Leon woman advocates for sober rides after fiancé and daughter killed in DUI crash
Dec 31, 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A woman from Leon is turning her tragedy into a message for others ahead of the New Year's celebration.
Janelle Jones said her fiancé, Chris, drank nearly 30 packs of beer before he drove the family car into the Walnut River, killing himself and their daughter, Addison Jo.
She said if her story takes a drunk driver off the road during the New Year's festivities, that is why she became an advocate.
On March 11, 2020, Jones said, her fiancé decided to drive three times over the legal limit with their daughter in the car. It's a day she remembers vividly and now a haunting reminder of what she has lost.
"Almost a month later, they were able to find my daughter's body, wrapped up in a Beaver Dam," said Jones. "As a mom, I go to Walmart, and I get triggered by the baby section, or a song, or even just seeing other people's little kids because I'm never going to have the chance to have mine back."
She said, four years later, his decision to get behind the wheel, impaired, still leaves her with questions.
"There's a lot of anger, there's a lot of grief, I wonder why," said Jones.
Narciso Narvais, with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, said it can be one of the hardest conversations they have, informing a loved one of a DUI fatality. He hopes others hear Jones' message and get a sober ride home.
"I am sure there is any family member, any friend, that would rather give you a ride after you've been out and had too much to drink than never have to deal with the fact that maybe we lost a life," said Narvais.
It is a split-second decision with a lifetime of consequences.
Wichita group offers free rehab program 24/7
"I speak because I want to hopefully keep one person from having to experience something like this because I can guarantee you, this isn't something that anybody wants to put anyone through; it's not something that they might be able to go through themselves," said Jones.
Jones said she has been able to connect with other victims locally, even speaking with those who have caused DUI-related accidents. She hopes to continue her efforts into the new year to convince people that driving while impaired is not the answer.