Mothers of Fatal DUI Crash Victims Share Experiences

When you get behind the wheel and drive while intoxicated, it is a conscious choice, one that could have deadly consequences, said Elisa Verdugo, the mother of a 16-year-old boy who was killed in such a crash two years ago.

Verdugo, 34, spoke at a Thursday news conference in San Jose alongside her friend, Sandra Cisneros, 38, the mother of an 18-year-old who died in the same crash on March 7, 2009. They wanted to raise awareness about driving under the influence and remember victims of those crimes.

"It's the worst loss," Verdugo said, as tears streamed down from her bloodshot eyes. "It was so senseless. And it all happened in two minutes, and now our families are left to suffer."

What transpired in those two minutes made an impact that Verdugo and Cisneros said they feel to this day.

Cisneros said some days she is unable to get out of bed and go to work. Verdugo said she has suffered significant weight loss and has developed heart problems.

For the past two years, both have undergone therapy twice a week. "It's really, really hard to live like this," Cisneros said, "every day that I wake up and I don't see my son."

Cisneros' son, Ralphy, was in his final year of high school and was getting ready to go to college. That day, he and Israel, his best friend and Verdugo's firstborn son, were visiting family at the Hilton hotel when a family friend stopped by and asked them to step out for a smoke.

Afterward, he asked them to go on a short drive with him. Not long after they all piled into the car, along with an acquaintance named Theresa, they slammed into a pole on Tasman Drive near the Great America theme park in Santa Clara. The car overturned, and the Jaws of Life was used to extricate the passengers.

Both Ralphy and Israel were killed. Theresa suffered a fractured collarbone and collapsed lungs, and is still emotionally traumatized, Cisneros said.

Immediately following the crash, Adam Mendoza, the then-20-year-old driver of the vehicle, ran from the scene. He was later arrested and charged with two counts of felony gross vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run resulting in permanent serious injury or death, and felony DUI. Mendoza pleaded guilty to the charges and on Oct. 4, 2010, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and Sheriff Laurie Smith teamed up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving for Thursday's awareness event held as part of a National Crime Victims' Rights Week.

"This is a persistent, tenacious problem that we have in our society," Rosen said.

It is a problem that in 2010 resulted in 6,558 misdemeanor DUI cases and 262 felony DUI cases, according to a district attorney's office report. Five of the felonies were cases of gross vehicular manslaughter resulting in fatalities.

Additionally, 124 people who were arrested on suspicion of DUI that year had a blood alcohol concentration of .30 or higher, nearly four times the legal limit of .08.

In 2009, 7,599 misdemeanor cases and 309 felony cases were filed. Six of those felonies resulted in fatalities.

Rosen said underage drinking is another serious issue in the community. From 2008-10, 185 youths were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in Santa Clara County.

"Drunken driving is not an accident," Smith said. "It is never an accident. It is a conscious decision."

Cisneros has four other young children, and Verdugo has three—but nothing can fill the void of losing a child, Cisneros said.

"Every day we wake up with a hole in our hearts." 

—By Bay City News Service