Drunk driving could steer someone’s life into disaster and is an issue plaguing our roads and communities. Despite concerted efforts to raise awareness and enact strict legal penalties, drinking and driving continues to claim lives and shatter families, including those in the Dominguez Hills community.
Longtime Carson resident Kevin Lynn knows that pain all too well. In September 1990, a drunk driver hit and killed Lynn’s 19-year-old brother, Terrance, who had been fixing a flat tire along the side of the 405 freeway.
“It kind of felt like it was a ‘Final Destination’ movie,” said Lynn, who was 15 years old when his brother died. “Myself, my dad, my mom, and even my siblings all think that we could have avoided this if we had done something different that day.”
Kevin said it’s difficult for some people to fully understand the real-world impact drunk driving often has on families and communities, especially without a personal connection to the issue.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), thirty-one percent of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunk drivers, and about a quarter of fatal crashes involve underage drinking drivers. The NHTSA explains that this is primarily due to their lack of driving experience and because they engage in a significant amount of risk-taking behaviors.
Drinking and driving puts everyone on the road at risk. Alcohol consumption impairs the driver’s ability to accurately assess and react accordingly. This compromised state can increase the likelihood of an accident, potentially endangering the lives of the impaired driver, other drivers, and pedestrian bystanders.
Terrance Lynn had been working at Stevenson Park at the time of his death, and in the aftermath of that tragic day, the city of Carson moved to commemorate his life. From 1991 until 2011, the city hosted the Terrance Lynn Memorial Basketball Tournament to help raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving. The tournament was a great cause, but bittersweet for Kevin Lynn.
“The event was a constant reminder every year of something that I lost,” Lynn said. “It deeply hurts my heart every year.”
Lynn said he wants people to know his older brother’s story, to help them remember the seriousness of drunk driving. He said life is precious but could be cut short at any time by people making bad decisions before they get behind the wheel.
“I believe all things happen for a reason, even if I don’t love that reason I still want to believe it,” Kevin said. “I want people to really cherish those moments with loved ones because drastic situations can occur and it can happen anywhere and anytime.”
