Terry Mays of Ona, West Virginia (WV) was killed when the Saturn he was riding in hit a tractor trailer on the turnpike in Raleigh County near Ghent. The driver of the car, who was drinking and driving, tried to pass the tractor trailer but wound up slamming into the back of the large truck, according to the Charleston Daily Mail. A third passenger in the Saturn was seriously hurt .
I hope Mr. May’s friends and family get through this difficult time. It’s never easy to lose a loved one, especially in such a tragic, sudden manner.
Clearly, the fact that the driver of the Saturn was drinking and driving is unacceptable. I get so frustrated hearing about these types of fatal wrecks that could have been prevented if the driver had been more responsible.
How many people have to die before drivers understand the ramifications of drinking and driving? In 2008, there were 13,846 fatal car wrecks where alcohol played a role in some way (37 percent of all fatal car crashes), according to alcoholalert.com. In West Virginia, there were 142 alcohol-related fatal car accidents.
To West Virginia’s credit, the number of fatal accidents due to alcohol decreased from 2007, but losing anyone due to the recklessness of a drunk driver is terrible. Considerable work needs to be done to continue the decline in car wreck deaths due to drinking and driving.