Dalejrfan88's Blog

With the July 4 holiday coming up and with all the summer activities I thought it would be a good time to post this again. Agree with or not it doesnt matter to me. If by telling Loren's storey again, I can make someone who has been drinking to think before they get behind of the wheel, or if by some miracle her storey saves one person life then that is all that matters.

This is not about sympathy for by family. It has been almost eight years. Loren would have been 14 had she not been killed.

My goal is for people to read Loren's storey and maybe think before they drink.  My prayer has always been that another family will not have to go through what mine has been through.

Read it or not is is up to you. Just Please Drive Safe Drive Sober.

LOREN’S STOREY

 I have been ask to write about what happened on August 12, 2000 so that you can maybe understand what it is like to lose someone you love to a drunk driver. Many of you already know that Loren is my cousin’s daughter and she was killed by a drunk driver who was three times the legal limit.  Loren was a miracle baby; because Lorrie had her tubes cut for quite sometime before she met my cousin Steven. She was a precious little girl full of life. She had just gotten her hair cut just the way she wanted and was set to start first grade that Monday.  She loved her family. Her mom Lorrie, Dad Steven, sisters Stephanie and Sarah. They didn’t have a lot but they had a lot of good times together. It was a Saturday and her mom had to work, so she spent the day hanging out with her dad and sisters. Around 3:00 Lorrie called to say that she had a flat tire and she was on the side of the road at Interstate 635.  So Steven and the girls headed out to go to Lorrie’s aide. As Steven was pulling off the freeway behind the immobile vehicle, Lorrie got out and was walking back towards the car. At that moment Luis A Gonzales Jr went to pass a car at 80 mph on the shoulder of road, hitting Steven and the girls from behind knocking them across four lanes of traffic into the guardrail where the car caught on fire. A Good Samaritan, who was the manager at the Burger King, heard Lorrie screaming and came to help. He was not a big man, however he was able to pull Steven (who is tall and stocky) and the girls out of the car.  My family and I will be forever grateful to that man. Loren and Stephanie were care flighted to Children’s Medical where Loren died on the way. Sarah and Steven were transported by ambulance to Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. Steven suffered cuts, bruises and a concussion. Sarah suffered a broken pelvis and Stephanie suffered a broken neck and a crushed spine. She spent two-three weeks in the hospital and five weeks in Our Children’s House. She wore a halo for nine months and a neck brace for six.  

 Mr. Gonzales was eventually charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and three counts of intoxication assault. Two years later he was allowed to plea bargain to five years. After three years he came up for parole. I fought it hard and ultimately he was denied. He will get out in November of this year having served on 4 years and 8 months. That is what Loren’s life was worth. That doesn’t sound like justice to me.  

 As to Mr. Gonzales actions that day, it is our understanding that he had been at a meeting at work and started drinking there. After he left work he then went to a place called O’Reilly’s where they continued to serve him alcohol.  He left there and proceeded south on I 635. There were nine 911 calls trying to get this fool off the road. Witness’s say he was in and out of traffic. Another Good Samaritan followed him for approximately 10 mile while he drove on and off the grassy side of the road. He was honking and doing everything he could to get Mr. Gonzales attention. Unfortunately it was not to be, because when he got to I 635 at Elam he would kill a little six year old girl and forever devastate those who loved her and were left behind.   

I would like everyone to know that the Balch Springs Police Department was absolutely wonderful through the whole thing. There were so many from law enforcement, and those who saw what happened at Loren’s funeral. Mothers Against Drunk Driving were also wonderful. They were there through out the funeral, the lonely days after, and through the entire legal process. I personally will be forever grateful to Lisa Griffin and Susan Bragg. They are just awesome.  In the weeks that followed after Loren’s death, I spent most of my weekends helping Steven and Lorrie care for Stephanie. Words cannot describe what we all had to see her go through. She had so many other problems to over come besides the broken neck and crushed spine. She was out of school for an entire year. She loved to play soccer, however she was never able to do that again. Today Stephanie is 18 and Sarah is 15. I wish I could tell you that they are fine, however unfortunately that is not the way it is. In the last seven years Steven has lost his daughter, his wife, his two daughters who he loved and raised as his own, his job, his home and three years ago at the age of 35 we almost lost him. He had a MASSIVE heart attack and almost died.  

