Sumter County, South Carolina Woman speaks out! Her 12 year old son killed by a Drunk Driver
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Recently a Sumter County mother spoke out about her life since her 12-year-old son was killed in car crash when the pickup her and his father were traveling on Highway 378 was hit head on by an Ohio woman.
"Wonderful child, Great sense of humor, made people laugh all the time," says Tina Berry.
Christian's mom says she's still struggling with her emotions, but trying to channel her loss into constructive change.
"I just pray that people will think before getting into a car and drive drunk," says Tina Berry.
"I'm angry. Very angry. My mind races. I... I can't function," she said.
At the time of trial, The Highway Patrol charged the woman, 46-year-old Dianne Brown, with felony DUI. Shortly after, a judge released Brown on $50,000 bond, another blow for the boy's mother.
"It's hard for me to believe that she was bonded out and the bond being so low. That was hard for the family to accept," says Berry.
After hearing of the penalty placed on the driver of the vehicle, the Berry’s as well as other members of Christian's family say they feel let down by the court system and they want to work with MADD and state lawmakers to get tougher on drunk driving.
Instances such as this one, when a young 12 year olds life is taken is really heart- wrenching. An individual who could have potentially been a great asset to our global well-being instantly had his life taken by a drunk driver. Some individuals nowadays seem to disregard the seriousness of operating a vehicle while under the influence and fail to realize the damages they could potentially cause. All we can do is hope that penalties are increased and the severity of fines imposed upon the individuals who chose to get behind the wheel after drinking are increased as well.
Allegedly, a reform package is set to go into effect next year creates stiffer penalties for both first time and repeat offenders, establishes a new system of penalties based on intoxication levels and is supposed to get rid of loopholes that help defendants.