Catarino Olvera lost his right leg about 15 years ago.
He’s been wearing a prosthetic leg ever since.
Olvera said doctors removed his leg, after he was involved in a head-on crash with an alleged drunk driver.
"I don’t have a very positive opinion of people who drive drunk,” Olvera said. “My own flesh and blood suffered in the accident, so for me, it's very hard to tolerate a drunk driver."
The accident happened in Washington State – the alleged drunk driver died along with his passenger.
Brownsville Police said this is just one of the consequences that people aren't taking into consideration, and their New Year’s weekend jail log, supports that notion.
There were a total of 17 DWI arrests made by Texas Department of Texas Troopers and Brownsville Police.
"People are maybe just not aware of actually what the consequences are of getting arrested for DWI (are),” Investigator J.J. Treviño said. “First of all, you're going to injure yourself or injure somebody else, and maybe get someone killed."
Checker's Taxi in downtown Brownsville had only five calls New Year’s weekend from people looking for a safe drive home.
Olvera said more people need to use taxi services, because although not everyone will die in a drunk driving accident, lives can be tremendously turned upside down.
"This completely changed my life,” Olvera said. “I was used to working every day - now I’m considered disabled and I can’t work anywhere. That changed the course of my family's life - because now I depend on a check from the government."
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