A ceremony in conjunction with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week was held this morning on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol.
Participants included MADD Colorado, the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Gov. Bill Ritter has signed a proclamation declaring April 13-19 Colorado’s Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The proclamation highlights those victims and survivors who have been affected by drunken-driving crashes.
“Beyond the more than 200 Coloradans killed each year in drunk driving crashes are countless other victims who have survived with terrible losses and grief,” said a statement from Pam Hutton, chair of the DUI task force and the Governor’s Representative for Highway Safety for the Colorado Department of Transportation. “It is important to stand with those victims and show them support as we continue to battle against the serious crime of impaired driving and prevent future needless tragedies.”
Christy Lovejoy is one of those victims.
On Jan. 17, 2004, 18-year-old Lovejoy’s car was hit head-on on C-470 by a bartender — a drunken bartender.
The bartender, who had a blood-alcohol reading of 0.28, was driving east in the westbound lanes of C-470 without his lights on.
The bartender suffered a broken ankle.
In addition to 22 broken bones, Lovejoy, now 22, suffered extensive brain damage.
Her mother, Tammy Lovejoy, said today that while Christy’s survival was a blessing, “the Christy we knew died that night.”
For his drunken driving, the bartender got three years in prison, serving a total of 10 months.
“Three out of every 10 people in Colorado will be affected by a drunk driving crash at some point in their lives,” Emily Tompkins, MADD Colorado’s State Executive Director, said in a statement.
“MADD, as a member of the DUI task force, wants to make sure that all victims and survivors of impaired driving crashes receive victim support. Their lives are irrevocably changed, as are the lives of their families and friends.”
