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Fairgoers get graphic reminder of impact of drunken driving

by TRICIA MANNING-SMITH / KING 5 News

KING5.com

Posted on September 5, 2010 at 3:56 PM

Updated Sunday, Sep 5 at 4:14 PM

MONROE, Wash. - Hidden amongst the food and the fun at the Evergreen State Fair is a crowd stopper.

"It's terrible, I just can't believe it," said a young mother passing by.

She's reflecting on a vision of stark reality. On display is the actual car where four people lost their lives.

This drunken driving booth forces Taylor Boguch and Gemma Barker to look twice at the smashed car with its bashed out windows and battered in door.

"This could have been one of our friends. I could have been in that car," said Barker.

That's exactly the harsh impact this crashed vehicle is designed to have. Volunteer Karl Christian explains the display to Taylor and Gemma. 

"All four people in the car ended up being killed by the drunk driver. None of them had anything to drink," he said.

It's frightening to think about, worse to live with. Two of the four victims were Debbie Howell's parents.

"Just knowing that my parents were inside that car... They're now gone," she said.

Howell helped put together the Evergreen State Fair display that features the actual car in which her parents died.

"I hope it affects somebody walking through that fair, seeing that car, seeing my parents' story," said Howell.

A drunken driver killed her parents, Tom and Hilda Woods, along with their friends, Brad and Melissa Agerup, last Nov. 29 on Highway 9.  The driver was sentenced to eight years for vehicular homicide.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I can't even imagine killing four people then having to live with that the rest of your life," said Taylor.

Taylor and Gemma's conversation is not one you'd typically expect at the fair, but it's one that may ultimately save a life.

 

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Comments: Displaying 1 - 14 of 14

mamabarista said on September 7, 2010 at 5:55 PM

I am glad this was on display. If just those two girls will refrain from drinkign and driving themselves, getting into a car with someone who has been drinking, if they take the keys away from a friend who has had somethign to drink, they may save their lives and their families (or the family of another) from the pain these three familys are facing right now.

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washingtongirl said on September 7, 2010 at 5:44 PM

My mom was killed in a drunk driving accident. The guy was sentanced to a year in jail. Well, he had already waited for over a year to be sentanced so not only did he walk out of the courtroom that day, he was compensated for "lost wages".

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sailsman said on September 6, 2010 at 7:41 PM

It's not about being drunk or sober, it's about taking responsibility for your own actions. It doesn't seem to matter if it's legal or illegal, that's only money. People are willing to take the chance that they "MIGHT" caught, and there's something wrong with that.

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sam66 said on September 6, 2010 at 11:32 AM

503 Method. I was sickened to read your comment. This WASN'T a drunk's car. These 4 wonderful people were killed by a DRUNK DRIVER. This was a senseless tragedy that have left 5 wonderful children without their parents. These were amazing people, who made a huge impact in not only their community, but also in our State. How dare you be so flippant. You write, (in poor grammar) "that ones not even as bad as most of the ones they show". DON'T YOU GET IT? 4 people were killed. Are you a moron? Even if one person was injured, or killed, that's a tragedy and the public needs to see this. I wish they would display this every place - at malls, grocery stores, liquor stores, schools, restaurants, bars and taverns - get the word out. Something has to be done about drunk driving. How many more innocent lives have to be taken because of sick, stupid, selfish people? Every morning we hear about another senseless tragedy. This has to stop.

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sumner_son said on September 6, 2010 at 8:26 AM

Maybe every football game at every high school needs to have one of these on display, to try to remind and hammer into to our young adults the tragic results of drinking and driving. That is one way to start the thought process early in a driver's life, and continue to reinforce those teachings throughout life in a very graphic way. Just this morning, according to news reports, two more lives were lost on area highways due to drinking and driving collisions. I drove past one of the scenes, and saw one of the mangled cars as it was loaded on the flatbed truck on my way to work. How many more will occur, before one of those lives lost will be someone you know and love?

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taylorb1 said on September 6, 2010 at 8:06 AM

It is both tragic and also disgusting to see the casual attitude so many people have about drunken driving...our society condemns it on one hand and then wink-winks at it on the other. I wish there was more publicity about it, and not less. To those disniterested types who don't like to see articles like this "taking up space" on line...as long as there is drunken driving, it should be front-page news. Thanks to Debbie Howell for her courage in bring this exhibit to the fair.

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503method said on September 6, 2010 at 12:34 AM

I agree. Must be a slow news day to waste the time writing an article about a drunks wrecked car being on show. They show them off all the time. And when it comes to drunks cars, that ones not even as bad as most of the ones they show. Their is a local cruise in here that has a ball of metal that used to be a ford mustang, every year. I get the whole drunk driving awareness aspect, but that doesn't mean it's any less of a "We need to add something to our site, but no ones getting killed.. Hey! Check out what I saw at the fair!"

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mlloyd said on September 5, 2010 at 9:28 PM

Comprehend if you can, the many impacted lives devastated by the abrupt loss of four people taken though a needless action of another. Collegeguy, you have not the life experience, nor have you yet suffered the kind of loss discussed here. It's like saying you know how much it hurts to have your finger slammed in a car door, except you have never even hit your finger with a hammer let alone slam it in a car door. You have no conception as to the horrendous loss. You have no perception of the roller coaster ride of emotions one goes through, wondering if the pain will ever stop, sitting at dinner at a restaurant only to have tears fall from the pain surfacing again. Until you do suffer a sudden loss of someone very close, be it a suicide of a brother or sister, or someone taken from you by a driver who drove drunken, comments you make questioning importance of anti DUI efforts are insipid.

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dasindog said on September 5, 2010 at 8:59 PM

The number 3 cause of death in America, Alcohol. So yes collegeguy, this should be front page news, and should continue until it's out of the top 10.

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mitchell99 said on September 5, 2010 at 7:54 PM

Collegeguy, what do YOU think should be on the front page, if not this story? Maybe some fluff story about the college football rivalries, or something about how lame our politicians are, or maybe something REALLY important, like which microbrewery makes the best beer? Any of those grab you? The impact of drunk driving is serious and it's IMPORTANT to get it out there and make people aware. I say splash it on the front pages of EVERY news organization. So what if something like this has been at state fairs before? It's not the method; it's the MESSAGE. That appears to have been lost on you.

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akrandy said on September 5, 2010 at 7:38 PM

Support MADD in making ALL cars so they don’t start for a drunk driver!! The technology is already here!!

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plutonomics said on September 5, 2010 at 6:19 PM

diamonddon...That will never happen because to many politicians get caught driving drunk.

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collegeguy said on September 5, 2010 at 6:11 PM

Sad story but really, is this front page material? They have had these displays at major fairs for some time now.

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diamonddon said on September 5, 2010 at 6:04 PM

Eight years is not near enough. It should have been eight years for each victim, a total of 32 years. As far as I am concerned they are not doing a very good job at slowing drunk drivers. There should be mandatory jail time for any DUI conviction, and if a first time no less than 6 to 12 months, then triple each time after that. The worst part is that the drunks usually kill innocent people instead of themselves. My condolences to Debbie Howell on the loss of her parents.

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