 7-year-old Lacie Burkman, and 6-month-old Vadi Griffin. Injured in the crash were 36-year-old Danny Griffin, 8-year-old Sidney Griffin, and 8-year-old Beu Burkman. All were from Parkville, Maryland. After the accident, Michael Gagnon stated that he wished it was him who died on that fateful day.
Drunk Driving Car Accident #4 | Jacqueline Saburido
On September 19, 1999, Jacqueline Saburido went to a party at her friend’s house. After a few hours at the party, Saburido decided that she wanted to go home. Her friends Laura Guerrero, Johan Daal and Johanna Gil also decided that it was time to leave the party. The four friends were offered a ride home by their classmate, Natalia Chpytchak-Bennet, and the teenagers gladly accepted the offer. At the same time that they were leaving, 18-year-old high school student Reginald Stephey was also on his way home after drinking several beers at the party. Stephey’s GMC Yukon swerved into Natalia’s automobile. The accident was horrific. Guerrero and Chpychak-Bennett were killed instantly. Gil and Dal suffered only minor injuries. Saburido was not fatally injured, but her feet were trapped under the seat. The car caught fire, and with her feet lodged under the chair, she could not escape. Gil and Daal suffered minor injuries. The car burst into flames, but Suburido’s feet were trapped under the seat. She could not escape. Miraculously, two paramedics were driving past the accident scene and immediately pulled over. They attempted to put out the fire and remove the victims from the vehicle. Saburido was still in the car, but the fire was believed to have been extinguished. Suddenly, fire restarted. Saburido suffered second and third degree burns to over 60 percent of her body, but survived despite her doctor’s expectations. All of her fingers had to be amputated, but there was enough bone left on her thumb to construct an opposable thumb. She lost her hair, ears, nose, lips, left eyelid and much of her vision. She has undergone more than 40 operations since the crash, including cornea transplants, which have restored her left eye.
Drunk Driving Car Accident #5 | David Barajas
The accident happened along a rural road near Houston, Texas. David Barajas, 12, and his brother, Caleb Barajas, 11, died Friday when a car slammed into a truck they were pushing along County Road 144. They were helping their father, David Barajas, Sr., after his vehicle ran out of gas near their home. A car slammed into their truck from behind pinning the children and their father in between the two vehicles. Young David died at the scene of the accident while his father and brother were air-lifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, deputies said. Caleb died later at the hospital from his injuries.Barajas did not sustain any life-threatening injuries and his wife and two daughters, who were in the truck during the accident, were not injured. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Department said Banda was intoxicated at the time of the crash. His blood alcohol concentration was reportedly at 0.175, above the legal limit, according to the station. Neighbors said they heard gunshots minutes after the crash and Banda was later found shot in the head. He was flown to a medical center where he died of his injuries In the moments after the crash, witnesses said they saw Barajas walk to his home and then later approach Banda’s vehicle. Brazoria County sheriff’s investigator Dominick Sanders said that evidence showed a single gunshot was fired. Now David Barajas is facing life in prison for the wrongful death crime many Texas parents have said they too might have committed given the same horrific circumstance.
“They charged the guy with murder, you know. He watched his children die that night,” Sam Cammack, Barajas’ attorney.
he family of the slain driver believes justice must be done.
“It was an accident. He didn’t purposely do that,’ Janie Tellez told KTRK. “Whoever did it is getting away with murdering my nephew. He deserves justice.”
Barajas was indicted for murder and turned himself in Sunday. He was being held Monday in the Brazoria County Jail on a $450,000 bond.