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A chance for the community to get involved in advocacy against drunken driving was passed up Thursday by residents of Kosciusko County.
A recruitment meeting for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers took place that evening at Warsaw Community Public Library. Three women associated with MADD were in attendance to explain the program and three police officers were there to show their support. There was an audience of zero.
Marie Greger-Smith, state chairman of MADD Indiana, was disappointed that nobody was interested in establishing a full-fledged MADD chapter in Kosciusko County. "I was hoping we'd have 15 or 20 people tonight, at least," she said.
Currently, two women in the county make up the MADD contingent. Yolanda Kuta and Pamela Hiers each had a child killed by a drunk driver. In fact, Kuta's son, Aaron Hatfield, 17, of Claypool, and Hiers' daughter, Heather Florey, 16, of Mentone, died in the same crash (MADD supporters believe drunken driving collisions are not accidents).
The two teenagers had a child together. Monica Hatfield, then age 1, was injured in the crash that claimed her parents' lives, as well as the life of 12-year-old Tyler Bartley of Claypool. Bartley's sister, Tiffany Bartley, then 13, also was injured in the crash.
The driver convicted in the drunken-driving deaths of the three in the June 2, 1998, accident at the intersection of Zimmer and Crystal Lake roads in Warsaw is serving a 28-year sentence.
Kuta and Hiers, as representatives of MADD, conduct the monthly Victims Impact Panel sessions that Kosciusko County judges sentence defendants of many alcohol offenses to attend. They said there are 40 to 50 people per month in the audience of the court-ordered meetings.
The mission of MADD "is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking."
In 2000, 270 people were killed and 6,364 people were injured as a result of drunken driving in Indiana, according to information provided by Greger-Smith. Nationwide, 16,653 people were killed and 630,000 were injured in 2000.
Pamphlets and other MADD-related items are available for parents and others to gain information about the dangers of drinking and driving and of underage drinking.
At least 15 members are needed to make the organization in Kosciusko County a full-fledged chapter.
For more information about MADD, contact Greger-Smith at 800-247-6233.
