Johnson Attorneys Group, MADD Pick Winner of $1,000 Scholarship

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (April 10, 2018) — At 13 years old, Elizabeth Rose, 34, of Portland, Oregon, said a drunk driver nearly destroyed her family’s life. Her sister Erin, who was 19 years old at the time, was critically injured and underwent months of treatment for a traumatic brain injury she suffered in the crash. Her sister’s boyfriend was also killed in the collision, leaving his parents orphaned.

“Erin’s boyfriend died in that crash and oddly enough that young man’s older brother had died just two years prior in a drunk driving accident,” Rose said in her essay. “The mother of those two men had lost both of her only children to drunk driving. Thousands of people a year have their lives completely changed because of people driving under the influence.”

We are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Bond Rose is the winner of the Johnson Attorneys Group’s 2018 Never Drink and Drive Scholarship.

Rose, who was born in Palm Desert, California, went on to become a paramedic after earning an associate’s degree in applied science. She says she wanted to help people and found that she did well in high-stress situations. She now works in the Emergency Room transfer center at Kaiser Permanente where she coordinates patient care. She plans to continue her education and will be attending Portland State University in the fall to study organic chemistry as she plans to become a botanist.

“Young people are an important player in the fight to end drunk driving,” said James Johnson, founder of Johnson Attorneys Group. “We wish Elizabeth all the best in her studies and her new career.”

MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING

The winning essay was selected as the winner by our friends at the Southern California office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

“First, all the stories are great and I was touched by all the stories,” said Patricia Rillera, MBA Regional Executive Director of MADD Southern California Region. “However, I felt Elizabeth’s best articulated (Johnson Attorneys Group’s) requirements. She has a cause connection, took the time to mention the statistics and appears to understand the negative consequences involved with impaired driving.”

Indeed, we received 234 heart-wrenching essays from college-bound students across the country who were asked to write an essay about how drunk driving has affected them or someone they know, why we should care about drunk driving and how they would bring awareness to their community?

As we read through these essays, there were many words of wisdom that struck a chord here at our law firm.

One particular essay, by Zachary Worster, retold a story his mother told him about a teenage boy she knew in high school who died after a night out drinking when he crashed his car into a tree at high-speed.

“His funeral was open casket despite the trauma to his head and body and she describedhow shocking the experience was for her,” Worster said. “The boy’s parents had purposely had open casket as ademonstration to all of the teens at the visitation that this could happen to them, too, if they makepoor decisions like he did. It was a powerful message that she has not forgotten to this day.”

We found out as we read through these entries, just how deeply this crime affects our communities, but we were surprised to hear from so many students who were children of alcoholics.