Greg’s Story

This article is reprinted by permission from a new group called Project Positive Impact, which was started by three men who were deeply affected by losses in their families as a result of drivers impaired by alcohol. Their web address is www.projectpostiveimpact.com.

Vision: To eliminate all injuries and death resulting from destructive decisions.
Mission: To educate the public about the consequences of destructive decisions.
Method: Pursuing a positive approach to combat DUI and other destructive decisions which adversely affect our country and our worlds.

[Note from Kelly Dagenhart: This group of three men affected so severely by drunk driving has formed a new RID chapter in Memphis and has had two meetings so far.]

Greg lost his entire family on May 30, 1997 at 6:05 p.m. when a convicted drunk driver, traveling in excess of 80 miles per hour, crashed into them. Stefanie, Greg’s wife, and their unborn son, Thomas, were crushed and died instantly. She and their 6 ½ month old daughter, Zadie, had just left her uncle who had never seen Zadie. They were on the way to her parent’s home where her entire family was in town for her sister’s wedding. The wedding was planned for the next day.

Greg, then a commercial writer/producer and local television studio manager, had worked with her father at the TV station for many years and were good friends. After the Tennessee State trooper knocked on Greg’s door and informed him that his wife had been killed, Greg had to inform his friend and father-in-law his daughter was dead. When Greg arrived at his in-law’s home, they said, “Hi Greg, where’s Stefanie and Zadie?” as they brushed past him to look outside. All Greg could do was to fall through the door and say, “She’s dead, Dave. Stef’s dead!” Greg’s horrible news was delivered during the rehearsal dinner that his in-laws were hosting.

Afterwards Greg was take to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital where his daughter, Zadie, was in critical care. He stayed at the hospital through three nurse shift changes, leaving only to identify his wife at the morgue. He watched as the doctors and nurses worked diligently to save the last member of his family’s life.

Finally, the doctors asked Greg to leave Zadie’s room because they had some tests to perform, but he refused. Greg watched as the poked sharp instruments into little Zadie’s feet, checked her eyes, filled her ears with saline solution, all in an attempt to get some type of response from the little six and one-half month old. But there was no response. The doctors informed Greg that Zadie was brain dead, approximately 22 hours after the crash.

Greg donated Zadie’s major organs for transplant allowing five other people (four children and one adult) another chance at life. The individual that crashed into and killed Greg’s family was on his way to serve weekend time for one of his previous DUI convictions. His blood alcohol level was 0.22 (better the twice the legal limit in the state of Tennessee). The defense team’s own professional witness estimated that at the time of impact, the offender was traveling a least 80 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone. Witnesses said that he never even touched his brakes. He struck Stefanie’s car broadside propelling her car over 150 feet in the air where it landed on the driver’s side.

He was found guilty of two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. (Since Thomas could have not yet survived outside of his mother’s womb, they did not count Thomas’s death.) This individual was sentenced to 49 years, but will be eligible for parole in the year 2013.