“There’s Always Going to be People Missing”: Thinking About Drinking and Driving? Look Into Her Eyes

Law enforcement is cracking down…doing their best to stop DWI’s in the holiday season.

For one local family that crack down didn’t come soon enough.

“Yep, she’s just got two little teeth,” says Lynn Mickelson of Colfax, North Dakota.
 
Lynn describes his granddaughter as the happiest baby, but on the evening of July 6th 2012, those bright blues were taken away.
 
Mickelson’s daughter Alison was on her way to Bismarck with her husband Aaron and one-year-old daughter Brielle…with some exciting news to share.
 
“This is such a precious picture to us because we did not know this picture existed until long after the funeral,” says Lynn.
 
Another child was on the way…until a drunk driver driving the wrong way down Interstate 94 took that all away.
 
“Maybe understand one being killed or two but when the reality sunk in that our whole entire family was killed…”
 
It’s a tragedy Lt. Tory Jacobsen is tired of seeing.
 
“Around the holidays we see that 50% of the fatalities are DWI related so it’s a disturbing number,” says Lt. Jacobsen of the Moorhead Police Department.
 
Over the next six weeks, state troopers across Minnesota will be working overtime.

They hope the extra enforcement will stop drunk drivers from hitting the road.

“The holidays are especially painful for us. There’s always going to be people missing…” Lynn explains.
 
Pain he never wants anyone else to feel…as it never goes away.

The extra DWI enforcement starts today and will continue for the next six weekends.