DUI Victim & OHP Warn Of DUI Dangers Ahead Of Labor Day Weekend

A woman hopes her story makes a difference this holiday weekend as people take time off for Labor Day.

That woman and state troopers are warning people about the dangers of drinking and driving.

"I hope by being here today talking to you all that I will keep at least one person from driving under the influence," Graham said.

When Amber Graham was just 17 years old, she and her boyfriend were hit by a drunk driver on State Highway 9.

She suffered a torn aorta and doctors said she only had a 25 percent chance of surviving surgery.

She beat those odds and lived, but she has never walked again.

"I had to totally live life differently than I ever would have thought at 17," Graham said.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said this holiday weekend is one of the most dangerous each year on the road and on the water because of the amount of alcohol people who are drinking.

Last year there were 480 crashes in the state on Labor Day Weekend alone.

Fifty-three of those were alcohol or drug related, making up 10 percent of those crashes.

Trooper Eric Foster said OHP has stopped calling them accidents because it is a potentially deadly decision someone is making.

"We work these crashes over and over and over where people die...needlessly," Foster said.

Troopers said just because you're off the street, doesn't mean you're safe. They said sometimes the water could be just as dangerous.

"You've got your boat back and forth. You've got a lot of people just driving around...not necessarily lanes of travel," Trooper Foster said. "It can be very dangerous. Often we see collisions."

Graham hopes people take her warning to heart.

"They think that you know it won't happen to them I thought the same thing,' Graham said. "But it can anytime. It doesn't have to be Labor Day Weekend."

OHP said if you are caught driving under the influence this weekend, you will go to jail.