ARLINGTON The family of 16-year-old Arlington High School junior Josh Crolley made sure newly licensed teen drivers and their parents took their responsibilities seriously.
Crolleys parents, John and Sue, and his aunt, Heather, were among several relatives of young automobile collision victims to attend a collision awareness and education event conducted by the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office June 9.
Crolley died April 18 when the car he was driving struck a tree, and as his parents and aunt spoke in the Linda M. Byrnes Performing Arts Center, they burst into tears at how much theyd lost and at how preventable that loss was.
He drove me to the doctors office, the grocery store and everywhere else I needed to go, said Sue Crolley, who is unable to drive herself. He was more experienced than most adult drivers, and he never, ever sped. He drove better than anybody in my family and thats why I cant understand why hed do something so stupid, that would take his own life away.
Doug Gold, a detective with the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office Collision Investigation Unit, invited speakers such as the Crolleys to drive home the message that it only takes a single instance of excessive speed, intoxication or even simple inattention to end a life.
This affects everyone, no matter who you are, no matter where you live in this country, said Gold, who estimated that automobile collisions would result in at least 600 fatalities in Washington state, and as many as 60 fatalities in Snohomish County this year alone.
The Collision Investigation Unit presented a live demonstration of the severity of automobile collisions in the AHS parking lot. Not only did they use a dummy to show how far a pedestrian would fly through the air when struck by a vehicle traveling at only 35 miles per hour, but they also displayed a number of vehicles that young drivers had died in, including the car driven by Josh Crolley.
Mothers such as Stanwoods Ada Stamp and Lynnwoods Kathy Davis described how both of their teenage sons died last year, by combining excessive speed with intoxication, while Stanwoods Joey Calavan was remembered by Gina, the drunk driver whose actions resulted in his death three years ago.
I thought you all should hear the other side, said Gina, who was 19 years old at the time of the collision. I took his life. I spent two and a half years in prison working on myself, but it only takes one second to kill somebody and I never thought it would happen to me. Its affected my family, my friends, but most of all, Joey and his family. They hate me and I can never make amends. Im clean and sober now because Im living for Joey, because he never got to do all the things that teenage boys are supposed to do.
Deborah Hollis and Shannon Impitt, investigators with the Snohomish County Medical Examiners Office, shared photos of collision scenes to illustrate how much damage can be done by momentary carelessness, after which John Cummings, another detective with the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office Collision Investigation Unit, wrapped up with the events main message.
People call these accidents but theyre not, Cummings said. If youre speeding, or intoxicated, or not paying attention, its not an accident. Its a collision. Its a bad choice. No excuses, no exceptions.