Mothers Against Drunk Drivers to hold ‘Day of Remembrance’

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is hosting a nationwide Day of Remembrance to honor those killed and injured in car crashes involving drunk and drugged drivers on Thursday, and a local vigil is taking place in Fairview Heights.

Kim Dillard, a MADD member who hosts a support group at St. Paul’s Church on West B Street in Belleville for those affected by DUI drivers, organized the local event. Her son Ethan was injured in a crash involving a DUI driver last year.

Families and friends of victims are invited to attend the vigil to pray and have conversation with others affected by DUI. The hour-long vigil will start at 6 p.m. at the Lake View Memorial Garden chapel at 5000 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights.

“This (vigil) is the first in this area, and we’re going to try and keep it going,” Dillard said. “We’re trying to get anybody who lost a loved one. We’ll have a little prayer, show pictures of people that have been injured or lost, just converse, telling them they can come to the support group.”

In 2013, the most recent year for which complete data was available, 10,076 people died as a result of drunk driving crashes, according to MADD. An additional 290,000 people were hurt in drunk driving crashes.

Suspected drunk driving crashes have made headlines in the metro-east this year.

On Oct. 10, single mother Samantha Miller, 27, of Swansea was killed on Interstate 255 near Maryville when she experienced car trouble on her way to roller derby practice. With her three children still in the car, Miller left the vehicle to check on the problem when she was struck by a pickup truck driven by 38-year-old Steven L. Willis.

State police say Willis had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 at the time of the crash, over the 0.08 legal limit. He has been charged with aggravated DUI.

On Jan. 10, a head-on collision that occurred on Illinois 159 between Hecker and Red Bud claimed the lives of friends Abigail Liefer, 19, of Ruma and Hannah Porter, 20, of Red Bud. The car they were in collided with a car driven by Crystal Steinheimer, 21, of Red Bud.

Steinheimer was hurt in the crash bud survived. Her blood alcohol content at the time of the crash was 0.179, according to police. She was charged in May with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI.

“We’re just trying to get people aware of this. I’m hoping that this vigil will do that,” Dillard said. “Please think before you get behind the wheel.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers to hold ‘Day of Remembrance’."