It seems like yesterday, but forever ago. Andrew and I were six weeks away from our wedding day and I took an extra shift at the café, hoping to earn a few more dollars to help make the day even more special for myself. Ordinarily, I didn’t like to work the Sunday daytime shift, but knowing the tips were usually very high I went with a smile in my heart. Who wouldn’t be happy six-weeks before marrying the most awesome man she had ever met in her life?
It was about time for the “after church” crowd to hit. Coffee was on, but so was the ice cream machine. It was the middle of July and the temperature was already in the 80’s and it was just one of those Oregon days, where you know life is perfect. I would be finished by no later then 3:00 p.m., spend some time and tips with Sean and Tori and plan a little more for the wedding.
Andrew never called me when I was at work in the café–he knew I just couldn’t talk on the phone and remember who wanted what at which table. But, just as the rush started, my manager called me to take the phone. I thought that was odd and dropped some toast on table five, as I walked to the café phone. One of the fun parts about this job was not having to talk on the phone all the time–the way I did when working at the insurance office.
Andrew started talking and at first, I couldn’t understand a single word he had to say. He was clearly very upset–I have never heard him sound that way. I wish I hadn’t needed him to repeat himself, it seemed maybe I didn’t hear right due to the background noise. But, I had heard every word in reality–I just didn’t know how to understand the words. Could anyone play this kind of joke? It couldn’t be a joke. It had to be a joke. I wish that it had been a joke!
Andrew repeated himself, “My parents took Jennifer (his 12 year old niece), to the coast, and my father is dead, mother is in route to the hospital and Jennifer is being life lighted to Portland right now.”
I didn’t expect to hear this. It was a beautiful clear wonderful day six-weeks before I was to be married to my Prince Charming. How could something like this possible happen? I quite my job at the café, I know how these things go down, I wasn’t going to be able to work for awhile–I had a soon-to-be husband who just suffered the most horrible loss in his life. I gave the tips I had already collected to the other waitresses working that day, and told the customers I was very sorry, and walked out the door.
I ran to the love of my life, and he was beside himself in a panic I’m not sure I have every witnessed a person in such distress. We didn’t know anything about what had actually happened on that beautiful, sunny, middle-of-July, Sunday morning–a few minutes before noon.
The police had knocked on Andrew’s front door. His sister and niece had lived there the past four years, and were just moving to a home of their own, so that Andrew and I could start our life together. Andrew was a little relieved the police had gotten to him first–he knew his sister would be devastated to hear this news, but also found himself as the person who would need to deliver it to her.
We drove to her home and let her know that Jennifer (her only child) would at the hospital downtown very soon, something happened–let’s go. The three of us drove into city of Portland, Oregon and found the hospital, parked the car–it felt like we were walking in molasses. Once inside the hospital we started looking for someone to help us get the news on the condition of my soon-to-be mother-in-law and Jennifer
We couldn’t get any answers at first. No One seemed to know anything. Jennifer was there but no one told us what was going on… It was likely only a few minutes but the time seemed to pass more slowly it ever had before. Eventually, what seemed like a gang, of hospital smelling, somber appearing, people approached us. The social worker spoke first.
“Jennifer is in grave critical condition. The hospital has her on full life support, it took extraordinary measures to get her to the hospital alive. When she is stable enough to be seen, mom will brought to visit Jennifer.”
At that point, a representative from the police spoke to Andrew, he was told that on this beautiful, sunny, middle-of-July, Sunday morning–a few minutes before noon, a repeat Drunk Driver crossed the center line on HWY 26 and crashed into his parent’s car head-on at an estimated speed of 70 miles per hour. Martin was killed instantly, and likely didn‘t even see it happen, Jennifer was sitting behind the driver seat and suffered head trauma, Angela was in critical condition but, with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the other car was drunk and likely, on narcotics as well, he had been released from jail six-months prior after serving 12 years for killing a mother and her daughter.
The next day, was the worst day of all times in our lives. We turned Jennifer’s life support off and allowed her to pass.
One man now responsible for the murdered of four people due to drunk driving.
The moral of this Blog is to remind everyone that even on a beautiful, sunny, middle-of-July, Sunday morning–a few, minutes before noon, drunk drivers can be on the roads.
You might ask yourself what this has to do with Insurance. In my next Blog, I will explain how this story has a lot to do with Insurance, the insurance the repeat drunk driver had, the Insurance my father-in-law had and the insurance the bar and state had and how it all worked and didn’t work.
Related Blogs:
Glossary of Insurance Terms:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J-K | L | M | N | O | P | Q-R | S | T | U-V | W-Z
Families.com Blogs are for informational purposes only. Families.com assumes no responsibility for consumer choices. Consumers are reminded that it is their responsibility to research their choices properly and speak to a certified insurance professional prior to making any decision as important as an insurance purchase.