WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Thanksgiving Eve is among the most popular nights for local bars and restaurants. One Wichita woman is making it her mission to raise awareness of drunk driving.
Whitney Williams says her dad was killed by an impaired driver several years ago. She’s now going to police stations all over Kansas to honor victims killed by drunk drivers.
“My dad, Kevin, was killed by an impaired driver at K-42 and Hoover,” said Whitney Williams, who works with the DUI Victims Center for Kansas.
Whitney dedicates her life to honor those killed by drunk driving, including her father.
“My family and I were obviously going through a very rough time and had no idea what to do,” she said.
The DUI Victims Center of Kansas is stepping in as a light at the end of a dark tunnel for Whitney.
“As I stood there in court and read this [victim impact statement] to the man responsible, they helped us grieve … They helped us through everything. And I loved it. I absolutely fell in love with it,” she said.
Old Town in Wichita was packed with people Wednesday night. Thanksgiving Eve is also known as one of the busiest nights on the road, and the Kansas Highway Patrol beefed up enforcement to look for impaired drivers.
“The day before Thanksgiving is always has always been the busiest travel day of the year by automobile. So we, the highway patrol, we step enforcement with throughout the state,” said KHP Master Trooper Scott Koehn. “For the 105 counties that we do patrol here in Kansas, we have roughly, I believe, close to 500 troopers.”
As for Whitney, she hopes to be the light for others.
“That’s what I want to be for someone else. Is the light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
A candlelight ceremony will be held at the Exploration Place on Dec. 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. to honor victims and survivors.