In an instant, a driver's error -- apparently contributed to by the influence of alcohol -- changed the lives of five young people from the White Salmon community.
Last Friday at about 10 p.m., a Ford Mustang sped through a stop sign at the intersection of Loop Road and Main Street, apparently going way too fast to follow the curving road. Instead, it left the roadway and blasted through a barbed wire fence and into a field, where the car rolled over and landed on its top.
Four Columbia High School kids were injured -- two seriously. The fifth person involved, the 22-year-old driver, was arrested for suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol.
Sadly, this event is likely to haunt these kids for a long time. The injuries will need a long time to heal, of course, and the emotional impact of being badly hurt or seeing your friends hurt may last even longer. And the driver, just a few years out of high school, will have to deal with the reality that poor choices he made led to a terrible outcome.
Klickitat County Sheriff Chris Mace was right on the mark when he pointed out that an accident like this impacts the whole community.
"We all know these kids," Mace said. "As we investigate for wrongdoing, all of us are deeply concerned and wish the kids a speedy and full recovery, and our thoughts are with their families."
Amen to that.
We're thankful the toll of this crash wasn't even worse, and it easily could have been. Yet hopefully the shock of the accident will open the eyes of their fellow students -- and motorists of all ages -- and remind us what can happen when cars and alcohol mix. The lesson needs to be repeated over and over again, and to young people in particular: Don't speed. Don't drink and drive.
Given the 25 mph speed limit along that stretch of road, this tragic incident never should have happened.
Wrecks like this one happen far too often. Statistics show that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for those between 15-19 years old in the state of Washington. Motor vehicle crashes are also the number one cause of hospitalizations for those 15-19 in our state. The statistics also show that more than 44 percent of the time, these crashes are linked to alcohol.
Friday's car wreck and its terrible consequences offer another opportunity to try to spread the message that a "good time" does not have to involve alcohol, and that drinking and driving is certainly not worth the multiple risks involved.
As a community, it's up to all of us to keep trying to get that message across.
JB
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