Despite a significant drop in the number of impaired drivers on the road since the mid-1980s, impaired driving remains the leading cause of criminal death in Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
The repercussions of killing someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be devastating not only for the victim鈥檚 family and friends, but also for first responders answering the call.
Few people know this better than Paul Schmidt, Jasper鈥檚 victim services coordinator, who often accompanies the RCMP when they have to inform a family member that someone they love has passed away.
鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult for the RCMP because they鈥檙e in a situation where there鈥檚 no way to soften that news. You can鈥檛 leave any uncertainty as to what happened. You can鈥檛 say someone passed away or any of those normal sort of euphemisms that you use once someone is gone. You鈥檙e talking about someone鈥檚 death and it鈥檚 difficult to say someone is dead or has died. Those are very blunt and direct words,鈥� said Schmidt.聽
Once the RCMP has notified the family it鈥檚 often up to Schmidt to comfort them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really difficult. People are in tears, they鈥檝e got family members to call, they鈥檝e got phone calls they want to make and you鈥檙e there to try and support them and assist in anyway you can, but of course there鈥檚 a limit in how much you can do to try and assist and I wouldn鈥檛 want to take that away from anyone. That鈥檚 their phone call to make and their decision to make.鈥�
In Jasper, situations like these can be even more difficult because the community is so small.
鈥淭here鈥檚 times in our small town that there are people that first responders actually know and are actually from the community and I think those are difficult in a lot of ways,鈥� said Schmidt, adding it can also be difficult even if they don鈥檛 directly know the victim.
鈥淚 know a lot of the accidents that have happened, first responders talk about being reminded about family, even if it鈥檚 not someone they directly know here in the community. Everyone has a family member that鈥檚 close to that age, or maybe looks like them or driving that same type of vehicle.鈥�
To avoid these devastating situations, Schmidt said the best thing to do is to simply walk to the bar or call a cab.
鈥淚n Jasper there鈥檚 nowhere that would take you more than 40 minutes to walk. There鈥檚 just no excuse,鈥� he said.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 at least a couple drunk driving files every two weeks here and in our courts, and probably more than that, and to see that number in a small community like ours where cabs are cheap and walking 40 minutes is probably your longest option, I just don鈥檛 understand it.鈥�
Paul Clarke [email protected]
