Posted 5:50 am Tuesday, November 18, 2008
'After the Crash Comes the Impact'
By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
The tragedy of losing her young husband to a drunken driver 17 years ago has led Laura Dean Mooney down a path to ensuring others won't go through what she did.
Ms. Mooney, who became the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in July, has been involved in the organization since 1993. She is in Tyler today for MADD's fourth annual "Tie One on for Safety" event.
Ms. Mooney and her husband Mike, both Texas natives, lived in Colorado years ago but after a business trip, Mike was driving through Texas when his life was taken by a drunken driver.
On Nov. 21, 1991 -- 17 years ago on Friday -- Mike was driving north on Highway 287, just north of Fort Worth, when his car was hit head-on by a drunk driver traveling 83 mph with a blood alcohol content of .34. The legal limit of intoxication in Texas is now .08.
Ms. Mooney was reading a book in bed wondering why her husband hadn't called to check in that night when she got a knock on her door at 10:30 p.m., informing her of his death.
"Our life had to begin again," Ms. Mooney said of her and her 7-month-old daughter.
One week after the wreck that changed her life forever, the family was taking part in Thanksgiving festivities while Ms. Mooney sat in the next room "grieving to death."
"I didn't feel like there was much to be thankful for at that point," she said.
Because of the choices one man made to drive drunk, the young father missed all of his baby's firsts -- her first Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthday.
Ms. Mooney said her daughter has only known her dad through pictures and stories her mom has told her about him. She's grown up knowing her father was killed by a drunken driver.
After Mike's death, the young widow and single mother had to figure out what to do and moved back to College Station.
"After the crash comes the impact," Ms. Mooney said. She was in a fog, and said nothing makes sense when going through a sudden death.
HELPING OUT
Ms. Mooney had heard of MADD before but never thought she'd need it or be a part of the organization. She didn't go to MADD to receive its free victim services because she didn't know about it, she said.
The man who allegedly killed her husband also perished in the crash. After Ms. Mooney received a settlement from a lawsuit in 1993, she donated part of the money to MADD to help public policy laws in Texas.
"I truly wanted to make a difference and help out," she said.
She became active in the Brazos County chapter of MADD, earned a position on the Texas State Board, and was elected State Chairperson in 2000. Ms. Mooney moved to Florida in 2001, where she continued her involvement in MADD. In 2002, she was elected to the National Board of Directors, served as the chapter president in central Florida, served as Law Enforcement Advisory Committee chair, and the leadership chair of the MADD Florida State Operating Council before taking office as national president.
She said it's important people know about the services MADD provides to victims of drunken drivers, such as hosting support groups, accompanying them to court, and helping them apply for crime victim's compensation, which helps pay for costs of funerals, counseling and destroyed property.
As national president of MADD, Ms. Mooney said she wants to accomplish a campaign to eliminate drunk driving. The campaign, which is in its second year, focuses on working with law enforcement, such as saturated patrols and check points. It also wants to see mandatory ignition interlock devices ordered for all drunken drivers, even first-time offenders, and supports the development of advanced technologies in vehicles that could detect people trying to drive while intoxicated through their tissue. Ms. Mooney said MADD also needs the public's help and grass roots support. She asked the public to visit www.madd.org to sign the pledge to eliminate drunken driving.
Ms. Mooney said MADD will try to get two pieces of legislation passed in the next session, beginning in January. She said they will try to get ignition interlock devices put in vehicles of all drunken drivers and a law allowing sobriety check points in Texas.
Texas is one of only 10 states that won't allow the check points, she added. Ms. Mooney's job is to see laws like that are passed in all 50 states, she said.
Rita Fryer, executive director for MADD East Texas, said Feb. 10, 2009, will be MADD Legislative Day in Austin. The organization is looking for people to "join us in making a showing for MADD" to talk about the two issues.
The "Tie One on for Safety" event today will include a light lunch beginning at 11 a.m. and a program and awards ceremony from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Peltier Nissan, located at 3201 WSW Loop 323 in Tyler.