There is so much about the devastation that a drunk driver causes that people are not aware of.  The drunk drivers do not have to pick up the responsibility they cause, the families do. The anger is something like you have never known in your life, and just when you think you are ok, something will happen and it will all come flooding back.  

Lorrie once said the hardest part for her was how preventable Loren’s death was. The fact that Loren died because of an irresponsible choice someone else made is something she has never come to accept.  

 Now Texas not only leads the nation in drunk driving deaths, it also leads the nation in, increased drunk driving deaths. My prayer for everyone is that we can all come together as citizens of this great state and put pressure on the legislators to put tougher DUI laws in place and to enforce all the dui laws. This is not about drinking, it is about being responsible. Drinking is a personal choice, however it ceases to become a choice for everyone around them when they choose to drink then get behind the wheel of a vehicle.  That is why I ask if you are going to drink please drink responsibly.   

As though as it has been for hard my family the last seven years, there are so many more families in a lot worse shape than us, families that have lost so much more than we have.  If just one person will think before they get behind the wheel of a car, or if just one life is saved then Loren’s death won’t have been in vain. 

 God Bless You All  

 DRUNK DRIVING IS NOT AN ACCIDENT, IT IS A VIOLENT CRIME.

LOREN’S STOREY

 I have been ask to write about what happened on August 12, 2000 so that you can maybe understand what it is like to lose someone you love to a drunk driver. Many of you already know that Loren is my cousin’s daughter and she was killed by a drunk driver who was three times the legal limit.  Loren was a miracle baby; because Lorrie had her tubes cut for quite sometime before she met my cousin Steven. She was a precious little girl full of life. She had just gotten her hair cut just the way she wanted and was set to start first grade that Monday.  She loved her family. Her mom Lorrie, Dad Steven, sisters Stephanie and Sarah. They didn’t have a lot but they had a lot of good times together. It was a Saturday and her mom had to work, so she spent the day hanging out with her dad and sisters. Around 3:00 Lorrie called to say that she had a flat tire and she was on the side of the road at Interstate 635.  So Steven and the girls headed out to go to Lorrie’s aide. As Steven was pulling off the freeway behind the immobile vehicle, Lorrie got out and was walking back towards the car. At that moment Luis A Gonzales Jr went to pass a car at 80 mph on the shoulder of road, hitting Steven and the girls from behind knocking them across four lanes of traffic into the guardrail where the car caught on fire. A Good Samaritan, who was the manager at the Burger King, heard Lorrie screaming and came to help. He was not a big man, however he was able to pull Steven (who is tall and stocky) and the girls out of the car.  My family and I will be forever grateful to that man. Loren and Stephanie were care flighted to Children’s Medical where Loren died on the way. Sarah and Steven were transported by ambulance to Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital. Steven suffered cuts, bruises and a concussion. Sarah suffered a broken pelvis and Stephanie suffered a broken neck and a crushed spine. She spent two-three weeks in the hospital and five weeks in Our Children’s House. She wore a halo for nine months and a neck brace for six.  

 Mr. Gonzales was eventually charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and three counts of intoxication assault. Two years later he was allowed to plea bargain to five years. After three years he came up for parole. I fought it hard and ultimately he was denied. He will get out in November of this year having served on 4 years and 8 months. That is what Loren’s life was worth. That doesn’t sound like justice to me.  

 As to Mr. Gonzales actions that day, it is our understanding that he had been at a meeting at work and started drinking there. After he left work he then went to a place called O’Reilly’s where they continued to serve him alcohol.  He left there and proceeded south on I 635. There were nine 911 calls trying to get this fool off the road. Witness’s say he was in and out of traffic. Another Good Samaritan followed him for approximately 10 mile while he drove on and off the grassy side of the road. He was honking and doing everything he could to get Mr. Gonzales attention. Unfortunately it was not to be, because when he got to I 635 at Elam he would kill a little six year old girl and forever devastate those who loved her and were left behind.   

