Dustin Marshall Rawls 1982 ~ 2007
LAKESIDE, Calif. – A suspected drunken driving crash sent a car careening off an East County freeway and plunging into a residential back yard Thursday, killing one passenger, injuring another and leaving the driver under arrest.
The driver, 27-year-old David Rhodes of San Diego, steered onto a dirt center median near Lake Jennings
and then lost control of the vehicle, which skidded across several lanes and struck a BMW sedan before veering off the freeway, CHP public affairs Officer Brian Pennings said.
The Taurus overturned and rolled down a bank into a yard on El Dorado Parkway, Pennings said. Rhodes and his two companions, none of whom was restrained, were ejected as the car tumbled down the slope. One passenger, 25-year-old Dustin Rawls of Katy, Texas, died at the scene.
Patti Rawls, Dustin’s mother, speaks out:
“As Dustin and Tiffany's Mom, I do so want this message to get out to all kids and adults. YES, IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU! My son was a very smart young man and was an awesome son and person, but on the early morning of September 27, 2007 he made one bad choice that affected his life and all those that love him. The reason I say ‘CHOICE’ is because at 18 Dustin told me, ‘Mom, you taught me right from wrong and taught me what not to do, using yourself as a bad example. I do understand that, but I am older and make my own choices and has nothing to do with what you did or did not teach me.’ And as most kids, he also thought it would never happen to him.
I still have a lot of anger, even though all three of them were friends; ONE BAD CHOICE and it was my son out of the three that was taken. I was mad at him for not putting on a seatbelt and even getting in a car with a drunk driver, friend or not. I was mad at God for thinking Dustin’s life was done here on earth. He had just started a new job and his life was falling together after being in the Marines.
He was in San Diego when this happened, and I wonder every day, was there a second he needed me and I was here in Katy, Texas? What was it that he felt as going airborne in the car? We had a closed casket which I guess was best, to remember him the way he was the last time we saw him. The pain, as so many moms know, is so great. I had a heart attack December 31, 2008; the year was more than I could handle physically. I wished I had gone then, but God wants me here for a reason and I know it was selfish of me. I have a daughter and a grandson that need me. It will be two years 9/27/2009 and the pain is still like it was yesterday.
All I can say is, no one is above making one bad choice to ruin so many people’s lives. My daughter has no brother, I have no son and the list goes on. THINK BEFORE GETTING INTO THAT CAR. The results are a life sentence of pain for me and so many until it is my time to meet him again. There is no timeline on grief, and do not let anyone tell you that ‘you should be over this by now!’ I can tell you those can be fighting words to a mom. I have moms that lost their loved one ten and twenty years ago that are still struggling with the pain…best friends whose hearts are crushed and cannot find their way out of this nightmare.
Let this be a wake-up call to everyone!!! NO ONE is out of the reach of it happening to them! Do you think Dustin knew when he got in that car he would never see another day here on earth? That he would no longer be seen or touched or heard by his family and friends? If you can’t do this for yourself, do it for your mom and the people that love you so very much!
Please! Please! Let Dustin's life and death make a difference in each and every one of your lives, and think before making that BAD CHOICE!"
Love to all from Dustin's Mother
Did You Know? Alcohol-related highway crashes are the leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults in the United States. - The U.S. Department of Transportation
For more information:
MADD: Mothers Against Drunk Driving
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