DUI victim survivor sharing story to save lives

Oct. 08--April 30, 2014, started like any other day for Jodene Lopresto, but it would change her life forever.

That morning, Lopresto kissed her two boys goodbye and left her Lexington home. She was just outside of Asher on a small, two-lane bridge on US 177 when an impaired driver hit her head on, at speed, while trying to pass.

The driver, Audrey Estelle Farrington, tested positive for methamphetamine, lidocane, dextromethorphan and midazolam.

"She didn't brake," Lopresto said. "She pushed my car 98 feet. The photos kind of tell you everything. It took 30 staples to close me up. I was filleted like a fish."

Lopresto suffered a broken sternum, her jaw was broken in two places, her chin fractured in four. She had broken legs, severe head trauma, massive internal injuries and a slew of other major injuries.

She said her doctor described her legs as "trees in an ice storm."

"I don't remember what the car was, I just remember a white SUV coming straight at me," she said. "The next thing I remember was waking up for a brief moment in ICU."

After five days in intensive care, she said doctors moved her to another room. She remembers being awake, but that's about it.

Doctors would remove multiple feet of damaged intestinal tissue and performed various other operations to save her life and repair her traumatic injuries.

But before she got to that point, her heart had already stopped, twice -- once as she was rushed to OU Medical Center via helicopter and a second time as she arrived.

"I coded twice," she said. "I died. They had to bring me back."

Now, more than three years later, she calls April 30 her rebirth day. She said it's a reminder of what could have been, and of the skillful, caring efforts of the staff at OU Medical Center.

She also thanked her "heroes" in the Ada Fire Department.

"They knew I only had minutes," she said. "They all saved my life."

Following her recovery, she began to share her experience in the hopes it could help prevent a similar tragedy befalling another. She made one such appearance during Norman's National Night Out last week.

She said she speaks at schools and other functions, not just for herself or the organization she represents -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) -- but for those who have died.

"Every time I speak I'm their voice, because they're never going to get to speak," she said. "I use it to help bring others some justice. For every single crash where someone is caught and they're arrested for a DUI, several are never caught, never tested, still out there.

"We don't show enough of the reality ... This is all raw emotion, pure from my heart. I know there are other survivors and families that are going through these things and grieving because they've lost someone. We don't want anymore victims. That's what this is about."

She said MADD's efforts in Oklahoma have yielded some positive results, like Senate Bill 643, which Gov. Mary Fallin recently signed into law.

The law, which takes effect Nov. 1, will require all first-time drunk driving offenders to install an ignition interlock on their vehicles for at least six months and requires them to complete the newly-created Impaired Driver Accountability Program.

MADD Oklahoma Program Director Loretta Denman said it's a positive step and has led to a reduction in recidivism in other states.

"Taking a license away from someone does not mean that they're not going to drive their vehicle," she said. "It makes sense to let them drive, but this will keep people safe and save lives.

"Having the saturated patrols is a key component, as well as having the law enforcement DUI checkpoints."

Ultimately, Denman said she believes drunk driving can end because it's 100 percent preventable.

Lopresto said it's especially troubling and irresponsible today because there are so many options available for those in need of a sober ride.

"Have a plan," she said. "Have a designated driver, or walk, or something, but you should definitely never be in a vehicle, because this is not worth it. It's not fair. It's not just my family's lives that have been affected, there are countless."

For survivors like Lopresto, psychological healing can be an even longer process than physical recovery.

She said she still struggles with that bridge, which is now four lanes. She can feel the anxiety well up as she approaches, and it doesn't simply melt away as it recedes in her rear view mirror.

That's another area where she believes MADD can help.

"It's hard to relate sometimes," she said, "and it can be isolating. I want people in the community to know that MADD is out there and that they're not alone."

In 2016, Norman police made 341 arrests related to impaired driving, including 91 for aggravated DUI (blood alcohol concentration equal to or exceeding .15).

Norman Public Safety Information Officer Sarah Jensen said impaired driving enforcement and education are major priorities for the Norman Police Department, and enforcement and public education projects aimed at impaired driving are hosted at least once a month.

"We also launched Operation Cadence, a traffic safety operation, on July 4, 2016," Jensen said. "Named in memory of Cadence Gordon, who was tragically killed in a collision caused by a driver under the influence of narcotics in Norman on Labor Day in 2013, the operation focuses on safe driving with an emphasis on reducing impaired driving."

Jensen said Operation Cadence is hosted various times throughout the year, with a special emphasis on holidays, where drinking and driving is prevalent.

Jensen said education and enforcement efforts, from high-visibility patrols to checkpoints, make a difference, but it ultimately comes down to people making responsible choices, choices that could mean the difference between life and death.

"No one ever thinks that they will be the impaired driver that causes a crash," she said. "Unfortunately, the reality is that every individual who gets behind the wheel impaired risks not only their own life but the lives of everyone else on the roads. The actions of those who choose to drive after consuming alcohol, using drugs or taking impairing medications can, and all too often, have devastating consequences for themselves and others."

After fleeing the state, Farrington was sentenced in February to five years in prison, with five years of probation. For Lopresto, the long road of healing continues, but she said the crash has given her a new purpose.

"I know why God brought me back," she said. "If I can save one life, it's worth it."

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