Vigil held to honor those who lost their lives to drunk drivers

Connie Gonzalez’s message to the public is simple: plan ahead.

Gonzalez lost her 23-year-old daughter Angela to a drunk driver nine years ago.

“I wish I could forget. It was a nightmare. It’s still a nightmare,” Gonzalez said “Getting that call that nobody wants to receive at two in the morning.”

Gonzalez was one of dozen who attended the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Celebration of Life Vigil Thursday night.

“She was just living life. She was smiling, free-spirited,” Gonzalez said. “I truly believe that the reason she was a free spirit is because I felt that she knew that her time here on Earth was very limited.”

The vigil also honored members of the El Paso Police Department’s D.W.I. Taskforce.

“I’ve always had that drive to help people to do better for the community, to keep my family safe, all that,” officer Nicholas Van Buren said. “Being out there, conducting traffic stops, it means the world to me. I’m passionate about it.”

Gonzalez said she’ll never overcome the pain of losing her daughter, but that it helps to know she’s not alone. She urges people to think twice before they drink and drive.

“Do not endanger the lives of innocent people, because we share the same streets,” she said.