Law enforcement in three states want people to know they won’t tolerate drunk driving. Officials in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota are encouraging people to plan for a safe ride, be the sober driver for others and call authorities if they see dangerous driving. They say they’re collaborating ahead of the Labor Day holiday. Part of their effort to reach people includes a family’s pain.
Officials say, in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa, 1,215 people have died in drunk driving-related crashes in the last five years. One of those was Brad Bigler’s five-month-old baby.
“A drunk driver enters our lane. My head was down. All I heard was Heather say, ‘He’s in our lane!’ I looked up, and the lights were right there. His Dodge Ram hit us with such impact, it shredded the car. It was like taking a knife by the passenger wheel and cutting the entire side off of the car, including the trunk. It just popped off,” Bigler says. “When my wife came to, I was covered in blood with glass. I was thrown from the car. Drake was right behind me. His car seat was smashed.”
The crash left Bigler’s baby boy brain dead. His mother held Drake as he died.
Bigler survived his serious injuries. Now he and other family members talk about the crash with thousands, because they believe Drake’s legacy can stop people from putting themselves and other people’s lives in danger by drinking and driving.