It has happened time and time again—an innocent person killed by a drunk driver.
For Telesforo Torres, getting arrested was the wakeup the call he said he desperately needed.
"I ended up going to a party,” Torres started. “I went to the bar and had a few drinks—from there I went to an after party and then left....coming home is when I got stopped. They got me for driving while intoxicated."
Torres was arrested and ended up having to shell out a pretty penny.
It was a wakeup call he needed—but one that was hard to take when it came his way.
“It was a horrible experience,” Torres said. “Getting arrested and going through the bailout process wasn't something that was really nice."
Still, it was something Torres said he needed in order to change his ways.
Luckily for him—it was only that one arrest and no one was injured in the process…
But had he not been caught he believes the outcome could have been different and he could have taken a life.
"I don't know how I would live with myself if I would've caused something like that."
Torres now spends his days educating people about drinking and driving. He uses his own story as an example of what could happen if a person is caught.
"I don't want to see this happen to another person,” Torres said. “It happened to me and it's unfortunate especially during the holidays."
Action 4 News contacted the Department of Public Safety and they told us they will be out in full force during the New Year holiday.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving are also getting involved and hope to make a difference.
For more information on what they do or if you are a person that was a victim of drinking and driving call 682-5928.
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