Officer Michael Thornton is one of our many heroes who keep the roads safe from drunk drivers; but not only that, he is also a survivor of a drunk driving crash.
Officer Thornton at the 2011 Walk Like MADD, just two months after he was hit by a drunk driver.
Before becoming a member of the San Antonio Police Department, Thornton was a Purple Heart recipient for his service in Iraq. He was injured when a bomb exploded near his Humvee in September 2006, and was transferred to San Antonio so he could receive treatment for his severe burns at Brooke Army Medical Center. After being discharged from the military in 2008, Thornton entered the local police academy.
Around 2:25 a.m. on January 22, 2011, Officer Thornton, 27, came across two stranded motorists and pulled over to help. He was hit by a drunk driver—a repeat offender with two prior arrest for drunk driving—whose truck pinned him up against his squad car before throwing him over the barrier. Despite the fact that his leg had been severed from the impact, he was able to hold on to the guard rail while the two people who he was assisting pulled him back to safety. He lost is right leg below the knee.
Thornton was fitted with a prosthetic leg and remained in the hospital for about a month before returning to work—first a temporary desk job at headquarters, and then back on patrol with the DWI task force.
In 2010, one year before he was injured by a drunk driver, Officer Thornton received an award from MADD for his outstanding work in DWI enforcement. Thornton is now actively involved with MADD South Texas and is serving as their 2012 Walk Like MADD Honorary Chairperson.
MADD supports all of our offices who keep our families safe on and off the roads, and honors those who have been killed or injured in the line of duty during this National Police Week, and every week of the year.
I thank the National Transportation Safety Board for holding their important forum, “Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Substance-Impaired Driving.” This highly regarded board realizes their “Most Wanted List” is outdated. They intend to take the information presented in the forum, study the research, and then update their recommendations. JT Griffin, MADD VP of Public Policy, presented powerful testimony on research that is the foundation for our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. I was honored to represent the thousands of individuals victimized by impaired driving.
It was reaffirming to hear esteemed researchers as well as representatives from organizations such as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Governors Highway Safety Administration, and AAA, echo MADD’s recommendations. Specialists from around the world substantiated our course of action to eliminate drunk driving.
I drove home heartened by the comments and questions of Board members. They are dedicated to becoming an effective part of the solution so America can reach that beautiful zero number…or….eliminate impaired driving. Member Sumwalt summarized that “there really are a lot of dedicated people working on this and there is no one magic bullet. Impaired driving is a crime. We need to focus on all impaired driving, not just hard core drunk drivers. We need a combination of our laws being certain, swift and severe, along with education, visible enforcemMy ent, and prevalent use of current technology and advanced technology that will be available down the road. DUI checkpoints are effective and we would like to see them implemented much more.”
Chairman Hersman asked the one question that deeply touched my heart. “Why are deaths by impaired driving not treated the same as death by other crimes?” Thank you, Chairman. The fact that we hear the impaired driver didn’t “intend” to kill someone is no longer reasonable. Drinking and then driving is still accepted as part of our society instead of being treated as the violent crime it is. It is an intentional choice for a person to drive after they have been drinking. Part of the definition of second degree murder is that the offender knew their intended action could result in a death, even if they did not pre-plan to kill anyone.
Today in Maryland, a common sentence for vehicular manslaughter is 18 months. I carried intense anger toward society’s attitude because of this very issue. The person who killed my daughter received a sentence of 28 days work-release, plus community service as part of his probation. I eventually realized I needed to release that anger and use it to focus on making positive change.
Member Sumwalt was inspired to conclude with: “I want this to be a springboard for the problem. I want to really charge out of here and work together to solve this problem.” My reply: “Fantastic! Welcome aboard! We have been doing it since we began our Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® 6 years ago. We are so glad you are joining us!” Thank you Chairman Hersman and Member Rosekind for leading the charge in NTSB.
Looking forward to a future with no more impaired driving,
Yesterday, MADD National President Jan Withers presented before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in support of MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving®. At the forum, MADD called on the NTSB to update its Most Wanted list (recommendations the NTSB makes to state and federal governments about traffic safety) with the following recommendations:
Every state should adopt a law requiring ALL convicted drunk drivers to use an ignition interlock device.
Judges should order every convicted drunk driver to use an ignition interlock device.
Expedite research and development of advanced alcohol detection technology.
Every state should conduct lifesaving sobriety checkpoints.
Support continued national high-visibility enforcement campaigns.
Current NTSB drunk driving recommendations, issued in 2000, are based on addressing "hard core" DUI offenders, or those arrested with a BAC of .15 or higher, or repeat offenders. However, research has proven that those laws are much less effective than laws that target all DUI offenders. IIHS found that focus on these higher-risk offenders could save 158 lives per year, whereas all offender interlock laws could save more than 1,000 lives per year and advanced technology could save almost 9,000 lives per year.
We are excited to be able to work with the NTSB and other traffic safety leaders to eliminate drunk driving through the Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving. View photos from yesterday’s event from NTSB.
Mother and union bus driver Sandra Frye delivers a powerful Mother's Day message against drunk driving in this public service announcement by Mother's Against Drunk Driving and the the Amalgamated Transit Union.
This year marks the 20th Mother’s Day since I lost my daughter Alisa Joy. The best gift a mother can have is to be with her children on this special day. In the early years after her death, I struggled with her absence, even as I was loved by my remaining family. But gradually, the realization came to me that I was still her mother and no one could take that from me. I still miss her, but she is forever in my heart. She is, and will always be my Joy.
Life is like an onion and we’re always peeling back a new layer. One of Alisa’s close friends, Leana, called me on this year’s anniversary of her death just last month. Like Alisa would be, she is now a thirty-five and has a baby of her own. While it is bittersweet because I miss the grandchildren that Alisa might have given me, I treasure that her friends still share their lives and families with me. In this case, Leana shared that how as a new mother she had gained perspective on how Alisa’s loss had affected me. Somehow this cycle of life comforts me because even though I can’t touch her, Alisa is still part of that cycle and part of me.
For mothers whose child has been killed by a drunk driver, Mother’s Day can be especially painful. If we have other children, it is a day filled with bittersweet emotions. The gratitude we feel for the beautiful gift of sharing life with our surviving children is joyful. At the same time, the longing for our deceased child is an agony that constantly tugs at our hearts. My friends who have no surviving children tell me they feel a deep emptiness on Mother’s Day.
Yet, love never dies. All of us are grateful for the precious time we were given with our children who have died. I send wishes to every mother for a day filled with warm memories, special moments and peaceful joys. Love lives forever.
