Riverhead Patch: 'No One To Open His Stocking': Mom Who Lost Son To Drunk Driver
by Lisa Finn, Riverhead Patch
WADING RIVER, NY — The holiday season was once a time filled with excitement and joy for the McMorris family, whose son Andrew, 12, loved airplanes, Michael Jackson, and planning trips with his parents and sister.
Andrew, of Wading River, died in 2018 when a drunk driver plowed into his Boy Scout troop while they were out hiking the Greenbelt Trail in Manorville; several other scouts were severely injured as a result of the crash. A jury found the driver who hit Andrew, Thomas Murphy, 60, guilty on all counts.
From the moment they lost their beloved boy, the McMorris family has seen their lives shattered, blanketed by grief that the joy of the holiday season just intensifies. "This holiday I will be putting up Andrew's stocking but it will have no one to open it — and that kind of pain I wouldn't wish on anyone," Alisa said.
His family has vowed to put their unthinkable grief into action and have worked tirelessly alongside Mothers Against Drunk Driving to seek tangible change.
And for the first time last month, there was hope, Alisa said. President Joe Biden signed into law a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that includes an "advanced impaired driving technology" section mandating technology that will prevent people from driving while intoxicated, impaired, or distracted.
The McMorris family worked with MADD for months to pass the legislation in the House and Senate — the RIDE and HALT Acts — that have the potential to end drunk driving forever, they said.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, alcohol-detection systems that stop people from drinking and driving could prevent more than a quarter of U.S. road fatalities and save more than 9,000 lives a year.
The technology includes features such as cameras and lenses that can detect when a driver leaves a lane, monitors a driver's head and eyes, and can monitor driver impairment through breath and touch systems, according to MADD.
When the bill passed, Alisa and John, Andrew's father, went to D.C. with some MADD representatives, including MADD National President Alex Otte, to watch the life-changing signing.
"The passage of the technology provision within the infrastructure bill will virtually eliminate the #1 killer on U.S. roads," Alisa said."It will take time but I can see a world for my grandchildren that doesn't include this particular horror."
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association will now review 241 technologies available for vehicles and decide which will be mandated, McMorris explained.
Next, auto makers will be given two to three years to implement the new safety standards. New cars equipped with the NHTSA-shaped technology could be coming off the assembly lines in 2026 to 2027, Alisa said.
The McMorris family has fought for long months for the legislation.
"When Andrew died and we found out it was because of a drunk driver, I thought the world would just stop — that this would rock everyone's lives so intensely that no one else would ever have to experience this horror," Alisa said. "Then the world went on and more and more people died at the hands of a drunk driver. It was a naive thought. Now for the first time I can see the light. A beginning of the end to drunk driving."
But in the interim, the memories haunt — especially as new headlines highlight the need for change, Alisa said.
Just this week, a woman was charged with DWI after hitting a police car with an officer inside in Port Jefferson Station, police said. It was the second crash involving a Suffolk officer this month.
"My heart goes out to the officers and their families," Alisa said. "These crashes are 100 percent preventable and sadly, they are increasing throughout the United States."
That is why, she said, vehicles need advanced driver monitoring system technology. MADD and the Andrew McMorris Foundation — organized after Andrew's death to keep his legacy alive —are committed to creating meaningful change, she said.
The holiday season is especially deadly on the roadways, Alisa said, adding that Otte is set to help the NHTSA kick off the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" December campaign.
"We know this time of year is even more dangerous on our roads. The campaign means law enforcement across the country will be increasing DUI enforcement efforts, which we so appreciate — but recognize that their work to protect their communities puts them directly in danger of being injured or killed by an impaired driver," Alisa said. "These crashes this month involving our police officers shows how real that danger is, and we are just thankful the officer will recover from his physical injuries."
The McMorris family will continue to advocate for change locally, as well. Details about a new "Andrew's Top Gun Run/5K", organized by the Suffolk County Council of Boy Scouts and the Andrew McMorris Foundation, will be announced next week.
But, while there is hope in the new legislation, Andrew's room remains forever empty. His Christmas tree, set up by his sister Arianna, stands alone in the room where an excited little boy used to wait for Santa.
"Every victim and survivor knows however that the psychological impact of being victimized by a drunk driver never goes away," Alisa said. "What we want is for Andrew's death and the death and injuries of so many other to not have been in vain."
She added: "Please, if you are hosting a holiday gathering, you job does not end once the food is served. You must ensure all of your guess get home safely — so no one has to endure an empty chair at their holiday table."