Photo: Facebook/Let’s End Drunk Driving, Texas (Over 1,000 flags represent the number of Texans killed each year to alcohol-related crashes).
Executive Director of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Bentley Nettles told statesman.com, “Jacqui did not let the tragic circumstances of her accident diminish her, instead using her life story as a lesson on the importance of preventing drunken driving. We are eternally grateful for Jacqui’s bravery, her compassion and her drive to help others.” She was featured in global safety campaigns as a reminder of the grim consequences of driving under the influence. She made a second appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2009 – a decade following the crash. Winfrey was quoted as saying that Jacqueline “helped shift our thinking about what it really means to be beautiful. It’s so easy for people to talk about inner beauty; it’s another thing to live it.”
Still, amongst the global fanfare, Jacqueline struggled with the memory and repercussions of that 1999 accident. According to statesman.com, in 2009 she said, “Emotionally, I haven’t been able to go forward. I’d like to be happy with myself, to accept myself how I am and be more independent.” But with respect to her integral part in the campaigns against drunk driving, she noted, “It’s an honor.” And she said that the message “has to be something that people always remember.” This has truly been something an entire generation won’t soon forget.
