Also, in 2017, most MADD offices expanded an online class reservation system that accepts credit card payment for VIP fees to enhance efficiency and ease of access to this program. The addition of the online reservation system presented participants an opportunity to make a donation at the time of registration. This resulted in over $53,000 in donations made through VIP in 2017 at the point of registration. This new system also streamlined check-in at the panels thereby reducing liability and stress for MADD’s hard working volunteers.
ERIN ROLLINS
Just before the holiday season in 2014, 29-year-old Erin Rollins (then Massey) drove home on Chicago’s I55 South Expressway when she was hit head-on by a 22-year-old female driving her vehicle the wrong way. The wrong-way driver’s blood alcohol concentration read .16– twice the legal limit. “I don’t remember the moments before the crash, the crash itself, or the minutes leading up to the ambulance ride,” Rollins admits. Rollins does remember how crushed her body was and the indescribable pain she felt. As a result of the crash, Rollins sustained life-threatening injuries including holes to her colon and small and large intestine, and severed iliac artery. She also sustained three broken ribs, a broken right foot, lacerated liver and a lower spinal cord injury. Shortly after the crash, Rollins connected with Mothers Against Drunk Drunk Driving (MADD) Victim Services Specialist, Karen Suggs. “Karen was great. She came to all of the court dates and told me about the Victim Impact Panel, which I have enjoyed participating in,” Rollins admits. The defendant accepted a plea deal of 18 months in the Illinois Department of Corrections. “I still struggle with a lot of trauma as a result of the crash, but I believe in time, God will continue to heal my heart, even if I am never physically where I was before the crash,” she said.
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