Very Remorseful
Hello
advocates for Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists. Please accept my apologies
for the loss of your family loved one(s)! There is not one day that I do not
think about the loss I created of a child to his parents, sibling, six children,
and significant other. It hurts me even more than the death of my own father who
passed just a few months previous to this fatal crash. Please know that
I continuously pray and ask God to console everyone’s family involved in a
DUI collision and give me the opportunity to work with different communities
and state based agencies to eliminate drunk driving. I beg of you to please
accept my apologies!
On July
13, 2002, I chose to drive under the influence of alcohol with a BAC .09 - .10.
Never did I imagine, that having a few drinks would end the life of a fellow
brother. On that tragic day, I turned my vehicle around and returned to the
scene of the crash to help the victim. I tried very passionately to see if he
was ok, but unfortunately, I was stopped and brutally assaulted by a large mob
of angry pedestrians. I can’t tell you how angry I am at myself for being a
participant in this fatality and especially for not being able to help the victim.
I was also dismayed that my mother arrived at the scene of the crash, threw
herself on top of me, and saved my life.
The pain
of this crash was so agonizing that the blood I carried on my hands eradicated my
means of self-control and comfort, curtailed my sound mind and peace, and
restrained my fellowship with God and others. I was ashamed to call myself a
Christian and truly disappointed that death occurred on my watch. These feelings
still resonate in my spirit today. How could I call myself anything but a
murderer? Why wasn’t I dead instead?
I realize
that this letter may seem a little bit impersonal, but I want nothing more than to
reconcile with the victim’s family and the community abroad to do away with drinking
and driving habits! I know I can only achieve this by God’s grace and mercy and
your help. Please help me to promote life, not death and put an end to driving
under the influence of alcohol. I will never be a participant of this deadly
behavior again!
Thank
you for listening to my story and God Bless You!
Ernie
