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Show Wednesday, June 4, 1997 The Park Record County Seat Kelly Jarvis' triumph over tragedy sparks a crusade by Melissa O'Brien RECORD GUEST WRITER For most of us, surviving a nearly near-ly fatal car accident, enduring months of physical therapy and having to face dependency upon the people around you for the simplest sim-plest needs of would be the biggest challenge of a lifetime. But only a few would do something to make sure others wouldn't have to suffer through the same ordeal. On Nov. 16, 1996. Kelly Jarvis was involved in a head-on collision with drunk driver just west of U.S. 40 on Highway 248, east of Park City. Christian Lindsay, who according accord-ing to police reports had a blood alcohol level of .21 . reportedly crossed over the turn lane, over the south bound lane and hit Jarvis at a speed of over 60 miles per hour. The right side of Jarvis' pelvis was broken, the lower part of his left leg was broken in over a dozen places, and his body was covered with lacerations and contusions. He was Life-Flighted from the scene to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City where he remained in critical condition for most of the week after the accident. acci-dent. He endured a slow recovery at home ever since. "I virtually became Kelly's nurse from time he came home from the hospital," said Jarvis' wife Ruth. Because of the severity of his injuries, Jarvis' health remained fragile for weeks after the accident, acci-dent, and he was rushed back to the hospital in an ambulance on two separate occasions. Even though drunk driving is an issue with which Jarvis would rather have kept a distant acquaintance, acquain-tance, because of his ordeal he has come to know it and its potentially devastating impacts intimately. But instead of just trying to make himself whole again, Jarvis has joined the cause to make drunk driving laws tougher, and to educate people on what they can do to prevent becoming victims themselves. Soon after his accident, Jarvis was contacted by educational and advocacy groups, including Mothers Against-Drunk Driving (MADD). . Cz3 ft SCOTT SiNEJPARK RECORD Kelly Jarvis, the victim of a devastating DUI accident last November, is using his misfortune to take a stand against drunk driving to prevent future tragedies. "Because so few people survive car accidents involving a drunk driver, living victims are pretty hard to find," Jarvis said. On December 30, 1996 Jarvis participated in a press conference at the Capitol in Salt Lake City. Still in a wheelchair, Jarvis joined several senators and special interest inter-est groups who made a statewide appeal for people to avoid drinking drink-ing and driving on New Year's Eve. "This year was the first year there were no fatalities in the state of Utah on New Year's Eve," Jarvis said. "So even if I made just one person think twice about drinking and driving, and saved a life, it was worth the effort." In January, Jarvis lobbied the Utah State Legislature to lower the illegal blood alcohol content for automobile drivers from .08 to .04. If the legislation had passed Utah would have become the first state in the country with such a low tolerance for drinking and driving. But, according to Jarvis, "we would still have a much higher tolerance tol-erance for drunk drivers than most other countries in the world." The bill, however, failed to gain majority major-ity support. One community policing group Jarvis and his family have worked closely with is Freeway Watch, founded by Utah State Highway Patrolman Jeff Peterson, and his wife, Suzanne. While on duty one night. Trooper Peterson responded to an automobile fatality in which a 16-year-old boy had been hit by a drunk driver while changing a tire on his car. One of the parents of another boy who had been involved in the accident, but had not been killed, asked Peterson what they could do to help prevent more unnecessary deaths. The question caused them to consider the idea of Freeway Watch. "We train citizens to look for the obvious, and not so obvious, signs of a drunk driver," Suzanne said. The Petersons base their pro-Please pro-Please see Jarvis, A-4 Kamas man sentenced to six months for second DUI by Kirsta H. Bleyle OF THE RECORD STAFF The intoxicated man who hit Heber resident Kelly Jarvis head-on head-on last winter will spend the next six months in the Summit County Jail. Kamas resident Christian Lindsay, 34, who plead guilty to a drunk driving charge, was sentenced sen-tenced by Judge Roger Livingston in Summit County's Third District Court on Tuesday. June 3 to a maximum max-imum allowable sentence of 365 days in jail for the Class A misdemeanor. misde-meanor. Livingston suspended all but 180 days of the sentence, and also ordered Lindsay to pay a $2,500 fine. After leaving his job at the Olympia Park Hotel on November 16, 1996, Lindsay collided with Jarvis on S.R. 248 east of Park City. According to prosecuting attorney Terry Christiansen, Lindsay's blood alcohol level was .21. Jarvis suffered a broken pelvis, multiple fractures in his left leg, and numerous lacerations and contusions. con-tusions. Wearing his fourth cast since the incident occurred, Jarvis entered the courtroom on crutches, crutch-es, but he has told The Park Record that he still uses a walker at home. As Christiansen described it to The Park Record, "the victim almost died." Christiansen further commented that the six months Lindsay will be spending in jail is a "fair sentence" for the man he said has a previous DUI conviction from 1989. Prior to his sentencing, Lindsay was permitted to address the court, and stated that "I am truly sorry and deeply saddened...I know I owe a debt to the Jarvis' and to the state." Noting Lindsay's comments, Livingston addressed the Jarvis family and said that he hopes the insurance adjustors will soon settle the civil element of the case, and added that "I am hopefuL.that the insurance carriers are generous enough to ameliorate the hurt and provide adequate funding. The absence of funding makes the situation situ-ation even worse." Addressing the defendant, Livingston said that the sentence should prov ide a "large measure of deterrence" regarding Lindsay's future actions. While Lindsay's sentence was ordered to begin immediately, the defendant's attorney, Bruce Savage, requested his client be allowed to travel to Salt Lake City for submittal of a statement to the insurance adjusters. A statement was not taken prior to the trial because the insurance adjustors were waiting for the criminal aspect of the case to be determined. deter-mined. Savage said. Livingston told the attorney that a decision allowing Lindsay to report to jail this Friday should be worked out with the prosecution, Robert Adkins and Christiansen of the Summit County Attorney's office. Kenneth W. Kovanda, D.D.S. General Dentistry, Doctor of Dental Surgery Emphasizing In ! Orthopedics - Orthodontics (Children & Adults) i Pedodontics (Children's Dentistry). Oral Surgery (Extractions). T.M. J. Dysfunction (treatment of head & neck pain) Our practice is dedicated dedicat-ed to improving the health, i appearance and well-being of ? people. We see each patient as Ha total person with the mouth 'and teeth as critical parts. We strive to be perceptive and sensitive to our patient's feel-'ings, feel-'ings, empathetic and sympathetic sympa-thetic to physical and emo tional discomforts. 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