AKRON, Ohio — Her name is Amanda Wood.
On Sept. 14, 2021, she and her father were both hit by a drunk driver head-on. Amanda says she remembers the moments before she lost her father in that collision, and she also now suffers from several injuries herself.
The driver's blood alcohol content was .135.
"He had started drinking early in the morning and chose to drive home," Amanda adds.
While many are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, Amanda is teaming up with the Summit County Prosecutor's Office and the Summit County Sheriff's Office for their annual "Arrive Alive" safety initiative. The program offers free Lyft rides home in Summit County (up to $20) from now through Saturday at noon. Use the promo code SUMMITGREEN23.
"We don't have a target number of rides we're hoping to pay for," explains Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh. "Our hope is that as many people as possible take advantage. The way I see it, if even one person drove drunk and possibly killed somebody uses our program, then our whole program is worthwhile."
"Arrive Alive" is a resource that Amanda is asking everyone to take advantage of on Friday night.
"An entire family has been affected by one man's choice to get behind the wheel after drinking," she says. "So I encourage you as you go out to party and enjoy yourself this weekend and celebrate St. Patrick's Day to make a smart decision. Before you leave, download the Lyft app and take advantage of Arrive Alive. You don't want to impact someone's family or your own in just a few seconds, because it happens so quickly and so many people are affected."