UPDATED 1/11/21
Jacqui Saburido, the face of the anti-drunk driving campaign since 1999, has passed away at age 40 after her fight with cancer.
Saburido was affected by one of many Americans who makes a life-changing mistake every day: drinking while driving. In 1999, Saburido and her friends were returning from a party in Austin, TX when a drunk driver hit their car head-on.
As the front-seat passenger, Saburido suffered third-degree burns on 60% of her body when the car erupted in flames following the crash. Two of the other passengers were able to make it from the wreck.
She survived this wreck, though two other passengers in the car were not so lucky. Natalia Chyptchak Bennett and Laura Guerrero were killed on the scene.
As a result, Saburido had to undergo more than 100 operations. Because she was a recent immigrant from Venezuela without health insurance, the total costs crested more than $5 million over the next few years. She was currently discussing further skin grafts in Guatemala when she lost her fight to cancer.
The drunk driver in question, Reggie Stephy, was convicted of manslaughter by one of Texas’ 70,000 attorneys in 2001. He was released after serving seven years in prison in 2008.
The Texas Department of Transportation notes that the accident “scorched her eyes and left her blind; melted off her hair; took her ears, lips, nose, and eyelids; and robbed her of the use of her hands.”
In an effort to teach others about the painful repercussions of drunk driving, Saburido used her new appearance as a warning to the countless people who perform this dangerous activity each day. Even though three in four people cope with speech anxiety, Saburido was able to reach an estimated one billion people with her powerful anti-drunk driving campaign.
With the help of the Texas Department of Transportation, she was able to traverse the state, making stops to local schools. She even appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s show twice. Her anti-drunk driving campaigns were featured in countries as distant as Australia.
“Even if it means sitting here in front of a camera with no ears, no nose, no eyebrows, no hair, I’ll do this a thousand times if it will help someone make a wise decision,” Saburido once said.
This is essential for the 73% of Millennials who regularly drink liquor, beer, and wine. The legal limit dictates that your blood alcohol content (BAC) cannot exceed more than .08% in order to properly drive a vehicle. However, it’s always recommended that you rely on a sober driver while drinking.
According to Saburido’s family, the advocate died from cancer in Guatemala where she moved several years earlier for better medical treatment.
Every 50 minutes in the US, a drunk driver kills someone. In 1999, two of those fatalities died in the same accident, their friend survived. Although she incurred significant injuries, including burns that robbed her of hair, eyebrows, eyelids, ears, most of her nose, and the use of her hands, she began working as an educational spokesperson to warn people of the dangers of driving drunk. She continually worked toward as full a recovery as possible while advocating the dangers of drinking and driving.
Twenty years following the accident, she succumbed to cancer, but her memory lives on, as does the educational initiatives she started. To reduce the number of people killed in drunk driving accidents each year from more than 10,000, she advocated a simple solution. If you drink, ride with a sober driver. Do not drink and drive.
Until her death, Jacqui Saburido Garcia appeared in television interviews, at public speaking events, gave interviews for print publications, organized educational opportunities, fundraised for organizations that support sober driving. Although she never achieved her goal of a face transplant, the beauty of her spirit helped to shape the movement to stop drunk driving and to provide options for rides home for those inebriated.
After Car Accident What to Do
Her plight as a recent immigrant to the US from Venezuela also brought to light the need for a superb auto accident lawyer, especially those without health insurance.
Most articles explaining after an auto accident what to do talk about filing an auto damage report. Saburido would have told you how to avoid an accident if possible. If you have been in an accident, her story can provide inspiration for your recovery.
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