Last week you may or may not have heard the news story about the 3 young men who decided it would be fun to drink and drive.

The report says they lost control on HWY 178 going west after attending a party in the foothills and consuming copious amounts of alcohol.

What the report didn't mention was that not only were the lives of these young men and their family and friends affected, so was mine.

After these drunken idiots ... oh sorry, was that harsh? ... decided to play a game of weave in and out of the white line at 100 mph, the driver hit the dirt shoulder, over corrected, spun out of control and flipped numerous times landing in the middle of the freeway around 12:30 am.

How did this affect me?

After a long day of taking care of my bed ridden grandmother, and having found out that her aunt had just past away, my aunt was finally able to leave my grandmother's house.  Gram, as usual, had kept saying "Stay a little longer Susa, don't leave me Susa" ... this night she was more clingy than ever because her sister had just passed away.

My aunt Susa just wanted to get home, to her own bed, and get a good night's rest.  Instead, as she turned on to HWY 178 from Fairfax road traveling west she saw smoke, or fog ... hell man, she's 54 years old, it was dark, she was tired ... but she did slow down.  Then BAM!  Right in front of her in the middle of the road was the Jeep that those 3 young men had just taken for a Mr Toads Wild Ride.

Aunt Susa is not sure if the Jeep was resting or if it was still moving when she swerved to miss it, but at that part of the HWY there isn't much road - so she clipped it, which in turn completely totaled the side of her vehicle, spun her around, then she was beaten and knocked out by her air bag.  She quickly came too and tried to call me, and then my dad, but like in those dreams we have, her fingers just weren't pushing the right numbers.

Fortunately her Aunt Betty called regarding the Aunt that had just passed away that day.  Aunt Susa told her to call her mother's house where my father is staying and tell them she was in an accident.  Betty called, but said the accident was on Niles.  So my dad drove up and down Niles, but didn't see any wrecks.  Then using logic he figured he'd go the route that Aunt Susa normally takes home ... he went up Fairfax and was going to turn onto HWY 178, but it was blocked off due to the wreck, so he drove down Auburn and hit the freeway going east, then pulled over onto the shoulder.

By then my Aunt had already been taken to a hospital by ambulance, a tow truck was removing her car.  The firemen were still cutting the young men from their vehicle.  My dad said it didn't look like a vehicle, it looked more like a metal box.  You couldn't even distinguish what kind of vehicle it was.  Dirt was still in the air, pieces of cars were everywhere.  He then made his way to the hospital where my Aunt was being treated and observed over night.  The kid who survived was at the same hospital.

The next morning my dad took my aunt to the wrecking yard where the vehicles were towed.  He said that each car there is lined up in a row ... he said it's like a story.  The man at the yard said that the Jeep was the worst he's ever seen.  My aunt collected her belongings from her now totaled car.

She is now at home recovering of course.  I brought her flowers on Friday before I left for Vegas.  She's upset about the car because this is the car she uses to take my bed ridden grandmother (Parkinson's) to and from doctors appointments.  It was a mid 90's Toyota Camry and she had just spent a ton on upkeep for it.  She's not a rich woman, but what money she has she uses to help pay for the prescriptions my Gram needs and the care takers that are needed to help us lift Gram to her wheelchair then to the toilet or bath.

Anyway ... I'm just angry that the news didn't even mention the other person that was affected by these idiot drunk drivers.  What if she had been killed?  Was that the only way to make the news?

I could have lost my aunt that evening.  Having no children of her own, she's like a mother to me.

I didn't find out that she was involved in this wreck until 2 days after.  Everyone was just emotional from the accident and the death of my great aunt.  Pumpkin had mentioned last week that his friend Bobby had died in a car wreck ... well, more like his sister's friend.  Wednesday morning he and I were arguing in the bathroom about drunk drivers.  I told him that his "friend" and the other guys in the car were complete morons.  That they were not just taking their own lives into their hands, but other people as well.  I had asked him if anyone else was involved, he said "No" ... but that's because the news didn't report my Aunt.  

I replied with "Thank god, because they could have taken out a mother,  a father, or even an entire family because of their carelessness and recklessness."  (Or and aunt)

To which he replied, "What, you've never driven drunk before?"

"No, of course not.  My mother was an alcoholic and drove me around drunk ... I'd never repeat that kind of history"

"Are you serious?  Not once?  Geez, I can't believe all the times I have and never was pulled over"

"That's not something to brag about"

Then that morning at work I got the email from my dad that my aunt had been in an accident, she was okay, it wasn't her fault.  Later when I called him he told me what had happened, I put two and two together.  I had to call Pumpkin and give him a big I told you so, but he didn't answer ... so I txt him and included photos of my Aunt's wounds.

"Hey, remember this morning how I was telling you that those kids were idiots and could have affected other people?  Well they did ... and her car is totaled"

Friends don't let their friends drive drunk.  Fucktards

 When this was taken two days after the accident she still couldn't see out of her left eye.

This is her tummy 4 days later.  Her bridge was also knocked out.  She has more bruising on her chest.