On September fifth- only two and a half weeks into my freshman year at Marquette University, two students- Scott Michaud and Noah Snyder- were killed in a car accident by an impaired driver. It was a devastation to the entire student body. These boys were members of the Marquette Division 1 men’s lacrosse team, were actively involved in their schoolwork, and were treasured by all those who knew them. A memorial mass was held two days later, and even now, almost three months later, students continue to honor the memorial set up for them at Marquette’s  Joan of Arc Chapel. Whenever I think of them, one thought always comes to my mind- perhaps a sign of what I value most, perhaps a reflection of my own fears: Of all places, they were supposed to be safe here, at this place that we all call home.. This was the first impaired driving death I’ve ever personally been impacted by- something I am extraordinarily lucky to be able to say- there are far too many people who cannot. Of course, having only had my drivers license for two years, in my own drivers ed courses, I very recently learned about the causes and consequences of impaired driving- distraction, fatigue, alcohol, drugs, and the resulting fines, licensing repercussions, and jail time - it was all covered. However, some of these ideas- specifically those around the use of  recreational drugs like marajuana, as its use has become legal in many US states- are newer, and have only made their way into driver education in the past few years - and thus may not have been presented to drivers who completed their drivers ed training before this became an element of the curriculum, like the 41 year old driver, already in the possession of one OWI charge- whose recklessness in driving under the influence led to the deaths of Scott and Noah, as well as the injuries of four other students.

In this case, the driver was under the influence of at least two, if not more of the most common driving impairment factors- alcohol and recreational drugs. She was clearly impaired, as noted by first responders, with bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and poor balance. She was also noted by one officer to have been clearly smelling of alcohol. An open beer can was found immediately behind the driver's seat and a marajuana grinder containing THC were found in her car, and her blood alcohol concentration was later measured at 0.133%, well over the legal limit of 0.08 % in the state of Wisconsin. She also admitted to having consumed two malt drinks before getting into the car. Both marajuana and alcohol are drugs classified as depressants, and would have slowed down the driver’s reaction time, worsened her decision making abilities, and also affected her depth perception, all of which could explain how the accident occurred, as she accelerated from a stop to make a left hand turn on a yellow light, resulting in her vehicle slamming into the car Scott and Noah were riding in.

In the wake of the tremendous grief this brought to our community, I do have to wonder if this was a preventible occurrence- if continued driver education- something for which I am an enormous advocate, after personal experience with older drivers who drive more recklessly than any teen driver I know- could have prevented these young men’s death. If the driver had better understood the effects of intoxicated driving- perhaps from a brief mandatory refresher session every five or ten years- would the accident still have occurred? If she was under the influence of just one instead of both drugs, would she have been aware enough to prevent the accident? So many things that I, the Marquette community, and Scott and Noah’s parents are left to wonder in the aftermath of their deaths. Tragically, these questions must stay ‘what-if’s. Scott and Noah were killed, the driver will face up to 80 years in jail for their deaths, and the world will continue to spin. All that’s left to do is to go forward from this tragedy and use it as a reminder and a lesson of the dangers of impaired driving in the world around us- I hope that personally, in honor of Scott and Noah, I am able to share the devastation of this case with others, in hopes that they will take it to heart, and remember to drive safely, so that senseless deaths like these may come to an end, once and for all.