Lifelong impact
TRURO, N.S. - It’s been more than 26 years since Susan Macaskill lost her dad.
The painful memories of his last 10 days have never waned.
“Sometimes it seems like forever, sometimes it seems like yesterday,” she said. “It is constantly on my mind.”
Her father and stepmother were driving through Glenholme when a drunk driver crossed into their lane.
“When they crested the hill there was a car on their side. So, that man hit them head on,” she said.
For the next 10 days her father laid in the hospital in a comatose state until Macaskill and her family had no choice but to say goodbye.
“Having to say, ‘yes you have our permission to turn life support off,’ that is the toughest decision I have ever had to make in life,” she said.
Her dad was 68, Macaskill was 38.
And the “unfairness” of having to make that fateful decision, despite the fact her father was already clinically dead, has stayed with her.
“I can’t measure anything else up against that,” she said.
The other driver was treated for nonlife-threatening injuries. A case of open beer and bottle of rum were found in his car and his blood/alcohol, taken a number of hours later, still registered almost three times the legal limit. He was sentenced to three and a half years in jail. He served a mere portion of that time.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in Nova Scotia was still in its infancy at that time. With a desire to do something positive, and channel her heartbreak and anger, Macaskill decided to volunteer with the organization. She now serves as regional director for MAAD Canada and May will mark 25 years since she joined.
Despite the increase in fines and penalties and public education initiatives developed in the interim, the message about the dangers and risks of impaired driving is still missing the mark too many times, she said.
“There is no factor of ignorance or not knowing anymore. But people will take the risk because the likelihood of being caught is still very minimal,” she said.
Part of that reason, Macaskill said, is policing numbers are stretched to the limit and there are drivers still willing to take the risk of getting caught.
And while laws have changed that enable spot checks and mandatory roadside screenings for alcohol and drugs, social media sharing of those locations often hampers efforts.
“There’s no one simple thing that is going to solve this problem. Ultimately, it comes down to everyone making a responsible choice. If you are going to be out socializing or you are going to be at a party, have a safe plan to get home,” she said. “Don’t risk hurting yourself or anyone else.”
Not only are lives needlessly taken, the effect on survivors lasts a lifetime.
“I still felt so violated and angry and just ripped off I guess, because in my imagination I wanted a different outcome,” she said.
“I feel that we missed out on so many things in life. He was a very vibrant family man, full of life. Certainly a leader a protector, World War II vet, loyal employee …
“I think of him every day and wonder what would have been.”