I Can’t Believe This Happened After This Mom Took A Selfie With Her Baby

For Corey and Destiny Mantia, high school sweethearts, it was like a dream come true when they got married and had a cute son three years later. But their happiness was not to last long. On September 20, 2014, the family of three met with a fateful blow that was going to leave a scar forever. They were driving in their minivan for an appointment across the town when an intoxicated driver rammed into them. Reports suggest that alcohol was the preliminary reason behind the accident. The driver, the prime accused, was on his way back from a wedding reception. Mantia’s 1.5-year-old son Parker died on the spot and Corey gave up his battle for his life less than 24 hours later. The woman who was with the intoxicated driver also died. As luck would have it, Destiny is alive, but with a mental scar to carry for life.

For the Mantias, they had all been wearing seat belts. But that did not spare them from the high-speed vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The woman was driving from Tennesse and crossed the center line and drive over the Mantias.

Destiny didn’t suffer any severe physical injuries. Although she doesn’t remember much about the accident, she does remember that her son loved watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and that is precisely what he was doing at the time in the backseat. This is not it. Destiny now carries the pain that she never knew existed simply on account of a woman who decided to drink and drive that fateful day.

She even dedicated a letter a year later expressing the pain that still lingers and has urged everyone through her letter to drive sober – ‘DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!” Read on for more:

Letter from:

This Facebook post of Destiny went viral gather more than 38,000 shares on Facebook.

She also says that something needs to be done about the very dangerous stretch of roads. The accident that occurred at Hawk Point on Highway 47 is just one of those roads that lack shoulders on a hilly and curvy road. The speed limit on that portion of Highway 47 is 55 miles an hour.

Although the verdict is still pending from the Missouri Highway Patrol, it serves as a big time lesson to all the readers to drive responsibly. Destiny says if her loss can work towards ending drunk driving, then losing her family would be worth the pain she feels.

Drunk Driving is considered a criminal offense in many parts of the world under several jurisdictions. Here are few facts about drunk driving in the US alone:

• 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license [1].

• Over 1.2 million drivers were arrested in 2011 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics [2].

• An average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before first arrest [3].

• The rate of drunk driving is highest among 21 to 25-year olds (23.4 percent) [4].

• Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunken driving crash [5].

• Drunk driving costs the United States $199 billion a year [6].

• Drunk driving costs each adult in the united states almost $800 per year [7]

• On average, two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime [8]

• In 2012, 29.1 million people admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol – that’s more than the population of Texas [9].

• Every day in America, another 28 people die as a result of drunken driving crashes [10].

• About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving are repeat offenders [11]

• In 2013, 10,076 people died in drunk driving crashes – one every 52 minutes – and 290,000 were injured in drunk driving crashes [12]

• Each day, people drive drunk almost 300,000 times, but fewer than 4,000 are arrested [13]

• A standard drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, which contain the same amount of alcohol [14]

• The average person metabolizes alcohol at the rate of about one drink per hour [15]

• Males were more likely than females (15.1 vs. 7.9 percent) to drive drunk [16]

• In fatal crashes in 2011, the highest percentage of drunk drivers was for drivers ages 21 to 24 (32 percent), followed by ages 25 to 34 (30 percent) and 35 to 44 (24 percent) [17]

• Drunk driving involvement in fatal crashes in 2011 was 4.5 times higher at night than during the day (36 versus 8 percent) [18]

• In 2011, 15 percent of all drivers involved in fatal crashes during the week were drunk, compared to 31 percent on weekends [19]

Bibliography:

1. (Peck, R.C., Wilson, R. J., and Sutton, L. 1995. “Driver license strategies for controlling the persistent DUI offender, Strategies for Dealing with the intent Drinking Driver.” Transportation Research Board, Transportation Research Circular No. 437. Washington, D.C. National Research Council: 48-49 and Beck, KH, et al. “Effects of Ignition Interlock License Restrictions on Drivers with Multiple Alcohol Offenses: A Randomized Trial in Maryland.” American Journal of Public Health, 89 vol. 11 (1999): 1696-1700.)

2. Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime in the United States: 2013”

3. Centers for Disease Control. “Vital Signs: Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Adults — United States, 2010.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. October 4, 2011.

4. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.” September 2011.

5. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013.

6. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013.

7. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013.

8. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013.

9. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, NSDUH Series H-46, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4795. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013.

10. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2014.

11. Fell, Jim. “Repeat DWI Offenders in the United States.” Washington, DC: National Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Traffic Tech No. 85, February 1995.

12. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data, 2014. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010.” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, May 2014, DOT HS 812 013.

13. Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime in the United States: 2013”

14. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention in the Medical Setting.” DOT HS 809 467. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, July 2002.

15. (Michigan State University. “Basic Alcohol Information.” East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University, 2003.)

16. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Crime in the United States: 2011”)

17. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2011: Alcohol-Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2012.)

18. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2011: Alcohol-Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2012.)

19. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Traffic Safety Facts 2011: Alcohol-Impaired Driving” Washington DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2012.)

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