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Two years ago, at 4 a.m., while Ramona Santiago and her life partner Carol Urban were driving back from the casino, a drunken driver slammed head-on into them on the Atlantic City Expressway. The couple had just 20 minutes to go before reaching their home on the 1700 block of South 22nd Street.
"It swerved and missed the one car in front of us, then hit us," the 36-year-old recalled. "After that, I don’t remember exactly everything. I do remember I felt the truck spin twice and throw us into a ditch."
Urban, the driver, escaped with only bruises. Her passenger was not so lucky.
The force of the crash crushed Santiago’s legs and pinned her in the seat. Crushed lower vertebrae required a spinal fusion to repair. Two titanium rods – the entire length of her back – and 10 screws on either side of her spine had to be inserted to complete the job.
Today, the left side of Santiago’s body "locks up," especially in inclement weather.
"I don’t feel [anything] for awhile. When I do feel something, the pain level is worse than 10 – I’m seeing God after that," she said of the attacks.
"There is not a day that I do not have any pain," she said.
The crash left Santiago with not only physical, but psychological scars.
Before the collision, she was learning to drive, but now she struggles with just being a passenger. Bright lights from headlights or anything else give her panic attacks.
One night, Santiago was walking across Oregon Avenue when a car came out of nowhere. When she saw the headlights, she froze in the middle of the busy thoroughfare.
"It was right then that I knew I needed help," she said.
At the recommendation of her doctor, Santiago got MADD.
MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING is the largest victim services agency in the country, offering outreach to hundreds of thousands of people like Santiago. September marked the 25th anniversary of the group.
But this festive time of year, the holidays can be marred by drunken driving.
"I recall last year we had a hit-and-run fatal accident in the Northeast. It dealt with an individual who had gone to one of the traditional football games communities have," Sgt. George Golden of the Accident Investigation Division said.
After the game, the players went to a bar to celebrate. On a participant’s drive home, a 12-year-old boy was hit, the sergeant said. The driver abandoned his car and fled, the sergeant said.
"[The football game] was a holiday festive tradition that went really sour and bad because now we had a dead 12-year-old. Now this driver, who was just a Regular Joe, is living with the idea that he killed somebody," Golden said.
While there is nothing wrong with raising a glass or two at the holidays or at any time, the same precautions apply.
"People are celebrating. They are having a good time. There is nothing wrong with this, but you have to be responsible for the things you do. You need to know when to say when and if you find yourself a little tipsy, find alternate means of transportation," Golden said.
Drinkers need to be aware there are alternatives to driving drunk, Golden and MADD Southeastern Chapter Executive Director Bonnie Weiner agree. Staying at a friend’s house, springing for a hotel room or even walking home are just some of the choices a person can make. Even calling somebody and admitting you had too much to drink while asking for a ride home is an alternative, Golden said.
"At least you will be alive in the morning," he said.
"Friends now are taking keys away much more. I think there is an awareness and certainly that is what we are about," Weiner said, "but we are also about prevention. We want to prevent the crime of drunk driving so we are not inundated with all these victims."
MADD’s local chapter director added with an ironic laugh, "I would love to be out of business."
WHEN SANTIAGO CONTACTED MADD Southeastern Pennsylvania, whose headquarters are in Conshohocken, she found a support network.
"They are a godsend. They understand what I’m going through. They can sympathize. They respect my pain. They understand my pain.
"All I have to do is pick up the phone. I didn’t have [anybody] to talk to before," she said.
For everything MADD has done for her, Santiago is giving back. She regularly participates in activities, having recently donated her time at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital’s health fair, where MADD had a table.
MADD was started in 1980 in California by a woman who lost her son to a drunken driver. The organization began with mothers, but now is two million strong with all types of members, Weiner said.
MADD’s mission is threefold: to stop drunken driving, support victims and prevent underage drinking, Weiner said.
All services are provided free to victims.
Victim advocates, who are both paid staffers and volunteers, make up MADD.
Some of services the organization provides are monthly meetings, phone support counseling and the disbursement of grief literature to those who have lost loved ones in drunken-driving accidents. A trained facilitator – also a victim of a drunken-driving accident – conducts the meetings, which are at the Conshohocken office. The organization also accompanies victims to court and even helps them write victim-impact statements.
"We try to work very closely with victims of the crime of DUI," Weiner said.
This year’s annual MADD national conference took place in Washington, D.C., at the end of September. In recognition of its 25th year, past MADD presidents attended and spoke about the organization’s accomplishments.
"We wanted our legislators to know that we’re still there and we’re still fighting the fight. With over 17,000 deaths and half a million injuries each year, we have a lot of work ahead of us," Weiner said.
Twenty-five years ago, there were 26,000 driving-under-the-influence fatalities a year, compared to 17,000 today, according to statistics provided by MADD.
"Three-hundred thousand lives were saved because of MADD and organizations like them. We’ve reduced fatalities by over 40 percent," Weiner said.
While Santiago was fortunate to escape with her life, others have not been so lucky. Weiner has heard countless tragic tales.
"Those are the kinds of stories we bring to the public and want the public to know. Every 30 minutes in our country, somebody is being killed by a drunk driver. Where is the rage and where is the public outcry?" Weiner asked.
"MADD keeps these events in the public eye in hopes that it will affect somebody and they change their behavior. The main idea of drinking and driving is to change behavior," Golden said.
A recent MADD/Nationwide Insurance poll, conducted by Gallup, determined Americans continue to show "overwhelming support for high-visibility crackdowns on drunk driving."
Additionally, Americans continue to support many of the research-based solutions MADD advocates, such as sobriety checkpoints, tougher penalties for repeat offenders and the enforcement of primary seat-belt laws.
Pennsylvania does not have a primary seat-belt law, which means a police officer cannot charge a driver for not wearing a safety belt unless that person has committed another offense.
"Eighty percent of drunk drivers do not wear seat belts. If Pennsylvania had primary enforcement, a lot of drunk drivers would be caught," Weiner said.
Tougher prison terms for offenders is something else MADD wants. The man who hit Santiago and Urban was not a first-time offender. He was sentenced to three years in jail, but was released after three months and placed in a program for drunken drivers.
One of the ways MADD is helping put the brakes on drunken driving is through prevention. The organization visits schools to educate children and teens on the dangers of drunken driving while working closely with local police departments.
Police have a great working relationship with MADD, Golden said.
"They are a fantastic support group and they are very instrumental in getting legislation passed. Their goal is to prevent drunk driving. They are a great organization because they keep in the public eye the dangers of drinking and driving and that creates awareness," he said.
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For more information, visit www.maddpa.org.
