A fatal drunk driving story
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Come this time tomorrow, a lot of people will be preparing to celebrate the new year with a drink or two. Maybe three. And although the message ‘don’t drink and drive’ has been clear for decades, many still don’t fully understand the consequences of getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.
In fact this week, Hamilton police say a 26-year old Hamilton man was charged with impaired after getting into a crash. They say he got out of the car, put his hands in the air and told them he was intoxicated.
Here is another story from Hamilton’s past.
In the early morning hours of September 2nd, 2013, Brock Follows made a decision that changed the lives of all who knew him.
Follows was a popular student, an avid soccer player, and a loving son, brother and friend. He was entering his second year at Brock University when he made a fatal decision.
Kimberley Clark: “The phone rang. I knew something was wrong, something was terribly wrong. And the first thing that went through my head was which one of my children is dead.”
It was Brock. Kimberley’s 20-year old son.
By all accounts, Brock had everything going for him. His mother works for victims services at Halton Regional Police. His step father is a homicide detective at Peel regional. And they saw his decision to get behind the wheel of his car after drinking as so out of character for him.
Kimberley Clark: “Everything sort of wasn’t working in his favour that night. People around him did everything right. He was at a party and he was drinking they hid his keys they didn’t want him to drive and they did everything that they could but he managed to find the keys.”
He took those keys, drove home and then decided to go out for fast food.
Brock Follows was leaving a McDonalds in St. Catharines when he lost control of his SUV. He had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was texting at the time.
Mark Heyes, stepfather: “I wasn’t prepared for that. You know you’re prepared to sit down and have a cup of coffee with your family in the morning never prepared for that phone call. I’ve done it and had to deal with family members doing that but for me that was the hardest day of my life. I’ve had many days that’s been hard to grieve over this.”
Brock’s girlfriend Danielle Minnett was living in Kingston when she heard the news: “All of our friends from elementary school, I called them one by one and I said are you alone are you ok I need to tell you something and I need you to sit down while I am telling you this. Last night Brock got in a car accident he was making a left hand turn he lost control of his car and he hit a pole and he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and he didn’t make it. But I know he thought the world of you.”
And they thought the world of Brock. He won’t know that now. Nor will he know how deeply and painfully this has hurt all of those that he loved.
Bradley Follows, brother: “The only thing I have to remember from him is clothes and the smell of his clothes isn’t there anymore so you can’t really picture anything. It’s hard to see his face other than pictures. And it’s hard, and I can’t remember what my brother… I can’t remember a lot of things about him.”
Danielle Minnett: “And he had surprised me with a bouquet of roses and I just remember I was sitting on the floor rocking back and forth and thinking Brock’s dead and these flowers are alive and that couldn’t make sense to me.”
Kimberley Clark: “It was a tremendous loss, a tremendous loss to all of his friends to his family, you know because nothings ever the same. You have your Christmas, Thanksgiving, you have your holidays but there’s always an empty chair.”
Bradley Follows: “If you don’t want your family touch you when you’re cold, then don’t text and drive, don’t drink and drive cause it’s the worst feeling in the world, to feel someone that you love feel like an ice cube. It really is.”
Brock Follows family doesn’t know what more it will take to get the message through that drinking and driving kills. They just hope the lesson will be learned before someone else dies.
Hamilton police say impaired driving is a 100% preventable crime. They recommend planning ahead, making arrangements to take a taxi, stay overnight or use the HSR, which is free after 6pm tomorrow.
Police in Hamilton are just one of the many services that will be conducting ride spot checks starting early December 31st and well into January 1st, 2015.
