Louisiana’s ag industry grows 27% since 2010
November 20, 2012Crime Blotter: Reported offenses in the Tri-parishes
November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving is the kick-off to the busiest time of year – the holiday season – for families across the country.
It also marks the kick-off for law enforcement’s busiest time of the year: DWI season.
“Drunk driving is the most frequent violent crime in America,” said Louisiana State Police Troop C commander Darrin Naquin. “More than 16,000 people are killed each year in impaired driving accidents. Thirty-eight people were killed in Troop C last year, and 21 of those killed were in alcohol or drug related accidents. Impaired driving damages families and the community. Zero for December is our highway safety awareness campaign to be free of highway fatalities through education and enforcement activities.”
Naquin was among several local law enforcement officers at the campaign’s kick-off ceremony, which also featured the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. The tree will remain at Troop C headquarters through the holiday season and, when a life is lost in an impaired driving accident in the area, a white light will be replaced with a red light.
“We want to bring awareness to the busiest time of year for DWIs,” said MADD Louisiana resource coordinator Valerie Cox. “This tree is decorated with photos from the community of loved ones who were killed in impaired driving accidents. Think twice before drinking and driving. This tree is full. The tree at the main office in Baton Rouge is full. We don’t want to add more, but we always do. This is a 100 percent preventable crime. Designate a driver.”
From the crowd of impaired driving victim’s families members attending the event, Josephine Rodrigue, MADD Bayou Region coordinator, stepped forward to tell her personal story of how her life was effected by an impaired driver, a story that brought many in the room to tears.
“In second grade, I fell in love with Elgin Lirette Jr.,” Rodrigue said as she showed his grade school photos. “He always made me laugh. At 16, he fell in love with me, and we were married at 17. We were married for 33 years and had five children and nine grandchildren. He loved his family. That’s what he lived for.”
Rodrigue continued through photographs of family gatherings and birthday parties before stopping at a photo of her husband sitting at a piano.
“In 2008, he took me to a bed and breakfast for my birthday, and I took a picture of him at the piano there,” she said. “Nine days later, he was gone. These are the last photos of him.”
On May 11, 2008, Lirette was traveling on La. Highway 1 south of Golden Meadow when his flatbed work truck was struck head-on by a northbound pickup truck driven by a 21-year-old drunk driver. The gas tank of the impaired driver’s pickup truck was damaged in the crash, along with the two diesel tanks on the flatbed, causing both vehicles to burst into flames. Both drivers were severely burned in the fire, and both died at the scene of the crash.
“Elgin’s body was burned beyond recognition,” Rodrigue said as she showed photos of the burned truck. “This is where he was sitting when he took his last breath. Our then-12-year-old grandson Mitchell had wanted to ride with him that day, but I told him no because it was Mother’s Day. I almost lost my grandson, too.”
“I had no money for a coffin,” she said, through tears, as she removed a wooden box from a bag. “We found this box at Hobby Lobby. My kids said this was the perfect box for him because it looked like a treasure chest, and he was a treasure.”
Over the past year, Rodrigue has shared her personal story with more than 500 DWI offenders.
“That’s too many,” Rodrigue said. “We have a problem in Louisiana. How many more are not being caught? Elgin’s death certificate says he was killed in an accident, but he was not killed in an accident. Drunk driving is not an accident. The police report from the crash said Elgin’s truck left a 220-foot skid mark. He saw that he was going to get hit. He didn’t have a choice that day – someone made it for him – but those of us who are still here do. We need to eliminate drunk driving.”
Rodrigue brings her husband’s ashes when she speaks at MADD’s victim impact panels.
“I let DWI offenders hold it so they can see the effects of drunk driving,” Rodrigue said. “If we help one person, it’s worth it.
“She is a strong woman,” said LSP spokesman Evan Harrell. “She works side by side with us so that we can be as successful and effective as we can be.”
“For several years, we offered cab rides for impaired drivers during the holidays, but no one took us up on it,” said Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter. “If you are drinking and driving, you are committing a crime. It is a split-second decision to save yourself or become a victim. Nobody wants that knock on the door after 2 a.m.”
“We will continue to educate about the dangers of impaired driving,” he said. “We will do our best to keep impaired drivers off the road.”
Friends and family members gather around the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Christmas tree at the Louisiana State Police Troop C office in Gray. In 2011, more then 30 people were killed in alcohol-related accidents in Troop C.
