Mother uses son's DWI death as warning to teens

As high school students gear up for their proms and graduations, one Long Island mother issued a strong reminder Friday of how not to celebrate. Norma Miranda was in tears as she spoke of her son, Anthony,

News 12 Staff

•

May 4, 2007, 10:48 PM

•

Updated 6,465 days ago

As high school students gear up for their proms and graduations, one Long Island mother issued a strong reminder Friday of how not to celebrate.

Norma Miranda was in tears as she spoke of her son, Anthony, who was killed by a drunk driver 11 years ago. She said her 19-year-old son had everything going for him as a high school senior.

"Anthony didn't ask to be taken away so early. He didn't ask not to show up for his prom, for his graduation," Miranda said.

Many students hire a limousine for prom night, viewed by many as a safe mode of transportation. The East Coast Limousine company, for example, has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol.

Stephanie Bradbury, a senior at Sacred Heart Academy, said many people link underage drinking with proms. "The typical high school senior does tend to want to drink," she said.

For Miranda, who thinks of the opportunities her son never lived to see, asked teens to be careful. "Think about it, be responsible," she said. "Don't go out and destroy your life and someone else's."

To watch the extended interview with the Deer Park woman who lost her son to a drunk driver, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.