Katie DeCubellis

This blog is dedicated to the spreading of the stories of those killed and injured because of drunk driving. The purpose of this blog is to increase awareness and educate the public on the horrible and cruel effects of the inexcusable act that is drunk driving. Drunk driving does not just harm those directly involved in the crash; it also subjects the friends and family or victims to unbearable emotional pain and suffering. The first story discussed in this blog is that of Katie DeCubellis from Narragansett, RI.

Katie DeCubellis attended the Pier School in Narragansett, Rhode Island and was in eighth grade at the time of her death in the October of 1999. She was a passionate girl who even at an early age devoted much of her free-time to performing community service and helping others. In addition to her extracurricular activities that improved the community of Narragansett, Katie had time to be a successful student athlete who consistently shown bright in her school and home life. Katie was the light of her parents', John E. DeCubellis, Jr. and Meg R. DeCubellis, lives. Tragically, on the night of October 29, 1999 she was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Katie was driving with her friend and her friend's mother, Marsha Bowman when a drunk driver, who was trying to find a dropped cigarette, crashed into Mrs. Bowman's vehicle. The collision killed both Katie and Marsha. Her friend survived the crash, but in doing so was subjected to a lifetime of mourning. Because of one driver's irresponsible and reckless decision, the DeCubellis' lost a daughter and Marsha Bowman's daughter lost her mother and her best friend. The entire community lamented this needless tragedy. Even today countless vehicles throughout the state of Rhode Island possess a common bumper sticker; "My friend Katie DeCubellis was killed by a drunk driver". How many people have to die and how many families must suffer the loss of loved ones before drunk driving is eliminated?