Jim Rocca fought back tears as he spoke about his son in prison on Thursday.
About 100 people listened to Rocca describe the heartache he felt when he learned his son Daniel killed someone while driving under the influence.
This was one part of the annual Staying Alive on I-75 and Florida’s Roadways’ event hosted by the Dori Slosberg Foundation. Families of traffic accident victims and representatives from multiple law enforcement agencies, including Gainesville Police and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, attended the event Thursday morning at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center.
Rep. Irv Slosberg attended the afternoon presentation. He created the foundation after his daughter, Dori, was one of five teenagers killed in a car crash.
Tara Kirschner, the executive director of the foundation, said the event was designed to not only raise awareness about safe driving, but to show appreciation for the work of law enforcement.
“We just so greatly appreciate everyone coming here, supporting families, law enforcement and all of our safety partners,” said Kirschner, who joined the foundation in part because her sister was killed in a New York traffic accident.
Officers from the Florida Highway Patrol and Maria Coady, whose son Thomas passed away in a December 2014 motorcycle accident, spoke about the loss of loved ones resulting from traffic accidents and the importance of highway safety.
“I think Tom would be OK with us being here,” Coady told the crowd. “I know he would have done it for us.”
Slosberg and Kirschner played a short video that features interviews with Rocca and another inmate who was found guilty of traffic homicide. In the video, Slosberg narrates two incidents where a teenager was imprisoned because they drove under the influence and were in fatal car accidents. They plan to introduce it in driver’s education this summer.
“You just can’t believe it will happen to you until it does,” Slosberg told the crowd. “This video is going to save lives.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 2/27/2015 under the headline “Dori foundation hosts event to warn against drunken driving”]
