WACO, Texas — The month of December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, dedicated to spreading awareness of the dangers of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.
For the Scott Family, a drunk driving crash changed their lives forever almost 18 years ago, and to this day, they are still spreading awareness of the dangers of drunk driving.
"I have basically been living a life of hell for the past 17 and a half years," Laura Scott, a drunk driving victim said.
On July 22. 2003, Laura Scott and her two children, Tyler and Katie were driving home from visiting family, when their lives changed forever.
"We were hit head-on by a drunk driver," Scott said.
Laura and her children were rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors worked on them for hours, but 12-year-old Tyler didn't make it.
"They just couldn't save him, his injuries were too severe," Scott said.
Laura was put in a medically induced coma due to her injuries but when she woke up, her nightmare continued.
"I found out that everyone had just come back from Tyler's funeral," Scott said. "Not being able to go to your own child's funeral is really hard. I will never have that closure, I will never have that healing part."
In 2020 alone, 1,365 people were killed while on Texas roads due to drunk driving.
"There are more deaths on the highway during this period of time than the rest of the year," Reita Hill, Victim Advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Central Texas.
According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, during the holiday months, 40% of highway deaths are alcohol-related.
"Their lives are forever changed, their lives are in a completely different direction," Hill said.
And the Scott Family knows that firsthand, as now almost 18 years later Katie suffers from PTSD from the crash, and Laura has only recently been able to walk on her own due to her injuries.
"My right hip, my right thigh, both of my knees, both of my lower legs, my right ankle, all of that is metal," Scott explained.
But despite the countless surgeries, one wound that will never mend is the loss of her son.
"There's a hole in my heart that has never healed, and will never heal," Scott said.
If you would like to help victims of drunk driving, you can visit MADD of Texas for more information.
