Drunk and Drugged Driving: A Different Perspective

By: Daniel Aguiar

The holiday season, for most of us, represents the time of year that we gather in celebration with our loved ones and friends. We look forward to family gatherings, religious holidays, and the exchange of gifts. No one ever believes that it will be a time of tragedy or regret – especially for them.

For the past decade, I have had the privilege of working as a nurse in Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, arguably the best trauma center in the nation. I am proud of the work our trauma team does, but it can be bittersweet, particularly during the holiday season.

As many people celebrate the season they often times do so with alcohol and drugs. I can remember countless instances during the holidays throughout my years at the trauma center that ended in tragedy.

The decision to drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol is one of the worst that anyone can make. We decrease and even lose our most basic decision making abilities and motor skills that are crucial when operating a vehicle.

Motor vehicle crashes cause many physical, and often permanently debilitating, injuries to the people involved. They also take an emotional toll on everyone involved.

When someone decides to operate a vehicle under the influence, they put everyone on the road in danger – including pedestrians. Imagine celebrating the holidays with your family and loved ones and on your way home, a drunk driver slams into your vehicle, severely injuring or killing members of your family.

You can only imagine the heartache as you wake up in a trauma center, wondering what happened, and worrying whether everyone who was with you is OK. Then, your worst nightmare comes true. You learn that you have lost someone you love and there was nothing you could do to save them. A stranger’s irresponsibility and recklessness caused this tragedy. Nothing can take away your pain or comfort you.

Now imagine being the driver who decided to get behind the wheel after a night of fun and celebration. The fact that you had consumed enough alcohol to hinder your ability to drive never crossed your mind. But you are impaired.

Next thing you remember is waking up from a blackout or a coma, lying in a hospital bed, wondering where you are, and how you got there.  As you come to realize what might have happened, you ask questions and your nurses give you as much information as they can.

Then another person, a traffic homicide detective, comes to your bedside and you realize what may have happened. She informs you that you were involved in a crash that resulted in fatalities.

You remember that you were behind the wheel and that you had been drinking. A blood alcohol screening is ordered. No one will tell you the details of what is going on because of the ongoing investigation. But one thing is clear: you are the suspect, the alleged drunk driver.

The victims in these tragedies are not isolated to the innocent people who were injured or killed, and their family. You and your family are now victims, too. You will likely be convicted and could serve time in prison, while coping with the reality that someone died because of your selfish act. You will also have to spend the rest of your life knowing that you killed someone – all because of an irresponsible and selfish choice you made to drive that night.

Your family also will suffer. They are losing a loved one to prison, while dealing with the reality that someone close to them caused others irreparable pain.

The bittersweet reality of saving lives and experiencing tragedy as a caregiver in a trauma center gives us a different view of the holidays. We understand how quickly this joyous time of the year can instantly transform into the worst time of a person’s life.

But these types of tragedies can be prevented if everyone makes the decision to never drive under the influence. It’s really that simple.

Daniel Aguiar, RN, BSN, is associate nurse manager of the trauma resuscitation unit at Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. For more information on trauma services at Jackson Health System, visit JacksonHealth.org.