I would like everyone to know that the Balch Springs Police Department was absolutely wonderful through the whole thing. There were so many from law enforcement, and those who saw what happened at Loren’s funeral. Mothers Against Drunk Driving were also wonderful. They were there through out the funeral, the lonely days after, and through the entire legal process. I personally will be forever grateful to Lisa Griffin and Susan Bragg. They are just awesome.  In the weeks that followed after Loren’s death, I spent most of my weekends helping Steven and Lorrie care for Stephanie. Words cannot describe what we all had to see her go through. She had so many other problems to over come besides the broken neck and crushed spine. She was out of school for an entire year. She loved to play soccer, however she was never able to do that again. Today Stephanie is 18 and Sarah is 15. I wish I could tell you that they are fine, however unfortunately that is not the way it is. In the last seven years Steven has lost his daughter, his wife, his two daughters who he loved and raised as his own, his job, his home and three years ago at the age of 35 we almost lost him. He had a MASSIVE heart attack and almost died.  

There is so much about the devastation that a drunk driver causes that people are not aware of.  The drunk drivers do not have to pick up the responsibility they cause, the families do. The anger is something like you have never known in your life, and just when you think you are ok, something will happen and it will all come flooding back.  

Lorrie once said the hardest part for her was how preventable Loren’s death was. The fact that Loren died because of an irresponsible choice someone else made is something she has never come to accept.  

 Now Texas not only leads the nation in drunk driving deaths, it also leads the nation in, increased drunk driving deaths. My prayer for everyone is that we can all come together as citizens of this great state and put pressure on the legislators to put tougher DUI laws in place and to enforce all the dui laws. This is not about drinking, it is about being responsible. Drinking is a personal choice, however it ceases to become a choice for everyone around them when they choose to drink then get behind the wheel of a vehicle.  That is why I ask if you are going to drink please drink responsibly.   

As though as it has been for hard my family the last seven years, there are so many more families in a lot worse shape than us, families that have lost so much more than we have.  If just one person will think before they get behind the wheel of a car, or if just one life is saved then Loren’s death won’t have been in vain. 

 God Bless You All  

 DRUNK DRIVING IS NOT AN ACCIDENT, IT IS A VIOLENT CRIME.

Congradulations Texans

Not only do we lead the NATION in Drunk Driving Deaths, we now lead the NATION in Drunk Driving increase in deaths. Way to go. 

NBC5I.com ran a story today that everyone should read. For years Texas has lead the nation in drunk driving deaths, and for the past seven years I have been trying to change that. However the so called GOOD OL Boy system in Texas doesn't believe in enforcing the current laws and the legislators think that it won't happen to them, so they choose to ignore the problem.

The article says that in 2006 there were 13,470 drunk driving deaths nationwide. Think about it, If Texas leads the nation, how many do you think were killed in Texas? It doesn't say how many were underage. Also in 2006 22 states had increases in drunking driving deaths. Texas was number one on that list. There were 26 states that had a decrease that is where Texas should be, at the top of that list.

This is not about drinking, it is about being responsible. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers does not ask you not to drink, they just ask you to drink responsibly. Personally I do not think this is to much to ask. I happen to enjoy my wine, however I enjoy it at home and I don't get behind the wheel. On the very rare ocassion we go out to dinner and have a drink, we have a designated driver that doesn't drink, or that has only one over a period of time.

I know I know there by the grace of god go I. Believe me that is all my family has heard the last seven years and I am here to tell you that is a bunch of bull. When I was young just like a lot of other people I was stupid. However if I had killed someone I would have deserved to punished for that.

In the article Chief Art Acevedo was quoted as saying that these deaths are unaccetable. He also said it is time that we all come together as a community and deal with the problem. It is going to take the citizens of Texas,law enforcement coming together and putting presure on the legislators to do something about this problem.

Texas is a great state with great people. We all deserve to be safe.

No one should ever ever have to know the pain, anger and devastation of losing someone they love to a drunk driver. The biggest thing for my family to deal with is that Loren's death was totally preventable.

Loren's killer choose to drink, he choose to get behind the wheel of a car and go to another bar and drink somemore, then get behind the wheel of a car nearly hitting several others before he finally reached my family and killed Loren. He was charged with one count of toxication manslaughter, and three counts of toxication assualt. When he gets out of jail in November of this years he will have served only 4 years and 8 months.  That is not justice.

All I want to do is make people aware of the problem, and of the devastation if it should happen to you or someone you love.

Drunk Driving is not an accident it is a violent crime and one that is totally preventable.

