By Craig Anderson

DOVER — Alisa O’Neill is unsure how many people she’s counseled after a family member was killed or seriously injured in a crash involving a drunken driver.

But undoubtedly, it’s “a lot.”

As a victims services specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Ms. O’Neill works with Delawareans affected by impaired driving crashes. She’s a member of the Delaware Impaired Taskforce as well.

In 2021, driving under the influence was a factor in nearly 1,200 vehicle crashes. That number may rise as crash investigations are completed.

“It’s constantly happening. It’s sad,” she said.

Even when an injured family member survives, she said, “It’s still a toll and there’s still grief ... it’s just in a different aspect (than a fatal.)

“With a family that lost a loved one, they’re dealing with the grief and loss, they’re trying to navigate through the criminal justice system all because a person decided to drive drunk.”

MADD takes the position that there aren’t any DUI-related vehicle accidents, only crashes, according to Ms. O’Neill. Choosing to drink and drive is not an accident but a decision, she said.

“We do that because someone made a poor decision and now it has lingering effects on families who have been impacted by their decision.”

In the aftermath of a severe or deadly DUI crash, Ms. O’Neill said emotional responses can take many different paths.

“Grief is different for anybody and everybody,” she said. “They deal with trauma. They deal with triggers like they can’t go by where the crash happened because it reminds them of their loved ones, or just the time of the year.

“So grief is ongoing. People talk about the five stages of grief but we don’t really touch on that because grief ebbs and flows.”

Also, Ms. O’Neill said, “The victims we come in contact with, they think, ‘I’ve dealt with the crash many years ago,’ and they ask, ‘Why am I still feeling the feelings I am feeling?’

“We remind them that grief is a hard thing to deal with and it comes in cycles, so sometimes you’re feeling fine and the next day or the next minute you’re not and it’s A-OK because they’re dealing with a hard thing and it all comes back to someone who had a decision to drive while intoxicated, so it’s 100 percent preventable.”

People seeking help from the organization can call 1-804-201-4604, email de.state@madd.org or visit the website.