Wednesday's event was part of a countywide push ahead of the Labor Day weekend to remind the public about the dangers of drunk driving. (WSYX)
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The numbers are simply shocking. In 2022, more than 60 percent of deadly crashes in Franklin County involved someone intoxicated behind the wheel.
The sheriff's office on Wednesday, ahead of the Labor Day weekend, launched its Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign in an effort to save lives.
As a part of the push, ABC 6 News Director Nicole Hogensen shared her personal story of loss.
"It's been more than a decade that I've shared this story about a spunky, red-headed young lady and I will tell you, it's a hard story to share," Hogensen said. "This is Caitlin Leasure. She was a 20-year-old Otterbein student in Westerville. The world was her oyster, her laughter could make the most difficult days better."
That laugher, that love was ripped from the grips of her family. In March 2006, the young was student killed along Interstate 95 just outside of Savannah, Ga., by a drunk driver.
"The lethal weapon used that day, a car littered with beer cans," an emotional Hogensen said.
Hogensen was on the other side of the camera Wednesday, putting her raw emotions on full display. The loss of Caitlin, her little sister, is still devastating.
"I wish Caitlin's story had a different ending," Hogensen said. "I wish she was here today to share with you this story of surviving a drunk-driving crash. I wish she was here to tell you that story through the eyes of a mother, a wife and an aunt, all things she never got to be."
Hogensen joined Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin and members of the county's DUI task force Wednesday, uniting to get drunk drivers off the roads. The group detailed upcoming checkpoints and enforcement efforts ahead of Labor day.
"This is a 100-percent preventable crime that occurs," Baldwin said. "Any time you’re driving, if you've had anything to drink, any drugs, any medication that affect your driving, you don't have to do that,"
For Hogensen, speaking out is a big part of keeping her sister's name and memory alive. The push is about saving other lives.
"I hope that Caitlin's story not only gives all of us pause about the decisions that we make, but that Caitlin's story can be a call for action against the dangers of choosing to drive while under the influence," she said.