“In 2006, an estimated 17,602 people died in alcohol-related crashes.”
-M.A.D.D official website
Losing someone very close to you as a result of an alcohol-related crash, is something everyone thinks will never happen to them; I was one of those people. I was proved wrong, and I know I am not the only one. Friday, March 2, 2007, I still remember like it was yesterday, and even until this past week my family has been seeking justice against the man who killed my uncle, Guillermo “Benny” Balderrama. Driving while intoxicated will eventually affect someone’s life. It might not be the first time, and might not be the second time, but it will eventually affect someone.
My senior year of high school, around one o’clock in the morning, I was awoken by my mom telling me that Tio Benny was in a motorcycle accident. Half asleep, I told her “Everything’s going to be okay, just go back to sleep.” I did, not knowing how bad the accident actually was. Then around six o’clock I was awoken again, this time by the screams and of my other uncle, Tio Juan, my mom and dad, and my grandmother. I jumped straight out of bed and went to find my mom, “Tio Benny died.” she told me, and it still sticks in my head. Instantly, tears came to my eyes and would not stop.
I got dressed in a flash and we drove down to Brackenridge Hospital. It was a very silent ride, following my speeding uncle, dad, and grandmother. I didn’t know what to expect when we got there, I just followed my family with my head down. It was cold. I remember we went into one room sat for a while, then left to go see him, where he last lay. It was so hard for me to go straight into the room. I sat outside while his brothers and mother went to see him. The nurse asked me if I was okay. I looked up and nodded. I just could not go in right away. When I walked into the room to see my uncle, it felt as if my whole world stopped. Seeing someone that you know that has the brightest personality now gone forever; turns...