They Should be Alive!
Budgeting for the Special Day Without Turning Your Parents Hair Gray

By: Maria Dimarzo, Junior, Lynbrook H.S., Lynbrook, NY
TeenNewsNet Columnist

When the police officer came into my school to talk about drunk driving he said these moving words "There is a difference between an accident, and just being careless." He then told this story about two lives lost that should still be here.

She was only 7 years old and loved to draw and write letters to her friends in school. When school ended and the weather started to get warmer, it was time for her aunts wedding. She was so excited. She was the flower girl which meant she got to do her favorite thing, go shopping for dresses. She remembers running through the aisles of the biggest store in town and trying on pretty white lacy gowns. She finally found the perfect dress, one in which she felt and looked like she was the bride herself. Her sister, who also was going to be a flower girl at the wedding, picked out a similar dress.

When they got home, they called their Grandma and boasted about their beautiful dresses and how excited they were. Finally, the day they've all been waiting for. The girls hair fell on their shoulders with luscious blonde curls and their faces gleamed with rosy cheeks, red lips, and big beautiful brown eyes. The girls and their family all arrived in white and black limos at a huge church right outside of Manhattan. As everyone gathered in the church, the girls walked down the aisle throwing pedals of silky flowers out into the crowd. Their faces glowed with excitement and happiness. The wedding progressed, with tears of joy being shed and vows being made.

The families of both the bride and groom invited everyone to an elegant party hall just a few blocks away from the church after the party to celebrate. The after party was at the beautiful hall with a huge dance floor which the girls loved. After an amazing night, it was time to go home. The bride and groom said their thanks and waved good bye as they went home looking forward to a start of a new life together and excited about their honeymoon. The girls, their parents and grandparents all went home in the same stretch limo they arrived in.

They were all talking and reminiscing about the night as the oldest girl decided to lay down with her seatbelt on falling asleep on the leather seats. "This was honestly the best night of my life" said the Dad. BOOM!

The limo came to an abrupt stop. Everyone’s body fell from their seats and started to pile on top of each other. There was a lot of screaming. The Mother crawled to get up, but before she got to a phone, she realized her older daughters hair underneath the pile of people. "I have to get her out," she said "There is over three hundred pounds on top of her". When she pulled out her head... her mom couldn't help, but scream.

When help finally arrived, one of the police officers told the other police officer, not to go in the limo. When he did, he realized that was his family in there who was at the party hours before along with him.

It was uncovered that the man who collided  with the limo was at a party a few hours before and was drunk. He was driving the wrong way on the parkway for at least two miles before he crashed. He is now in jail not only for driving drunk, but for murdering two people, a little 7 year old and a 59 year old man, the driver of the limo.

Even though they were they only two that died, the Father broke his back and the Grandparents had to go through multiple surgeries on their legs and had to get one amputated .

This is based on a true story that happened on the Meadowbrook Parkway in Long Island about 5 years ago. Drunken driving rates have fortunately decreased since this incident and schools say it’s because of the newly increasing assemblies and an actual video of this crash. So many people lives are taken because of this.  Do you want to be the next one to take a life due to a careless decision?