Dry-eyed but with tears in her voice, Karolyn Nunnallee recalls the last time she saw her 10-year-old daughter Patty alive. "She was running out the door to catch the school bus. I called her back, gave her a hug and sent her on her way." Just a few days later, when Nunnallee was out of town, Patty was killed in what would become the nation's deadliest drunk driving accident.
Nunnallee's daughter and 27 other passengers returning from a church outing burned to death when Larry Mahoney, a repeat drunk-driving offender, slammed his pickup into their bus. Mahoney had a blood-alcohol level almost three times the legal limit. He had driven his truck the wrong way down a Kentucky highway before hitting the bus, which burst into flames on impact. Many of the victims, including Patty, had to be identified through dental records.
Two weeks after Patty's death in the May 1988 accident, Nunnellee channeled her grief into action: She joined her local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "Although I was still wracked with shock and pain, I got involved in MADD on a community level," she says. "That would have been my daughter's wish. She'd already decided to be a lawyer. One of her favorite sayings was, 'I want to make a difference, mom.' "
Now a year into her term as national president of MADD, Nunnallee has added another cause to her crusade -- the Victims' Rights Amendment. (Click here for related story on the amendment.)
Nunnallee and MADD's 600 national chapters are pushing for passage of the amendment, sponsored by Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. The amendment, which was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, guarantees violent crime victims the right to be notified, present and heard in all judicial proceedings surrounding their case. A similar version of the amendment is before the House of Representatives, but passage is uncertain.
"The dissenting view is that victims' rights should be addressed on the state level," Nunnallee says. "While it's true the Constitution shouldn't be amended on a whim, it's also true that when these cases happen on the state level, the offenders' rights always seems to win over those of the victims, and that is not fair. The cornerstone case in this issue is the Oklahoma bombing tragedy. The state judge said victims could not be in the courtroom. Federal lawyers came into play and said, 'Yes they will.' Yet when both sides went back to the courtroom the judge ruled the offenders' rights outweighed those of the victims. Proponents of this amendment are simply saying that victims' rights should be on the same playing field as the offender. Ultimately, elected officials will see what is right for our country."
MADD's number one mom speaks from the perspective of someone who watched her daughter's killer go free after serving only nine years of his 16-year sentence. "He was a repeat offender with a blood alcohol level of .24 ... and I was initially very angry he didn't receive a more severe sentence. These days I hold no animosity - he's been a model prisoner, attended AA meetings, and yes, he will be allowed to drive. Although I chose not to speak to him at the time of the trial, if he was remorseful enough to be willing to join the anti-drunk driving movement I would sit down and work with him."
While her attitude is forgiving, Nunnallee remains committed to increasing public awareness that driving while intoxicated is a serious crime. "These crashes are not just fender benders, but random acts of violence. First time offenders must face stiff penalties so that they realize driving is a privilege, not a right. I was recently on the Today Show to discuss why a man who was arrested 21 times for drunk driving slipped through the cracks and was allowed to cause yet another accident."
Accounts like this have become commonplace in the news. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving is the most frequently committed crime in the country, with an estimated 2.6 million alcohol-related crashes each year. MADD's mission then, according to Nunnellee, "is to stop drunk driving, prevent underage drinking and support the victims of violent crime."
Nunnellee marshaled skills from her former teaching career as she climbed MADD's ranks. She played a key role in the nonprofit group's 1996 Rating the States project -- a "report card" on each state's progress in preventing alcohol-related traffic deaths and injuries. The air-force wife, married 25 years, also marshaled strength from her family.
"Witnessing the fragility of life caused my husband Jim and I to respect, love and lean on each other that much more." Nunnellee says. "Our daughter Jeanne, who was six when the accident happened, reminded me recently of one of her happiest memories of Patty. It was autumn and we'd recently moved to Kentucky from New Mexico where we'd never witnessed the leaves change. My daughters and I were in the car and we passed a house with a huge maple tree - full of vibrant color. I said, 'I'm gonna ask the woman who lives here if we can take some of her leaves to decorate our place.' Patty said, 'Mom, don't you know parents shouldn't embarrass their children?' But I rang the woman's bell and she said to go ahead. I got a garbage bag, and the girls and I started playing in the leaves as we filled the bag. I remember us laughing and having the best time as we later decorated our house. That was the last autumn we spent together."
