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Drinking and driving On Saturday night, Nov. 15, 1985, my life changed forever. I was out with some friends and sitting in the back seat when we ran head-on into another car filled with some other friends we were out with that night. I was most seriously hurt. I basically “broke my face,” as the doctors put it. I had metal plates, screws and wires throughout my face along with a wired-closed jaw for several months. Since then I’ve had many dozens of operations inside my mouth. Lots of time and money spent on dentists, periodontists, orthodontists, endodontists and oral surgeons. Pain. Misery. Each day I brush my teeth I am reminded of that event. Every time I look in the mirror, I see the scars around my eyes where the surgeons went in to fix my broken face. The amazing thing is that nobody died. Nobody received maiming injuries. As unfortunate as the accident was, we were lucky. Of the eight people involved, I was the youngest and most “innocent.” I was the only one not drinking. While no DWI charges were part of this incident, everyone else including both drivers was indeed drinking alcohol. Since then I have made it an unbreakable rule that I would never again go in a car with anyone who has been drinking. If I am driving, I don’t even take a sip of alcohol. I also made an agreement with my parents that if I ever need a ride, I could call them, no questions asked. I will do the same for my children, and encourage you not to make the one mistake that could change your life or someone else’s life forever. I was lucky. I escaped death and serious injury unlike many thousands of kids and adults each year. Ross Mandell |
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