My family and I pray that people will start to take this problem seriously and come together as a community to make the streets and highways of Texas safer for everyone.  Please whatever you do think before you drink. The life you save maybe your own or that of someone you love.

To: Crash160

You ask me the other day how my nephew is doing after the shouting of the suspect that killed a donut shop owner and then went on to go on a robbery spree which ended in a police chase and the suspect getting killed.

Well I had been told he was doing fine. A couple of days after you ask me that he got real sick with migrane headaches. He went to the police physcologist and they have been telling him this was a classic case of the stress of what he had to do. He got to feeling better for a day or two then he got worse.

Either Friday night or yesterday he went to emergency and he has viral minigitis. They are not sure if it is related to the shooting yet. As soon as they get him to a point where he can go home they are going to look into it. He can't go home until he can keep something down and control the pain. His oldest daughter is three and she is terrified because she doesn't understand why her daddy is so sick. There is a picture of the family on my blog. They are just a prescious family.

God Bless all of those who put thier lives on the line everyday. I can't even begin to imagine what our troops have to go through. Thank you for what you do to keep us safe everyday.

Sometime ago MADD annouced a new Campaign To Eliminate Drunk Driving. Thier goal is to someday not have any family go through the pain and suffering that a drunken driver causes. I am a Madd member and supporter and I would like to tell you why. This is a true storey that happened to a real family.

On August 12,2000 my cousin got a call that his wife had broken down on the side of the road on LBJ @Elam road. His first decision was should he leave his three daughters 6,8 and 11 at home or should he take them. That will be a decision he will live with the rest of his life. As he was pulling up beind the immobile vechicle Luis A Gonzales Jr decided to pass him on the shoulder of the road. He hit Steven from behind going approximately 80 miles an hour knocking them across four lanes of traffic off the embankment where the car caught fire. Lorrie (his wife) had gotten out of the truck and was walking back towards the car when they were hit. She witness the whole thing.

Then Mr Gonzales got out of his truck and tried to run. While all these men stood there and watched him try to leave there was a lady who got really mad and she ran after him and tackled him to the ground until the police got there. It turns out that his blood alcohol level was THREE times the legal limit at 3:00pm.

The manager from the Burger King came and helped Lorrie get Steven and the girls out of the car. Steven suffered a concusion, and several other minor injuries, Stephanie 11 suffered a broken neck and crushed spine, Sara 8 suffered a broken pelvis and Loren 6 died 45 minutes later from blunt force trauma.

Because Luis Gonzales was a first time offender the prosecuter would not prosecute and he was allowed to plea to five years in prision. Five years is what Loren's life is worth. I have made sure that he has served everyday of that five years. He will be released in November of this year, and will receive a second chance with his family. My cousin will never get that second chance with his family. You see not only he lose his daughter that day, he has since lost his home, his job, his wife, his two stepdaughters who he raised as his on. All because of a choice that someone else made.

This is not about drinking it is about choices. Drinking alcohol is a personal choice, and if you choose to drink then go ahead drink until the cows come home, I don't care. However it ceases to become a choice for everyone else when a person chooses to drink then get behind the wheel. So if do choose to drink Please  Don't get behind the wheel. The life you save could be your own or that of someone you love.

Cracking down on drunk drivers is very important. They need to crack down on first time offenders who injure or kill someone.  If we can send a message to these first time offenders then maybe we wouldn't have so many repeat offenders. I believe with all of my heart and knowing what lead up to the events before Luis Gonzales got to my family, if Texas had sobriety check points Loren would be a live today.

Please if you love and value your friends and family go to www.madd.org/news and learn more about what you can do to keep your loved ones safe.

Loren would have been 13 on May 19, 2007. Her mother can't live with out her so she has turned to meth and cocaine to deal with her pain, Sarah is living in a bad situation but that is all we have been able to find out. Stephanie had a baby at 17 and his with her abusive and sex offender boyfriend. My cousin Steven is heart broken and alone and works a lot of hours so he doesn't have to think.

Drunk Driving is not an Accident it is a VIOLENT CRIME and one that is totally preventable.

We use to think something like this could never happen to us, but in a blink of a eye it did and our lives have been forever changed. You can see the last picture taken of Loren on her six birthday in my photo album. She was a precious little girl.