Victim of a drunk driver chooses to make a difference
WALLA WALLA, Wash. - Memorial flowers, crosses and signs are intended to make you think twice about drinking and driving.
But you can't control the guy next to you.
"When I looked over my shoulder, I saw the pick up truck coming. That's all I remember," said Alvaro Lamprea.
Alvaro had gotten out of his car to see what was stopping traffic.
Turns out it was a drunk driving accident that had killed someone.
While he was on the shoulder a second drunk driver sideswiped him, taking off his leg. Alvaro knows it could have been much worse.
Last year, there were more than two-thousand arrests made for DUI by all law enforcement agencies across the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla. More than a thousand of those arrests were in Benton County alone.
During the summer months, arrests on state highways have fallen slightly. Troopers say their enforcement hasn't wavered. They believe fewer people are driving while impaired.
Alvaro would like to see the numbers fall even more. The accident inspired him to make this his new cause.
"The Lord got me here and maybe to make a difference, so," he said.
That difference is raising money for drunk driving victims. Alvaro helped organize a 5K in Walla Walla to pay for medical bills or drunk driving awareness programs.
Nancy McClenny-Walters helped Alvaro. She was also a victim of a drunk driver. She knows first hand getting involved helps.
"I think anytime that victims can outreach to other people and maybe see that they're making a little bit of difference that helps them heal a little bit," she said.
For Alvaro, the effects of drunk driving is simple. He said, "You might kill somebody, you may kill your self."
He hopes no one ever has to go through what he did.
This is the first "Walla Walla Walks Against Drunk Driving" event.
Alvaro hopes it will be successful enough to happen in other cities and someday across the nation.
But you can't control the guy next to you.
"When I looked over my shoulder, I saw the pick up truck coming. That's all I remember," said Alvaro Lamprea.
Alvaro had gotten out of his car to see what was stopping traffic.
Turns out it was a drunk driving accident that had killed someone.
While he was on the shoulder a second drunk driver sideswiped him, taking off his leg. Alvaro knows it could have been much worse.
Last year, there were more than two-thousand arrests made for DUI by all law enforcement agencies across the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla. More than a thousand of those arrests were in Benton County alone.
During the summer months, arrests on state highways have fallen slightly. Troopers say their enforcement hasn't wavered. They believe fewer people are driving while impaired.
Alvaro would like to see the numbers fall even more. The accident inspired him to make this his new cause.
"The Lord got me here and maybe to make a difference, so," he said.
That difference is raising money for drunk driving victims. Alvaro helped organize a 5K in Walla Walla to pay for medical bills or drunk driving awareness programs.
Nancy McClenny-Walters helped Alvaro. She was also a victim of a drunk driver. She knows first hand getting involved helps.
"I think anytime that victims can outreach to other people and maybe see that they're making a little bit of difference that helps them heal a little bit," she said.
For Alvaro, the effects of drunk driving is simple. He said, "You might kill somebody, you may kill your self."
He hopes no one ever has to go through what he did.
This is the first "Walla Walla Walks Against Drunk Driving" event.
Alvaro hopes it will be successful enough to happen in other cities and someday across the nation.
