'Living Dead' Show Students Dangers of Drunk Driving

The presentation Thursday began with 12 students standing in front of their classmates, their faces marred with fake bruises and their obituaries being read to the rest of the seniors.

These students were the Living Dead for the day, and were part of the school's "Every 15 Minutes" program about the dangers of drunk driving.

"They will do this all day long, going to classes and not talking all day long," said principal Lew Ludwig. "And we ask the teachers not to engage the students all day."

For those 12 students, Ludwig said, it was difficult for them to remain silent all day, acting as though they had lost their lives in drunk driving accidents, and thereby allowing the other students to see what it would be like to have their friends suddenly ripped from their lives.

"We pick students for this from all walks of life so everyone can identify with this," he said. "And it is a challenge for those kids going through the day like this."

Thursday's presentation continued with a viewing of a video featuring the parents of victims of drunk driving accidents and testimony from doctors about working on these kinds of cases.

Families spoke in the video about what it felt like to lose a family member in a drunk driving accident.

And the presentation concluded with a talk by Maria Estevez, a mother who lost her 8-year-old daughter when she was hit by a drunk driver. Estevez speaks out to schools across the country about the dangers of drunk driving.

"I hope you will remember this day the rest of your life," she said.

Estevez said that her daughter was killed April 20, 1991, when she and her uncle were hit by a car while they were crossing the street. Her daughter, Rosemary, was pronounced brain dead after she was brought to the hospital.

"The doctor said, 'I'm sorry, she's not coming back,'" Estevez said. "He asked permission to unplug the respirator."

"We got time to say goodbye to her," she added. "I told her not to be afraid."

And her uncle, Estevez said, had a heart attack while being transported to the hospital for his injuries, and he died en route.

Later, Estevez said, she learned that the driver of the vehicle who hit her daughter and uncle was a 42-year-old man with four children and a wife. He was looking for a place to host a bachelor party for his son, she said, and he had been to three already, drinking at each one.

"There were four people crossing the street, and two people lived and two died," she said. "They thought they had enough time to cross the street."

But, Estevez said, the man was driving upwards of 55 miles per hour in a residential zone, and he approached them too quickly, and didn't stop.

The man's blood alcohol level was 0.10 percent, Estevez said. After a trial in which he was found guilty, she said, he was sentenced to seven years in jail for each death, to run concurrently.

He ended up serving four years and eight months, she said.

"That was a long time at that time," she said. "A lot of people who make bad decisions spend a long time in prison."

Estevez encouraged the students to make appropriate choices.

"Remember to make good choices and good decisions," she said. "We want you to live, so make those good choices."

Ludwig said to the students that he believes they should make a commitment now to make the right choices and decisions in the future.

"What strikes me the most is the fact that you do this with and to each other," he said. "Many situations like this are kids in cars."

"Make commitments to your classmates and friends that you will make appropriate decisions," he added. "Have the courage to say to classmates and friends, 'No, we're not going to do that.' The real test is the courage you have and find to do the right thing."