Anon
I really haven’t spoken about this since the accident…
I was one of those people that didn’t worry too much about drinking and driving. Purely because I was 100% certain that I drove perfectly fine after a couple. And I’d never been fall-down drunk. I’d never been through a road-block and have never been tested for alcohol.
Also, my boyfriend was the one who usually drove. So I never worried about watching how much I drank. That was my mistake.
We went out for dinner in a small town. We met some friends at the restaurant and joined them later in the local pub for a few drinks. It was a fun evening. When it was time to go home we walked to the car – and my boyfriend stumbled and slurred his words. I was almost sober, compared to him. So I took the keys.
We had an accident on the way home – I swerved for a dog running across the road and then slammed on the brakes. The bakkie rolled and rolled. It felt like I was in a washing machine. I heard my partner screaming and then silence. The car just carried on and on, over and over. When it finally came to a stop the right way up I looked over to the passenger seat. His head was obstructed by the roof of the cab which had been crushed on the one side during the roll. There was a gym towel around his neck – from the backseat. It was eerie. I tried to get out but the door didn’t budge – maybe I didn’t have the strength to open it.
So I sat there and got my phone out – and started calling. I got through to 10111. They said they’d send an ambulance. I waited and waited. I checked his pulse. Nothing. My phone rang – they said they couldn’t find me – what road was I on…
Eventually the ambulance arrived, then the police. They opened the door and got me out. They got my boyfriend out, but it was over for him. His head was crushed.
I was patched up by the medic and then quickly put in the back of the police van, where they informed me I was under arrest. They drove for miles and miles. My blood was taken by a district surgeon. They then asked me what hospital I wanted to go to.
On the way back we passed the accident scene, where they handed me my boyfriend’s cellphone and wallet. We got to the hospital and I was stitched up. The doctor called out had zero sympathy for me. He man-handled me something terrible. At one stage he told me to breathe the other way. He didn’t check me in (even though the nurse thought I should be) – so the policeman took me back to the cells. I was bailed out a few hours later by a family friend.
Over the next year I became inconsolable. Distraught. Wracked with guilt and regret. I slipped into a deep depression. I was badly traumatised.
A year later the case went to court – my blood results were in. Just over the legal limit. My lawyer, with his silver tongue, got the culpable homicide charges withdrawn. I pled guilty to the excess alcohol.
I am still living with the pain and loss of losing someone I loved dearly. We were together for 7 years. Practically married.
I’d like to ask people to reconsider driving after drinking. There is no way I’d have had this accident had I been sober. Don’t drink and drive. Drink soft drinks if you are going to drive. If you need alcohol to get a personality then you are in serious trouble.
