Shattered Dreams, Part 2

Today was the funeral. Actually there were two. The program began with the second half of the movie showing what occurred after the accident yesterday. It showed the accident scene and followed the various characters from that scene. 

The boy who was driving was handcuffed, taken to jail, fingerprinted and put into a cell. He was filled with sadness and remorse. He kept saying it was all his fault. His friends didn't deserve to die or be injured. He was a good kid who made a bad choice. A choice that would affect the rest of his life. He would go on to spend 20 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter.

Two of the girls trapped in the car were transported by ambulance to the hospital. One was unable to feel her legs. She would arrive at the funeral today in a wheelchair, paralyzed by the accident. The other was banged up, but no serious injuries.

The girl who was taken by Starflight to the hospital died there. The doctors had to let her mother know that her daughter had not survived the trauma, and she was badly beaten up. She had suffered. The mother was overwrought. She had to go into the emergency room and see her only daughter lying bloody and bruised on a table. (Like me, the situation was incredibly real for her. Not at all what she had expected to feel.)

They showed me being told by the police that my child had been killed on the scene. With their editing only about a minute of the intense conversation was shown, but definitely enough to get the point across. Many of the students watching (invincible 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds) were in tears.

The caskets and flowers were beautiful. Five or six young people, dressed in their best to say goodbye to their friends entered the stage. The boys read eulogies for their "girlfriends". They were heart-wrenching and heartfelt. The tears in the Performing Arts Center continued to flow. And then it was over.

There was no need for a lot of talk by adults about the dangers of drinking and driving. This group of kids (who come from all different groups in the school) had made their point. They had used their talents and passion pass along to the other 900 or so one of the most important messages they will every hear.... Don't drink and drive - the consequences can be permanent and far reaching. This group of new friends will forever be connected by this project. And all that I heard talk about it agreed that it was one of the hardest things they had ever done. It wasn't fun in the end - it was painful. I'm so glad they were willing to give of themselves and make a difference in the world.