I have a sad story to tell.
It was a beautiful summer evening at the beach. We arrived at the disco in Carlo’s car. Carlo is a friend of my boyfriend’s who just got his license this winter.
There was a long line to get in, but one of us knew the guy at the entrance. He got us in in less than 5 minutes!
It was hot outside, and the music and dance floor were in the big garden.
There was good music, a good DJ, and a lot of people. There were the usual sofas and tables, and even the pool was lit up.
The disco bar was crowded, as always on Saturday nights.
My friend Sara and I went dancing. We had a gin & tonic and chatted with other people.
We lost sight of Carlo and his friend, but we had made an appointment to meet up at the exit, as we often do.
Before getting back in the car, I noticed that my boyfriend’s friend, the driver, was acting strange. He was talking too loudly and driving well above the speed limit.
There was a long straight stretch of road before we got to the highway to go back to town. The road was narrow and lined with large pine trees. Sara and I were chatting in the back seats. The driver accelerated, laughed, and joked loudly with Carlo. The music was also very loud. The Peugeot we were driving swerved, I closed my eyes, and then everything went black.
I woke up in a hospital bed. I didn’t understand where I was or what had happened.
I felt like I was in a terrifying mental void. I felt a strong sense of unreality, almost like I was detached from my own body.
After some time, I learned that the car was practically destroyed. We had crashed into a tree, gone off the road, and ended up in the pine forest.
I had multiple rib fractures. The driver was in a 40-day prognosis with emergency medical hospitalization. He had a head trauma and multiple injuries to his left foot.
Toxicological tests found that he was driving under the influence of drugs and psychotropic substances.
Carlo had a broken pelvis, and Sara was fortunately not seriously injured.
Unfortunately, road accidents are the leading cause of death for adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19.
I would like to see more discussion about the effects of alcohol and drugs at school. I would like to see videos and hear live testimonies from kids who, like me, have experienced tragedies and are lucky to be able to tell them.