DRINKING
Continued from Page 1
or dismiss them
Among those who spoke Thursday was Rill
Rice, president of Lane County's Mothers Against
Drunk Driving
Rice told the crowd the story of his 26-year-old
son. Michael, who was killed by a 16-year-old
high school student in December 1666 The boy
was racing from one party to another. Rice said,
and was drunk whon he smashed into Michael’s
car.
Michael had started a business. The Pizza An
swer. in 1985 with his identical twin brother.
Mark. Michael was out on a delivery near Agate
Street when ho was hit.
Rice, who was living in Tacoma at the time,
tells the crowd about the call he got from Mark,
the drive to Eugene with his wife, and the first
time ho sot foot in Sacrod Heart Hospital
"The nurse talked to us for a few minutes about
what to expect when wo went in them." Rice
said, "but she could have talked for three or four
days and it wouldn't have prepared us for what
we saw."
Michaol was hooked up to "ovory machine you
could think of." He had been thrown from the car
and sufferer! severe brain dumage.
His mother, Carol, held his hand that day and
thought she felt Michael squeeze it. Rice said
They hoped for the best, but it was not to be.
Rice spent the next several days, Including
Christmas, in the hospital with Michaol.
"I had more conversations with Michael during
those 10 days than I had ever had with him Im
foro,” Rice said, us some audience members be
gan to cry. "I remember Michael every day. and
now that it's getting close to Christmas, it's hard
again."
Michael remained in a coma for 11 days and
died Dec. 30.
Rice now co-awns The Pi/./.a Answer with
Mark, who recorded an award-winning Public
Service Announcement about the accident and
the phone call he made to his parents telling
them what had happened
Above the office door is a picture of Michael
and his yellowing obituary
Rice looks at the photo and talks about what it
is that compels him to speak at high schools, at
the University, at the panels and to so many other
audiences.
"It is hard.” he said "A lot of us get burned out
and have to stop speaking for awhile
"My motives, I feel, are worthy." Rice said
"Every once in a while I wonder if I try to keep
Michael alive through this I really don't want to
forget him. Not a day goes by that I don t think of
him
"But the pain s not there like it was that first
year The first year was like someone tearing the
inside of my stomach out every time I thought of
‘Every once In a while I
wonder If I try to keep Michael
alive through this. I really
don’t want to forget him. Not a
day goes by that I dont think
of Mm.’
— Bill Rice,
L ane County MADD president
him "
And Kice knows he's making a difference Kids
often thank him after a presentation and even
Thursday's crowd told him how much they ap
preciated the efforts The audience fills out com
ment cards after each panel und, with only two or
three exceptions, the comments are overwhelm
ingly positive.
''I've opened my eyes to things that didn't seem
important before.” one person wrote "Victims
are real, not news stories, and 1 know now 1 could
bo a victim or a killer."
"I fool lucky that I was the only one who will
regret what I did," one wrote
"1 understand that I was wrong, and I. Ish>. have
lost a loved one to a drunk driver," another
wrote "That is why 1 fi*el so low for what I've
done I don't think people realize the pain they
can cause until they are in a program like this I
hope it affixes others like it did me."
Several of the comments are directed specifical
ly at thanking Donny Durrani, u speaker who lie
gan by telling the crowd, "When I hx>k at you all.
I'm looking at a reflection in a mirror I was just
like you "
Durrunt. who broke his nock when he crushed
his car in 1976 when he was 22. has no fueling
below his chest, cannot walk and has very limited
use of his hands and arms
Durrunt started drinking at IS. dropped out of
school, and soon became an alcoholic, he said At
that time, drinking and driving laws were not
what they are now He was often stopped and just
told by police offic ers u> pour out his Injur and go
home. Durrunt said
One Saturday night, after a lot of beer and
whiskey at a party, Durrunt headed home with a
young passenger His last memory of the night is
leaving her house after dropping her off
His irash left hint with a broken n«i and In
the hospital for four and a half months But the
crash came after he had been stopped three times
that night hv officers, all of whom let hirii go with
only minor ( nations
"All those times the policemen made me pour
my beer out, they didn't do my any favors," Dur
rani said "The three times I was let go the night
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