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New Year's message can save lives photos by Jim Craven Jerry Baird, left, his daughter, Anne Adderson, and son, Mark Baird, hope their story will show others the consequences of drunk driving. Mark was seriously hurt by a drunk driver last January; his brother, Jim Baird, was killed by one in 1972. One family's tragedy A brother killed, another badly injured by drunk drivers Baird family photo Mark Baird's wrecked Honda Accord is barely recognizable. By Jessica Smith of the Mail Tribune Anne Adderson was just 5 years old when her brother, Jim Baird, was killed by a drunken driver. Almost 27 years later, she learned that alcohol played a role in the accident that killed two Prospect men and nearly cost her another brother, Mark Baird. "My mom called me to tell me to come to the hospital ... . I remember tying my shoes and saying `Please don't let him die,"' Adderson said. "When I heard alcohol may have been involved, I said `It can't happen twice."' Jim, Adderson's eldest brother, was killed in March 1972 at age 17 when the Volkswagen Beetle he was riding in was struck in a head-on collision. The Rogue Valley family was then living in Alaska, where their father was stationed as a member of the Air Force. Jim Baird Mark, Adderson's 41-year-old brother, was trapped in his Honda Accord and seriously injured after a Chevrolet minivan veered into his lane of traffic and landed on top of his car the afternoon of Jan. 7, 1999. In both cases, the drivers who struck Adderson's brothers had been drinking. The man who struck Jim was sentenced to a year in prison; the driver and passenger in the minivan that hit Mark both died at the scene. A 13-year-old boy, the son of the minivan passenger, also was injured. But these are incidents -- examples of mistakes and extreme poor judgment -- that needn't be prepeated this New Year weekend, Adderson and her family say. "None of us are perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. But a mistake like this one (the Jan. 7 accident) has affected four lives and indirectly affected all those lives connected to these four people," Mark Baird said. Beginning today, a new law that attaches felony charges and stiffer penalties to a fourth drunken driving offense may help Adderson and her family in preventing those who drink from driving. "There are some people who just don't get the message," said Sgt. Bruce Hoffman, who works in the Oregon State Police's patrol services division in Salem. "If someone is arrested that many times for (driving under the influence of intoxicants), we need a way to catch that person's attention." The new law, which the Legislature approved earlier this year, imposes a maximum five-year jail sentence, a $100,000 fine, or both, on someone who receives a fourth drunken driving conviction within a 10-year period. Previously, a fourth drunken driving conviction resulted in a revoked license and fines. The new law also imposes fines that range from a minimum of $1,000 for a first-time offender to a minimum $2,000 for a third or subsequent conviction. Although Oregon's new law may help put away habitual offenders, Adderson and her family have seen first-hand just what driving drunk can cost people -- their lives, their mobility, their freedom. And while the family may have plenty to be angry about -- Jim was killed before he was able to fully live life and Mark underwent physical therapy and numerous surgeries to heal his broken body -- they say they feel no bitterness. Jerry Baird, their father, explains it this way: "Would anger bring back Mark's legs? Would anger bring back my other son?" Instead, the Bairds and Adderson want people to learn from them just what drunken driving can do to a family and think carefully before they allow someone they know to drive drunk. Family members say they're not opposed to alcohol, but that they give much more thought to whether they should drive after consuming alcohol. "We don't ever drink and drive. There are too many options out there," said Adderson. Officials at the Oregon Department of Transportation have a few ideas to keep drunken drivers off the road this holiday weekend: Take the keys from a friend who has had too much to drink. Have a designated driver when you go out. Support alcohol-free holiday and public events. Call family or friends for a ride home if you've had too much to drink. If you spot a driver who appears to be drunk, ODOT officials say you should call 1-800-24-DRUNK or 911. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA