DWI HIT PARADE: Mallory’s Movement Against Drunk Driving

Drunk Driving Victim Tells her Impactful
Story in Newly-Released Video

SALEM, Va. – With spring breaks, school proms and graduations upon us in coming weeks, theYouth Of Virginia Speak Out About Traffic Safety (YOVASO) and Virginia State Police (VSP) are releasing a new, impactful video on the dangers of drunk driving in conjunction with YOVASO’s Spring statewide campaign, “Arrive Alive.” The 9-minute, biographical Mallory’s Movement aims to shed light on the realities of driving under the influence from a first-person perspective.

Close to six years ago, the life of Chesterfield Co. resident, Kristen Mallory, was forever changed at the age of 16 when the car she was riding in was hit by a drunk driver. Today, Kristen still suffers unimaginable emotional and physical injuries resulting from that crash, and has made it her life’s mission to share her story and help others understand the long-term effects of another individual’s poor judgement and choices.

“My life was changed forever in the crash and I don’t want anyone to go through what I have,” said Kristen Mallory, founder of Mallory’s Movement Against Drunk Driving Inc.  “It’s been such a blessing to work with YOVASO and VSP on this video. I hope that everyone who sees it will make the decision to never drink and drive, and to encourage their friends to do the same.”

To reinforce the life-saving messaging of the new video and the YOVASO Arrive Alive program, Kristen will be speaking to teen and adult audiences in the cities of Fredericksburg, Lynchburg and Richmond, and the counties of Augusta, Bedford, Chesterfield, Louisa and Stafford.

“We are so fortunate that Kristen and her family have agreed to share their story with our youth,” said Mary King, YOVASO Program Manager. “It is a powerful message about how one poor decision can change an innocent person’s life forever.”

Recent statistics from the Virginia DMV Highway Safety Office show the number of teens killed in car crashes last year in the state increased by 27%, 71 teens were killed compared to 56 in 2017.  Alcohol was a contributing factor in 36% of the fatal teen crashes that occurred last year.

YOVASO, Mallory’s Movement and VSP encourage the public to view and share this video as a way to remind everyone to make the choice to drive sober. The video also serves as a powerful reminder for teens to obey Virginia’s Zero Tolerance Law; one that makes consuming alcohol or driving under the influence of any amount of alcohol a serious criminal offense for teens under the age of 21. (Va. Code 18.2-266.1)

Kristin Mallory and Chesterfield Police Officer Katelyn Stonnell

FROM NBC12.COM
CHESTERFIELD, VA (WWBT) – After an NBC12 story that aired in April, a car crash victim and the police officer who helped her through the incident were reunited.

Kristen Mallory was in a terrible accident four years ago. Mallory was 16 years old when she and her mother were struck by a drunk driver while driving home from a family member’s makeup rehearsal for their wedding. The crash happened on Hull Street at Spring Run Road on June 9, 2013.

The passenger’s side of the vehicle, where Kristen was sitting, was struck. Mallory was pinned inside the car. She couldn’t see or feel her legs. She suffered major injuries.

“Two broken femurs, two broken hands, a broken collar bone, and a concussion,” Mallory said.

It took the fire department 30 minutes just to get Mallory out of the smashed up car. As the 16-year-old sat unable to move and petrified that night, a person, who Mallory describes as an angel, came to her rescue.

That person was a Chesterfield Police Officer.

“She was my strength that night,” Mallory said.

That officer didn’t leave Mallory’s side the entire time she was being extracted from the car.

“She kneeled down and got down to my level and talked to me about keeping my head straight, talked me through, tried to keep me as calm as I could be,” Mallory said.

After Mallory was released from the hospital, she wanted to find that officer to thank her, but her name wasn’t on the accident report.

She couldn’t find her, and she never saw her again…that is, until our report aired a month ago about Mallory.

saw our report and recognized Mallory immediately. She tells NBC12 she had never stopped thinking about Mallory. It was a case that had stayed with her and she had always wondered about what happened to Mallory after that night. At the time, Officer Stonnell had only been on the force for about a year.

Stonnell immediately reached out to Mallory via the email on the original NBC12 story. She recounted her version of what happened on June 9, 2013.

“To see her on this news story and to see her have this positive encounter, I had tears running down my face,” Officer Stonnell said.

She also was one of the first officers on the scene and heard the crash when it happened, because she was stopped near where the incident occurred.

That email opened communication. The officer and the young woman who she helped save finally met and spoke for the first time. It was a heartwarming reunion and one filled with laughs and tears for both Officer Stonnell and Mallory, one they say wouldn’t have happened without NBC12.

Now, Chesterfield Police want to work with Mallory to help get her story out there and educate people on the consequences of drinking and driving.

Mallory has already told her story at several schools and prisons. She has talked to employees at the Department of Corrections, Eastern Mennonite University and Stratford University to name a few.

If you’d like to reach out to Mallory to speak, send an email to mallorysb@aol.com.

The driver who hit the Mallory’s was charged and spent three years in prison.

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