Megan

I will never forget what happened that day. I remember it like it was yesterday. What happened to Megan is every parents’ worst nightmare, but something about holding her hand as she took her last breathe changed me. The morning of July 28, 2005 was beautiful. The sun was hot, the sky was clear, my family and I were packing up our lunch and swim gear to take to Billy Clapp Lake for a fun filled day of swimming and cliff jumping. Billy Clapp Lake was a really long drive from my house, over an hour to be exact. We had only been there once before and I had fallen from the cliff and injured myself pretty badly. However, I was optimistic that this time would be different, and I would be able to enjoy the cliff jumping with everyone else.

Billy Clapp Lake is notorious for accidents. It definitely has its fair share of injured cliff jumpers every year. There have even been people who have died while jumping from the one-hundred foot cliffs, as well as severe boating accidents. Even with its danger comes great beauty. The water is so clear you can see right to the bottom, and it is the perfect swimming temperature. We arrived at the lake around eleven, and got ready to eat our lunch. But I, being as impatient as I am, took off up the cliff. Like usual, I stood there psyching myself out and never jumped, so I came back down the cliff to swim with my mom and younger sister. After an exhausting day we finally began to gather our things and get ready to head home.  

I will never forget the jarring noise of the boat slamming against the dock. I remember the man in the boating yelling repeatedly "Does anyone know CPR?!" That was when I had seen him pull a lifeless body from the boat. My first thought was that it must have been an elderly man who had a heart attack. Both my mom and I ran to the dock to offer our help, but were stopped dead in our tracks. Before us, lay a lifeless six year old little girl with glass embedded all over her face and throat. I don't recall much from that point on. I remember the smell of gasoline and oil that hovered over the water. I was shaken inside. I wasn't in control of my body or what was going on around me. I'm not sure what compelled me to get any closer, but I kneeled down next to the girl and grabbed her hand. I automatically checked her pulse and counted her heart beat as if it were something I had been trained to do. There was so much commotion, and all the people seemed to form a sea of bodies; meshed into one, like a smeared oil painting. I could see Megan's body struggle to take one last breathe. Her pulse was so faint. Her life slipped away right before me.

This six year old little angel had fallen victim to a drunk driving accident. There had been five people in the boat, including Megan’s grandfather, who was driving the boat. The accident occurred because Megan's grandfather was paying attention to the girl on the ski-doo next to them and was too intoxicated to realize that they were headed straight for a rocky shoreline. As they collided into the rocks, Megan was thrown into the windshield of the boat. The ambulance had been called but didn’t arrive for about fifteen minutes after Megan's last breath. I believed at that time, I was in a state of shock because I didn’t even hear the E.M.T. yelling at me to move. My mom helped me to the car, and as there was nothing more we could do, we headed home. 

The day that Megan passed away, changed my life forever. I had never given any second thought to how precious life is. I always seemed to be one of those teens who thought I was invincible. I had also become accustomed to my parents drinking and driving with us in the car. Come to think of it, many of my family members have gotten behind the wheel while intoxicated as if it were a normal thing to do. Witnessing Megan's tragic death opened my eyes to the whole subject of drunk driving. I became more aware of how detrimental it can be to a person and their family. I also realized how precious life really is. Today, I live my life like there won’t be a tomorrow, because anyone can go at anytime. We never know when God will call us back home so we shouldn't take our lives for granted. We should love every minute we spend with our family and make sure they know we love them, because even a life so innocent and precious as Megan's, can slip away without warning.