PHOTO HERE OF YOUR SON, SON & YOU OR THE WRECKED CAR
My son, Wendell, had been caught several times with beer in his truck. I had confronted him and he told me that he had purchased it from a store we had been doing business with for 20 years. I went to the store and told them not to sell to my son because he was only 16. They knew his age already but I wanted to enforce it again. I also told my son "No Beer". I had this conversation with him again in late Sept. I had told the store twice not to sell alcohol to my son. Well, on Nov. 18, 1995 my son went to this same store and purchased Beer and Wine Coolers. He then picked up his girlfriend and they went back to this store and purchased more Wine Coolers. Realizing that noone was at home they headed to my house to consume most of the alcohol. Around 10:00 PM my son took his girlfriend home. On his way back home he got his truck stuck and hitched a ride to his grandmother's house to get her car and go get help. His grandmother, not realizing he was intoxicated, let him take her car. He made it about 2 miles when he rolled the car head over tails 6 times. At this time I was on my way home when I passed the ambulance. Instinct told me they were going after my son. I planned to follow the ambulance but a friend talked me out of it. I arrived at home to find the empty alcohol bottles and became very concerned but I talked myself out of worrying. Two (2) hours later my husband and I were awakened by the neighbors banging on our bedroom window and telling us to get to the hospital that our son had rolled the car. When we arrived at the hospital I asked what my son's BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) Level was and they informed me they hadn't run one. I insisted that they run one and it came back 1.78. "There must have been an Angel in the car with my son that night because we left the hospital with him". He sustained a cut requiring 5 stitches over the right eye, contusions, bruises, neck and back injuries. By the Grace of God he was going to be fine. I wasn't fine though! I made the decision to turn my own son in to the Texas Alcohol Comm. and I turned the store in that had sold to him. It took me nearly 3 years but I finally got a guilty verdict on the clerk at the store. The clerk got six (6) months Suspended Probation and a $250.00 fine. I got debts totaling $ 20,000.00 and the Insurance wouldn't pay for the car. The clerk had a prior about 7 months before my sons accident of Selling To A Minor. The store itself had 6 tickets against them. Well, 17 days after the trial they sold alcohol again to a minor. That really made me mad so I went after their Beer and Wine Permit. It took me nine (9) more months but I succeeded in getting it suspended.
I was angry at how long the due process takes. So I started lobbying my legislators and I succeeded in getting a Bill through my House of Reps. and into the House of Senators where it died due to a Filibuster. That has not stopped me and now I have a 4' X 8' BillBoard in my front yard that reads "ALCOHOL TO MINORS KILLS" PLEASE HELP SUPPORT HSE BILL 263 MAKING IT IF YOU HAVE A PRIOR CONVICTION AND YOU SELL ALCOHOL TO A MINOR IT WOULD BECOME A FELONY PUNISHABLE BY ONE (1) YEAR IN THE STATE JAIL AND/OR A $ 1000.00 FINE. I will keep this BillBoard up in my yard until I get this Bill passed.
I have been a stong SpokesPerson on Alcohol and Teens since my sons crash. I can hardly close my eyes without having nightmares about my sons wreck, and he survived. I can not put this behind me. So I can't even begin to imagine how a mother must feel when her child does not survive. I will do anything I can to stop minors from getting alcohol and to stop stores and clerks from selling to our youth. I am also instumental in getting 0.2 BAC Level passed in Texas and I am working on Open Container Laws. I do not want anyone behind the wheel of a vehicle if they've been drinking alcohol. If you know of anything I can do to help or you would like to help me please don't hesitate to contact me.
PLEASE REMEMBER "TEENS ARE NOT INVINCIBLE. TRAGEDY HAPPENS IN A BLINK OF AN EYE".
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SONG - VICTIM OF LOVE
