ARLINGTON - Last year, 28 people died in traffic accidents here. And of those deaths, 16 were alcohol-related.
Now, slightly four months into 2009, the city is well on the way to exceeding its tragic 2008 traffic death totals with 11 already. Five were caused by suspected drunken drivers, authorities say.
Arlington police say they want to stop the problem before it gets out of hand. There are more officers patrolling for DWI, speeding and inattentive drivers, and police have enacted more intensive bar checks.
"We're trying to stop people before they get behind the wheel," said Tiara M. Ellis, a spokeswoman for the Police Department. "We have to stop them if they are planning to drive. Our officers are out there in force, but we're asking the public to help as much as they can."
Mayor Robert Cluck is using another approach.
Last month, he was in Austin testifying for a sobriety checkpoint bill that he says would deter drivers from getting behind the wheel after they've been drinking.
"This is something I think is very important," Cluck said. "We have in Arlington an unusual number of DWI fatalities, and we need all the help we can get."
But it is not just the traffic deaths that have gotten the mayor's attention. Injuries to crash survivors also concern him.
Cluck told state senators about 2-year-old Abdallah Khader, who was critically injured last month when his family's car was crushed during a traffic accident in south Arlington.
Stewart Richardson, 44, of Davenport, Iowa, was arrested on suspicion of intoxication assault. Cluck cited Richardson as an example of a motorist who could have been deterred by a checkpoint.
"It's another tool to help save lives. We have to make sure the roads are safe for the citizens of Arlington as well as those coming into Arlington," the mayor said.
Matthew Lundy was among the city's first DWI victims of 2009. The 21-year-old Arlington man was critically injured on Jan. 11 when a driver struck his car at the corner of South Cooper Street and Green Oaks Boulevard.
Lundy survived after spending six weeks in a coma, but his friend, 20-year-old Joshua Carter, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver who hit them, Erica Kolanowski, 30, faces a charge of suspicion of intoxication manslaughter.
"Matt is progressing; he's talking and recognizing us," said his grandmother Jane McConal of Granbury. "One of the first things he said was, 'I love you.' It thrilled me but broke my heart at the same time."
McConal said that doctors have prepared the family for a long rehabilitation.
"It's a miracle that he lived," she said. "We are so thankful. It's hard to go through this long, long process. Still, you hear about things like this every day.
"Another person hit by someone who has been drinking."
