NEWBERRY — Juniors and seniors filed into the Newberry High School auditorium Tuesday to hear from Victoria Payne, a prevention specialist at The Forrester Center who shared stories of students whose lives were taken too soon due to alcohol.

But perhaps the most gripping story of Payne’s presentation was about a man named Mark who died while a passenger in a car driven by someone under the influence.

Mark was helping a young man move doors that Mark had built. The young man crossed the center line and hit a school bus head-on.

The vehicle exploded on impact. No children were hurt that day because the school bus was empty.

But Mark left behind seven children and a wife, Victoria Payne.

“I received a phone call at about four o’clock in the afternoon. They said there had been an accident and I needed to come to the hospital. I got to the hospital and they told me that he had died,” Payne said. “I asked if I could see him and hold his hand and be with him. They gave me his shoe and his ring, because that’s what survived the fire. I had to go home that day and tell seven children that their dad wasn’t coming home.”

While she has her own personal connection to the effects of drinking and driving, Payne’s presentation Tuesday centered more specifically around underage drinking.

“When you drink alcohol, your body tells you to hold on because it doesn’t know what to do with it. That’s why when a lot of people drink they get sick, because their body is protecting them,” Payne told the students.

Payne’s presentation highlighted the dangers of underage drinking. About 1,155 people under the age of 21 die every year in wrecks with the majority of wrecks not traffic related.

But wrecks are not the most common way that people die from alcohol-related injuries. Others include homicide, accidental falls, drowning and suicide. The National Violent Death Reporting System reported that alcohol was a factor in one third of reported suicides.

“Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. That means it lowers your heart rate, lowers your reflexes and it impairs your judgment,” Payne said.

Payne shared the story of Matt James, who died after falling from the fifth floor of a hotel balcony while on spring break. He was 17.

“This was a young man that was going to school and had a future. But he also had some drinks. News reports said that he got ‘pretty belligerent.’ He got mad and said he was leaving, opened the door and walked out. There was just one problem. It wasn’t the exit. That one decision cost him his life,” Payne said.

Drinking and driving and underage drinking comes with its own set of consequences, which can range from school, social and memory problems, along with using and abusing other drugs.

The students were shown a video of a car full of teens under the influence. They were videoing themselves, proclaiming they were drunk but didn’t care. But then it showed the wreck unfolding before their eyes, with paramedics saying one of the teens was dead. A photo of one girl who wasn’t drinking but still died was shown on the screen.

“I guarantee that the minute that car went airborne and landed on the embankment, she cared an awful lot about her life. All of them did, but it was too late,” Payne said.

Another video was of a Woodruff student who died after his friend, who was driving under the influence, ran into a tree. The friend who was driving was in recovery at the time of the accident.

Payne helped debunk myths of ways to sober up, including taking an aspirin, eating a snack or drinking coffee.

“People say coffee is going to sober you up. The problem is, coffee has caffeine in it. So it can make you feel more alert and awake, but the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream hasn’t changed. There’s only one thing that changes the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream and that’s time,” Payne said.

Payne also addressed alcohol poisoning and its symptoms, which can include irregular breathing, confusion, vomiting, seizures and blue-tinged or pale skin. Alcohol poisoning is serious and can be deadly.

“You need to find a way to say no, and it’s hard to say no. Be honest, make an excuse or say it’s dangerous. If you’re at a party where underage drinking is taking place, what should you do? Call someone that you know,” Payne said.

Payne concluded by telling the students to make the right choices for themselves and everyone around them during prom season, especially if it has to do with alcohol or drugs or getting into a vehicle with someone under the influence.

Victoria Payne shared a powerful story of losing her husband because of a driver who was under the influence.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Promise2.jpgVictoria Payne shared a powerful story of losing her husband because of a driver who was under the influence. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

Newberry High School juniors and seniors filled into the auditorium to hear on the dangers of underage drinking and driving ahead of their upcoming prom.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_Promise1.jpgNewberry High School juniors and seniors filled into the auditorium to hear on the dangers of underage drinking and driving ahead of their upcoming prom. Kelly Duncan | The Newberry Observer

By Kelly Duncan

kduncan@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kelly Duncan at 803-768-3123 ext. 1868 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.