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Celebrations are common in June with graduations, the end of school and the beginning of summer fun.
But a Richland family is hoping that sharing their story of tragedy will save lives by helping people remember to celebrate safely.
Officers from every agency in Benton and Franklin counties also will be out this weekend looking for impaired drivers during special emphasis patrols.
"If we can keep some other teen from killing somebody like my son, it'll all be worth it," said Susy Bockmann-Thomas of Richland.
Her son, Timothy Beau Bockmann, was 19 when he was killed nearly two years ago in Pierce County near Tacoma by a drunken driver who was two years younger than he.
Beau, as his family called him, grew up in Richland but moved to the west side so he could play baseball at Auburn Riverside High School. He graduated from Auburn Adventist Academy. He was working a summer job while on break from college when he was killed Aug. 2, 2007.
The driver, Jace Michael Sellers, was 17 and getting ready to start his senior year in high school. He had apparently spent the night partying at a bonfire, when he got behind the wheel of a 1987 Honda Accord filled with his friends and ran a red light on Highway 410 near Bonney Lake, east of Tacoma.
Sellers was going about 70 mph when he T-boned Bockmann's car. Bockmann was wearing a seat belt, but the impact threw him out of the car. He died on the way to the hospital of massive internal injuries.
Sellers, who was charged as an adult, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide with DUI, and is serving a three-year prison sentence at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell, Bockmann-Thomas said.
Her family wanted Sellers to avoid prison but be forced to go to high schools around the state to talk to kids about the dangers of drinking and driving and showing them Beau's picture, she said.
The criminal justice rules didn't allow that to happen but Beau's story is still being told.
The Tacoma Pierce County DUI Task Force is dedicating a special DUI emphasis patrol to Beau next weekend. Bockmann-Thomas and her family will travel to Tacoma for the June 13 dedication.
Beau's four younger teen brothers will get to ride along with officers conducting the multi-agency DUI patrols on graduation weekend in Pierce County.
Drivers who get arrested for DUI in Pierce County during the special enforcement also will get a flier that has Beau's picture and tells the story about how he died.
Bockmann-Thomas, however, is sharing her son's story early to make sure Mid-Columbians stay safe during their graduation celebrations this weekend.
"It just brings all those emotions back up again ... and people say, 'How do you deal with it?' But if I can talk to somebody and make a difference ... and keep them from drinking and driving then I have gotten my message out," she said.
Those who don't heed Bockmann-Thomas' message can bet on finding themselves in the back of a patrol car this weekend during the emphasis patrols, officials said.
"Local law enforcement agencies are committed to saving lives, so if you are drinking and driving beware -- you will be caught," said Lynda Lou West, Benton-Franklin Traffic Safety Task Force coordinator.
Cops in the Yakima Valley also are conducting extra DUI patrols this weekend.
Both enforcement patrols are part of the statewide X52 campaign, which aims to put extra patrols on the street every week to prevent traffic crashes and deaths caused by speeders and impaired drivers.
"Our goal is to help ensure a safe weekend for all of our graduates and community members," said Washington State patrol Sgt. Ed McAvoy.
Officers will pay close attention to any underage drinking. Drug Recognition Experts and K-9 units also will be working the DUI patrols.
Teens also should remember not to get into any cars with people who have been drinking, officials said, and the best defense against a drunk driver is to wear a seat belt.
Patrols will be focused in areas where DUI collisions are most common. Officers also will be watching for speeders and aggressive drivers.
"Basically it's about making the road safer," West said, adding that there will likely be more people on the road because of graduation. "The message is really simple, it's just don't drink and drive."
