by Alex Kent
Jonathan, Logan and Whitney Marie Young grew up in Valmonte. The neighbourhood their parents had moved to, from Torrance, was perfect: monthly luncheons, block parties, Christmas caroling – even a street directory. Then there were the trees… Eucalyptus, Jacarandas, California Pepper, Pine, Palm and Cork amply adorn the area.
But a promising future, a supportive family and a zest for life cannot stop the speeding car of a drunk driver.
In November of 2006, Whitney and some of her friends were walking back from entertainment near campus, enjoying the Southern California evening. As they were crossing Montezuma Road, terrible squeals of rubber on asphalt rushed toward them in seeming desperation, tangling with the group for a moment before racing on… leaving Whitney victim of a hit-and-run.
No parent should have to out-live a child is my first thought when I hear about the Young’s tragedy. I cannot fathom the depths of their loss because I know their pain is unfathomable.
Marlene, Whitney’s mom, recounts the details with tears in her eyes.
Whitney’s situation, unconscious and in seriously critical condition from head injuries, inspired one officer with four daughters of his own, to take an interest in the case and he returned to the scene of the crime. During his investigation a broken piece from the perpetrator’s car (that witnesses thought might be a Mitsubishi) was recovered and sent to police forensics. It turns out automotive paint is pretty specific to the model, make and year of a vehicle, so when the tests came back establishing that the car was, in fact a BMW, the officer now knew what to look for and returned again to the Montezuma neighbourhood. Cruising the area, he found a damaged BMW parked in a driveway. The broken piece of evidence… was a perfectly fit.
When the police knocked on his door he knew why they had come, though he said he thought he had hit a raccoon. He was arrested and charged with a felony for leaving the scene of an accident. Whitney died two hours after his arrest, making it manslaughter.
The District Attorney learned that the driver, a twenty-one year old male with a prior DUI, had been drinking since 4:00pm that fateful afternoon. He had been drunk at 6:00pm, still drunk at 9:00pm, continued to drink through to midnight and maintained his state of inebriation until 2:00am when he finally got behind the wheel. Studies have shown that “a first time convicted DUI offender has driven drunk an average of 87 times before they are caught”. He was a disaster waiting to happen.
Once the prior DUI was discovered and his drinking established, the charges were raised to second degree murder. He pled guilty to felony hit-and-run and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to eleven years in prison. He will probably only have to serve half that time. Whitney’s sentence, however, is forever.
Marlene and Steve addressed their grief by establishing the Whitney Young Children’s Foundation in order “to keep Whitney’s love of children alive” and to help children and young adults to triumph despite life’s challenges. Marlene is president of the Foundation, though her primary job is Director of Major Gifts at Providence Little Company of Mary Foundation. Whitney’s dad Steve, a Long Beach attorney, is Secretary of the Foundation and helps to inform sponsors about legislative progress in areas regarding the prevention of drunk driving. One such development is the recently passed law AB91 for the counties of Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare which requires a mandatory installation of an ignition interlock on all cars of convicted drunk drivers, preventing them from driving drunk and helping to decrease repeat offenses. The costs of the lock and installation are paid for by the DUI offender. In time, all cars may be installed with this equipment.
In all these efforts, the Young’s are not alone; MADD, Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, holds a walk-a-thon every year in Long Beach to raise money to further these and other community outreach programs. This year, the “Walk like MADD” annual 5K walk will be on Saturday, September 25th, at the Queen Mary events park. For more information and to walk with “Whitney’s All Stars”, one can contact the Young’s by email: msy@kyl.com .
These horrible details are just that: horrible. However, it is so often true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure - foreknowledge prevents catastrophes. It is hoped that this retelling can serve as an education and reminder that driving ‘under the influence’ can be a deadly affair. Please drive sober.
Whitney Marie Young
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