By Carl McDonald, MADD’s National Law Enforcement Initiatives Manager
I shake off the initial jolt of adrenaline coursing through me as the phone call shocks me from a deep sleep. Going through my routine of gathering my pen and note taking material, I count on those familiar moves to settle me. The voice on the phone is a familiar combination of anxious, faint, unsure and hurt.
It’s 2:30 in the morning and she needs help. Her husband was killed.
This isn’t a 911 call. I’m a Volunteer Victim Advocate for the MADD National Victim Services Help Line.
The crash involving a drunk driver was six months ago and the impact continues. In many ways, the impact for this woman is still in motion.
The offender’s blood alcohol percentage was over two and a half times the illegal level, yet bond was set at a puzzling $1,000. The defendant was released right away, and the woman has lingering questions about how this could be possible.
The case has been continued three times. The first prosecutor showed extreme indifference, an election took place, and now a new prosecutor is in place that is easier to work with.
The new prosecutor has placed the defendant’s future directly in this woman’s hands. He’s offered three options to the woman and asked her to decide the defendant’s fate. She’s not sure if she is capable of a decision like this. The offender is a 31 year old woman with a three year old daughter.
As we talk through this turn of events, the irony is not lost on either of us. Those of us whose lives have been shattered by this crime, always strive for a greater voice in the outcome of a prosecution. Now this woman is thrust into the role of playing God in the life of her offender, and she cannot sleep.
We spend about an hour talking through the collision, her notification and what that day was like for her. The state police were kind, she says, but they recommended she not view her husband’s body. The coroner had the same advice. This haunts her, and she wishes she had insisted.
I make notes as we speak, and ask her if she’s worked with one of our local victim advocates, someone close to where she lives. With her permission, I’ll forward this information today and we’ll get her some long-term help.
We’ll walk with her on this most difficult road. She’s already taken the first steps. She called and we answered. Because we know even at 2:30 in the morning, the impact continues.
| MADD Victim Services are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year through our Help Line: 877-MADD-HELP or 877-623-3435. |
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