Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI)’s awareness campaign has told the story of a girl saved from an impaired driving crash, only to die at age four.
In February 2013, Brandy Lepine was 26 weeks pregnant when she was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Her baby, Aurora Ledoux, was born by emergency C-section.
“It was heartwarming, but saddening at the same time because she didn’t get to see her mom when she was born,” Aurora’s grandmother Josie Ledoux said.
Sustaining head and kidney injuries during the crash, Aurora lived to be four years old. She received several surgeries and spent her life in and out of hospital.
Earlier this year, Aurora’s family took her off life support.
“I want people to understand that my world is broken. It’s gone,” Ledoux said.
Aurora’s story is now included in SGI’s People Shouldn’t Disappear awareness campaign, showing candid photos with the image of a deceased person erased.
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“We want people to know that it’s not some actor telling a story here. This is about Aurora,” said Joe Hargrave, the minister responsible for SGI.
“These are real people from real families.”
SGI’s awareness videos played a large role in combating impaired driving in 2017, Hargrave said.
SGI reported 39 deaths in the province were due to alcohol or drugs in 2017 – down from the five-year average of 57 deaths.
Tougher impaired driving laws introduced in 2017 also factored into the lower rate, according to Hargrave.
The new rules mean three-day vehicle seizures for experienced drivers with blood alcohol content over .04 and zero tolerance for all drivers 21 or under and all new drivers.
“We started a more aggressive enforcement campaign. SGI pays for overtime if we’re doing check stops,” Hargrave said.
More impaired driving education and awareness campaigns are expected to be rolled out this fall, he added.