It should go without saying that after a few drinks, you should give the keys to someone else. But, after this father allegedly downed 30 beers, he decided that he would drive, with his 2-year-old in the car, with fatal results.
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44-year-old Christopher Johnson had volunteered to pick up his 2-year-old from daycare because his fiancee wasn't feeling well. He had insisted to his fiancee that he was fine.
However, a friend spotted him picking up beer at the store after picking up his daughter from daycare, and climbing into his truck with them. They called his fiancee Janelle Sharbutt Johnson. She then called the Butler County Sheriff's Department, concerned for their safety.
Later, authorities found him, sitting with his 2-year-old, drinking beers in a field near Little Walnut River. It was clear that he fully intended to crush a few cans and continue to drive home with the young girl.
They tried to take his daughter from him, and he made a break for it. In the resulting chase, he drove himself and his daughter off an embankment, and down into a river. The Chevy he was driving landed on its roof in the water. It took the emergency services 90 minutes to reach Johnson.
By this time, Johnson was dead, and his daughter was nowhere to be found. The back window was blown out, and they suspected she had flown through the window. He had killed his 2-year-old for the sake of a few beers. Her body was found later trapped in a beaver dam.
Mother Of 2-Year-Old Raises Awareness Of Dangers Of Drink Driving
Since then, Janelle Sharbutt Johnson has been raising awareness of the dangers of drunk driving. Especially around this time of year, the festive season, more people are susceptible to taking the risk. National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) reports that fatal crashes spiked 130% on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
"Addison and her father went into the river due to bad choices made by alcoholism," Janelle previously told KWCH 12News.
Janelle lost the life of her 2-year-old and fiancee for over alcohol. It was sadly an avoidable tragedy. It is important to remember that when drunk driving, it isn't only your own life you're putting at risk, it is everyone else's also.
