WATCH: MADD Montreal came out Friday to remind people to think before they get behind the wheel this summer season. Global’s Sarah Volstad reports.
DORVAL – MADD Canada president Angeliki Souranis knows only too well the heartache of losing a loved one.
Her son Craig was killed by an impaired driver in 2008.
He was only 20 years-old.
“I think any loss of a family member, a loved one, is devastating,” said Souranis.
“I think when it’s entirely preventable, it hurts.”
MADD Canada came out Friday to reconfirm its commitment to stop impaired driving and support victims.
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“I didn’t want anybody to experience the same kind of pain and grief that I and my family have,” said Souranis.
Members and supporters of MADD Montreal gathered in Dorval for a commemorative event to honour the victims and survivors of impaired driving.
They tied red ribbons to a tree they adopted last year as a symbol of life, growth and family.
“The tree was planted as a memorial for all the people who have died through drunken driving,” said Father John Walsh, who presided over the ceremony.
MADD Montreal also premiered their latest public service announcement just in time for the beginning of festival season.
“It will be shown in the metro stations between June 22 and 28 – in other words right around the Fête Nationale, St-Jean-Baptiste and the beginning of the Jazz Festival in which it’s well known that a lot of drinking occurs,” said James Lawler, co-founder of MADD Montreal who lost his mother to a drunk driving crash in 1994.
The event comes one week after a drunk driver struck two joggers in Hudson.
One of them suffered serious injuries.
“That bar made every effort to have a shuttle bus,” said Lawler.
“They planned ahead, which is one of our main messages and still this gentleman decided to ignore that.”
MADD hopes Montrealers enjoy all the activities the city has to offer in a responsible manner.
“Have a great time,” said Souranis.
“Just separate the drinking…from the driving. That’s all we ask.”
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