REGINA – Eighteen-years-ago Ted Gross made the decision to drink and drive. On May 31, 1998 he got behind the wheel three-times above the legal limit, blew a red light and crashed into another car killing 21-year-old Melissa Hoeving.
I still have guilt, I still have remorse and I still think about it all the time. These aren’t easy things to deal with but you know I did the crime so this is part of the sentence.
Unfortunately, Gross’ story isn’t unique. Saskatchewan maintains the highest rates of impaired driving incidents in the country. Just Tuesday, a Moose Jaw man was sentenced to four years in prison after a drunk driving crash that killed three of his friends in 2013.
In response to the countless headlines, Gross shared his story with Teri Fikowski in hopes of spreading the message about the lifelong consequences of impaired driving.
Q: Ted, eighteen-years-ago you made the decision to get behind the wheel drunk. To this day how has it impacted your life?
A: Well, it seems like a long time ago but it really wasn’t. It’s one of the consequences that I live with every day. To anyone that’s thinking about drinking and driving or drinks and drives, these are the consequences that people don’t think about prior to getting in the vehicle; I still have guilt, I still have remorse and I still think about it all the time. These aren’t easy things to deal with but you know I did the crime so this is part of the sentence.
As far as my sentence goes – three-and-a-half years for a life? Do I think it’s fair? No, I don’t.
Q: You were sentenced to three and a half years. There has been a lot of focus on whether or not harsher sentences truly deter impaired drivers, for example the Marco Muzzo case recently really put that in the spotlight. Had there been harsher sentences back then would it have stopped you from getting behind the wheel?
A: As far as sentencing goes – that’s up to the judge. They are the ones that decide the sentencing and of course follow case law. That’s the problem with impaired driving is that there’s such a variance with the case law with impaired driving cases. If these things are happening over, and over, and over again and people are getting mad and upset and don’t think the justice system is working with these sentence, I think it’s incumbent on society to stand up and say, “hey this isn’t working. This isn’t fair.” As far as my sentence goes – three-and-a-half years for a life? Do I think it’s fair? No, I don’t but unfortunately that’s one of the elements I wasn’t in control of and I had to take what the judge gave me. I think {sentences} for impaired driving should be revisited and figure out if these sentences handed down now are working as a deterrence. Because that’s part of the sentence, is that it has to be a deterrence. Quite frankly I don’t know if it is or not.
Melissa received the ultimate sentence. She lost her life because of my stupid choice.
Q: You must at times receive a lot of backlash from people. Why do you want to share your story?
A: Melissa received the ultimate sentence. She lost her life because of my stupid choice. I’ve been sharing my story for a long time…basically since I got out of jail. Why I do it? Because I realized what I had done was terribly wrong….The main reason I share it is basically, I don’t want anyone to do what I did. If it changes one person, or two people, or ten people or whatever, I just sort of look at I like all I have to do is stand up and tell my story.
Comments