Families plea for safe, sober driving during holidays
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - In recent years, the night before Thanksgiving has come to be known as "Blackout Wednesday” as it's a popular night to party for college kids home for the holiday or people who have the day off for the holiday.
But a night of fun can turn deadly. Families and law enforcement are sharing their pleas to find a safe ride, and throughout the entire holiday season.
“Twenty years, Ria had the best 20 years anyone could ask for,” said Hitesh Patel, Ria’s uncle.
Ria Patel's bright future ended in an instant this September.
“We're the ones that have been given a life sentence,” said Hitesh. “A life sentence that we cannot get out of.”
Ria, a student at University of St. Thomas, was riding in the passenger seat when the car smashed into a traffic light in northeast Minneapolis.
According to the criminal complaint, a witness said the driver was "super drunk" before the crash.
“We'll never know why Ria got into that car on that fateful night on September 17th, a car with someone who should not have been driving,” said Hitesh.
At the press conference sat 74 wrapped gifts, representing the 74 people who lost their lives to drunken driving in 2016 on Minnesota roads. They are the brothers, sisters, friends, granddaughters, like Ria, who won't fill an empty seat at the holiday table.
“[Ria’s] grandma calls me every single day and keeps asking me, ‘Why did this happen to us? Why Ria?’” said Hitesh. “Sometimes her grandma will say, ‘Why didn't God take me?’ It's hard for us to listen to that.”
“It is never the same,” said Sgt. Catherine Michal of the Minneapolis Police Department. “Your life is forever changed because of one person making a bad choice.”
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Michal has responded to crashes like Ria's. In 2006, it was her own 16-year-old daughter Deanna, who was the victim.
“What is Christmas like for me and my family now? I have not put up a Christmas tree since Deanna died,” said Michal. “Why? Because I can't take those ornaments that she made and gave to me and put them on a tree.”
Over the holidays, more than 300 departments across Minnesota will have extra patrols to prevent DWI's. Officers will work overtime, but still, every year, the holiday season is deadly on the roads. Over the past five years, 27 people have died on Minnesota roads and nearly 13,000 people have been arrested for DWI during the holiday season.
“Please, please make good choices,” said Sgt. Michal. “We can do it. Each and every single one of us can do it. Don't get behind the wheel after you consume alcohol.”