Drunk driving killed a friend and hero.

by Fitz K. (Subscribe to Fitz K.'s posts)
Apr 23rd 2007 6:34PM

Categories: Healthy Aging, Stress Reduction, Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation, Men's Health

I posted two blogs a while back, Hey Smokers! This is what your friends won't tell you! part 1 and part 2, and got a firestorm of comments. Lots of defenders of smoking, and of course the ones who despise it. One interesting thing I've pulled out of it, is that people are comparing it to drunk driving. To me, the topics are two different beasts with some similarities. I 'm one of the despisers of smoking, and now even more than ever before, I am a despiser of drunk driving.

Two weeks ago, Lieutenant Corey Dahlem, our family friend and hero from the Gainesville Police Department in Florida was hit by a drunk driver and killed. Corey was on a street that was closed for the University of Florida National Basketball Championship celebration. The festivities were winding down, and Corey was on the road to make sure none of the student and local partiers were. A drunk male, age 20, drove through the police barricades and struck Corey. Two motorcycle officers had to jump from their bikes to avoid being struck as well. A few blocks away, the driver was stopped and had no idea why he was stopped. He later blew a 2.4 on his breathalyzer test. Almost three times that of Florida legal limit. (Corey, far right, was photoraphed the night he was struck, congratulating UF students on their teams victory).

Corey was a humble man, hard worker, and spectacular father, friend and husband. If he and the other officers were not on that road at that time, dozens of civilians would have been killed before the drunk stopped. Hero is an understatement. Two thousand people mourned his loss and celebrated his life at his funeral. A lesson on parenting was preached by the stories of how Corey ate lunch at school with his kids several times a week when they were little. At 18 and 21, he was still cooking them meals and driving his daughter to college.

Gainesville lost a hero that day. His wife, whom he was still smitten with after more than 20 years of marriage lost her best friend. His children lost a father that fairy tales are written about. Drunk driving is not acceptable. That 20 year old who made the choice to get wasted that night, and afterward was referred to by friends as a 'normal guy' will never see normal again.

I can only assume that you are concerned with your health since you're visiting That's Fit. Dead is the opposite of healthy. If you find it fine to have even a glass of wine with dinner and drive home......think again. Alcohol makes your reflexes slow, your muscles relax, and your judgment suffer. Even a minor instinct like, "Gee I can get through that yellow light" could turn fatal. Corey tried to get out of the way, but a truck doing 40mph was a bit quicker than he was.

In honor of Lt. Corey Dahlem I ask that you think twice before driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Take the keys of others trying to drive while impaired as well. This is a non-debatable issue. Driving drunk kills.

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Comments (4)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

mumble 4-23-2007 @ 8:30PM

i agree that drunk driving is horrible! its a big issue because most people dont register that it can kill someone until they already have and then its too late. its a choice that can change your life and many others. i myself being 20 am often faced with the choice to drive or not to drive. in my blog on the other the other article i was not defending drinking and driving just stating that it isnt the alcohol to blame and it isnt fair to hate drinkers. or smokers for that matter. the people blowing smoke in your face and driving drunk are not the only smokers and drinkers out there. i just find it offensive that people feel thay can combine a huge group of people into a catagory like smokers and then make general statements about a group of people so diverse the only thing one might have in common with another is the fact that they smoke. im sorry for your loss. next time im faced with the choice of driving or not driving ill remember your friend and get a ride :)

Shirley Emerson 4-23-2007 @ 8:30PM

Such a shame that people can't just take a ride home in a cab (they are free for those who drink too much in my hometown of Louisville, KY). Stupid is as stupid does I guess but it sure does take a toll not only on the deceased and injured but their family and friends as well as the family and friends of the drunken driver. It is a lose-lose situation but some people just refuse to learn. Being drunk doesn't help anything. The drunk cannot make a rational decision. His brain is fermenting in alcohol. Most of these drunken drivers are repeat offenders who are alcoholic. We have to cure alcoholism before we can stop the insanity. How do we do that? I don't have an answer. I wish I did. Tell the family of the deceased officer that there are many support groups online at myspace and some of them are listed as friends on my page there. It doesn't take away the pain of losing a loved one but it does offer support from others who have been there and somehow that helps. For some a crusade to change the laws and make sentences longer is a consolation. This is a step in the right direction but I still think we have to tackle the problem of alcoholism before anything else will work. My deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the slain officer.

Brooke 4-23-2007 @ 8:32PM

being a young adult i am often faced with the decision to drive or not to drive. it is a decision that can change your life. i pity the person who takes a life while drinking and driving because one stupid choice can ruin so many lives. its sad to me that people hear stories like this and think it will never happen to them and then one day it does. i cant count how many people i see in one weekend drive home after drinking. i just dont think it registers in alot of peoples heads how much damage can be done with one choice. i am sorry for your friend and next time i am faced with the choice i will think of your friend and get a ride :)

Tiffany 4-23-2007 @ 9:08PM

You I can remember being young and leaving the clubs personally I never drank and drove, however I got into cars with others that were drunk, so I might as well had drove. However my eyes were opened horribly one night when my sister and her friends were on their way home from church and was hit by a drunk driver. I lived right down the road from the accident so I was on the seen before the cops were able to get the drunk out of there, to make a long story short the drunk was trapped in his truck and the cops had to pull me off of him. As I waited at the ER I began to think, you know I could have very well been a passenger with that drunk. Thankfully my sister ended up being ok, even though the cops cannot understand how she lived through it. Please stop the silliness if you have the money to go out and drink put a little money back to pay a cab to get you home safe. It is a shame that it takes someone losing there life or nearly losing a life to make a point.