My
Selfishness And Irresponsibility
My
name is Pete Watson. I am 28 years old. I
am writing this story because I am a drunk
driver and, because of my selfishness and
irresponsibility, my friend is dead.
March
1, 1997 began like any other day. At 2:30
pm, a friend came over and, while watching
the Blackhawks game; we had a couple of beers.
At 5:30 pm, I went next door for a birthday
party and had a couple more beers. At 7:30
pm, I called two friends, Keith and Michelle.
Keith and I coached gymnastics together, so
we all decided to meet that night. Shortly
afterward, Michelle called to see if Erin
could come as well. Erin was a high school
senior and on the gymnastics team. Immediately,
I should have said, "no way".
Instead I said sure, we just can't go
to any bars. On my way to Keith's house
at 9:00 pm, I stopped and picked up a case
of beer. Once there, we decided to just hang
out. About 12:30 am, we cleaned up and got
ready to leave.
I
was driving with Michelle in the front seat,
Erin behind me and Keith behind Michelle.
The road we were on narrowed. However, I was
slow to react. We drove into a shoulder of
gravel and I turned the wheel sharply to the
left. Because I was drinking, my reaction
time was off. As a result, I came out too
far into the road. I turned back to the right,
traveling 40 mph. The back end of the car
whipped out and slid across the road, sideways.
I
don't even remember hitting the telephone
pole. I just remember being jarred. My first
reaction was, that I looked to my right and
saw Michelle standing in the street, unhurt
and unscathed. I also, was unharmed. Then
I heard Keith screaming about his hand. He
cut it pretty bad and was bleeding horribly.
I never thought for a second, that Erin might
be hurt. I got out of the car and went to
the back seat. That's when I saw Erin.
She was bleeding profusely from her head and
gasping for breath. When we slid across the
road, we hit the telephone pole on the driver's
side, rear door. Erin collided with the telephone
pole and her skull was crushed. Michelle and
I held Erin - told her to hold on -
told her we loved her and listened to her
gasp for life. She stopped breathing in our
arms before the paramedics arrived. Erin was
pronounced "dead on
arrival" at the hospital.
Two
weeks before the crash, Erin picked out her
senior prom dress. Days later, she would be
buried in it. Erin left behind a younger brother,
Greg, a younger sister, Katie and two wonderful,
loving parents. At the end of May 1997, Erin
was scheduled to graduate from high school.
Instead, Katie walked across the stage to
accept her older sister's diploma. Erin
was enrolled at Augustana University for fall.
She would never earn one credit because of
my selfishness and irresponsibility.
I
don't have children, so I hope I will
never know what I did to Erin's family.
The closest I can come to, is my brother.
If I ever lost him, it would be unimaginable.
I cannot even begin to understand how they
must feel. The pain and suffering I caused
them is unbearable, all because I chose to
drink and drive.
This
crash will be with me everyday, for the rest
of my life. I don't go one day without
thinking of Erin and the future I took from
her and her family. I lost my friend because
of my selfishness and irresponsibility. I
lost my friend because I chose to drink and
drive.
