Q: What is a Victim Impact Statement?
A: During the trial and/or parole hearing of a DUI/DWI offender, the family of the victim has the option to make a statement of how the offender's actions leading to the trial/parole hearing have affected their lives. This is something that M.A.D.D. worked long and hard to achieve. The main reason for this is that so many DUI/DWI offenders have no idea how much pain and suffering they have caused the victim. The Victim Impact Statement offers the victims an opportunity to look the offender in the eye and let them know how they feel on all levels.
Q: Who do I contact if I need to make a Victim Impact Statement?
A: You need to get in touch with your local Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) Co-ordinator. They can put you in touch with the proper personnel to assist you. And don't forget, your local MADD chapter is there for you. MADD is NOT a legal entity, it's a Victim Advocacy Group. They are there to help you in your difficult time with a kind ear, sympathy and understanding.
I would like to share my Victim Impact Statement with you. These were and still are the feelings I have for the person who killed my brother, Ronnie Burk on Oct. 14, 1995. The offender will not be named, therefore no legal recourse (i.e. lawsuits claiming slander or defamation of character) can be taken against me for posting this.
Angela (Burk) Siegel's Victim Impact Statement
"At 19 years old I never expected to be burying my brother. Now at 20 I never expected to be speaking for him. No words will ever be able to express how much he meant to me. He was not only my brother, but he was my best friend, and at times he was like a parent to me. Ever since I was little I looked up to Ronnie. I was the proud sister who was at every one of his high school football games, no matter what the weather was like. I was the little sister who cried every Sunday when Ronnie went back to Pittsburgh for school. I was also the one who sat by the phone every Thursday waiting for his call. I will never forget everything we shared together. We shared our feelings, our thoughts, and our dreams. I will forever be proud of all that he accomplished in his short life. When Ronnie died, a huge part of me died with him. My last memory of my brother will be standing at is funeral and seeing him lying in a casket in the clothes I picked out for him. The last thing I did for my brother was pick out the clothes he'd wear at his funeral. I never forget how I felt when I called his friends and told them that Ronnie was dead. I will never forget the pain I felt just saying, "He's Dead.". I'll never be able to express in words how much I love Ronnie. All I can say is that he was a blessing to everyone who knew him. I know he was a blessing in my life. I will never be the same without him.
Ronnie's best friend J.R. wanted to be here to tell everyone how much Ronnie meant to him, but unfortunatly he was in an accident and is in the hospital fighting for his life. That's the only thing that would keep him from being here today. But I am going to read his statement for him."
Victim Impact Statement From J.R., Ronnie Burk's Best Friend
"Ronnie wasn't just a friend, he was my brother in my heart, and most of all, a big part of my whole family. I'll never forget all of the good and bad things we've done over the years we've been friends. Before I joined the Army and before Ronnie went to Pittsburgh, we sat up all night, whether playing Nintendo, or watching movies 'till the sun came up. Mom and Dad used to say 'Didn't you guys get any sleep?'...Which we didn't until the next day, then we'd sleep all day. I miss coming home, 500 mile drive home, and the whole way I'm thinking 'No more Ronnie to hang around with anymore.'. It makes the 500 mile drive seem like 5,000. Thank God for the memories, because that's all we've got left, except the smile and the happiness Ronnie brought to my life. He's my best friend ever. When I get married, he was to be my best man, which I know in spirit he will be there, when and if that happens.
How do you get over the death of someone who was so close? I still have the taped messages he left on my answering machine. He always wanted to make sure I was coming home that weekend. The weekend of Oct. 13th, I didn't make it home, and I feel like I should have been there. I was on D.R.F., meaning I couldn't leave the base. On Saturday morning October 14, at 8:40am I got a call from my Pop. He told me Ronnie was killed in an auto accident. That, I can't explain. How I felt. I never knew that side of pain, the pain of numbness that goes through you and you can't move. Your whole body just freezes. I couldn't even continue the conversation with my dad. I called him back later that morning. I never cried so hard and so long. To this day when I think of Ronnie, I feel that feeling. When does it stop?
So Ronnie, if you can hear me today, I want you to know I miss you so much. I love you, Ronnie, and I know someday we will be together, my friend. Since your death, I don't fear death anymore. If the Lord took someone like you, that was always worried about other people, how can there be fear?
Later Burk Road!
Your Bud,
J.R.
In late 1999, the DUI offender who killed Ronnie Burk went before a parole board after serving almost 3 years in prison. The family was again asked to write Victim Impact Statements for submission to the parole board considering the case. The following is from Kevin Siegel, who married Angela on Sept. 25, 1999.
"My name is Kevin Siegel, and I have never met Ronnie Burk. He was to be in my wedding as my best man, but I never met him. I wanted to introduce him to his new niece, but I never met him. Ronnie was killed by a drunk driver, so I got robbed of all the years I would have gotten to spend getting to know him. My daughter points to Ronnie's picture and asks, "Daddy, who's that?", and I reply "That's your Uncle Ronnie." Then she asks when she can meet him. Try telling a 5 year old that you can't meet your uncle because he's dead. We have made plans at our wedding to leave a space in between myself and my best man where Ronnie would have been. I may not have been around when Ronnie was killed, but I feel the effects of it. I am part of this family now, and I have to deal with it just like the rest of us. I watch my wife's pain and heartache, I console her in the middle of the night when she has nightmares, I hold her hand just to let her know that I'm there. Angela says that Ronnie and I would have been the best of friends. Damn shame that I'll never find out if that's true or not. I never got the chance to meet Ronnie, simply because someone wanted to be out partying, drinking and carrying on, then has to subscribe to the macho mentality that "I'm OK to drive!". Yeah, right. I've seen the pictures of the accident. (The person who killed Ronnie) NEVER TOUCHED HIS/HER BRAKES. Ronnie ran his car into the guardwire trying to get out of the way. Fair, huh? By The way, did I mention that I never got to meet Ronnie? And now (the person who killed Ronnie) wants to get out of jail..."I've been good", he/she says...damn, sure he/she has, it's hard to mow anyone down drunk when you're in jail! Ronnie got the death penalty, with no trial of any kind. Let's at least take one murderer off the streets and keep them in jail.
By the way, did I mention that I NEVER GOT TO MEET MY BROTHER-IN-LAW?"
Despite letters and personal testimony from family and friends, the DUI offender who killed Ronnie Burk was released on parole in late 1999, free to go back to their own family and friends, while Ronnie lies in a grave forever.
In regards to the outcome of the parole hearing, please do not be discouraged. Victim Impact Statements are one of the many important tools we can use to drive the point home: DRINKING AND DRIVING KILLS. If you'd like to learn more about Victim Impact Statements, please click on the MADD Icon below.
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