Millions have been pumped into campaigns aimed at warning against drink-driving and preventing road tragedies, but we think everyone should hear the story and words of Jennifer Neville-Lake.
This distraught mother, from the US, lost her three children and their grandfather in a car crash caused by drunk driver Macro Muzzo.
Jennifer was travelling in her minivan with nine-year-old Daniel, five-year-old Harry and two-year-old Milly, and their grandfather, when their car was struck by Muzzo’s vehicle.
The kids were put on life support for their injuries, but Jennifer and husband Edward were forced to make the difficult decision to turn off the machines shortly after the accident.
This week, Muzzo was sentenced to 10 years in prison over the offence, and Jennifer took the opportunity outside of the court to send a poignant message to anyone who is considering drinking and driving.
“People learn from images – that’s how we teach children…This was a choice. This was not something that was preordained. This was a choice that was made by an individual, and choices are actions that have consequences. So, I’d like to show you this,” she said, holding up a plastic folder full of images.
Among the images were a photo of Muzzo’s crashed car, presented as his ‘choice’, along with a photo of Harry and Milly holding hands while on life support, then a shot of three urns holding the kids’ ashes; these were labelled as Jennifer’s ‘consequences’.
“Please keep in mind – when you choose to drink and drive, you’re hurting other people’s families; you’re killing someone else’s babies, like mine were killed,” she said.
Our hearts go out to the family at this most devastating time.
