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Mother of DUI victim brings story to MacDill

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Brandon Shapiro
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  "I never would have imagined that I would spend my Mother's Day with all four of my children at a funeral home with one in a coffin."

That was the vivid picture Renee Napier, mother of the late Meagen Napier, painted during an alcohol awareness briefing held at MacDill Air Force Base, May 31.

Almost 11 years ago to the day, Meagan Napier and her friend Lisa Jo Dickson were killed by drunken driver Eric Smallridge as they headed home. Shortly after, Renee Napier made it her life's mission to prevent more unnecessary deaths like that of Meagan's.

As the message continued, Renee made sure each of the more than 500 individuals in the standing-room-only theater knew the impact of one selfish decision can impact many.

Midway through the presentation, and to the surprise of many, Eric Smallridge emerged from the crowd and took the stage.

"Every day I ask God why I wasn't the one to die instead of them," Smallridge said with deep emotion. "If only I could trade places with them so they could realize the great lives they should have had, but I can't and they can't, and I will live with that reality every single day the rest of my life."

Smallridge made it clear to the audience no matter what the circumstances--peer-pressure, bad judgment, or not wanting to leave your vehicle overnight, driving under the influence should never be an option. Asking a sober friend or taking a taxi is a much better decision than ending up killing someone and being renamed Inmate P22679, he said.

Napier and Smallridge ended by asking everyone in the audience to take two pledges--one never to drive if you have been drinking, or to get into a car with a driver that has been drinking. The second pledge was to spread the message of the devastating consequences of driving under the influence.