ROCKFORD, Mich. — A woman in Kent County is warning against the dangers of driving under the influence, after her daughter’s car was found completely totaled.
Witnesses describe the accident as a miracle, because despite how badly the car was damaged, everyone was able to walk away. She’s hoping the incident will serve as a wake up call to not drink and drive.
Jennifer Ruwersma says her 18-year-old daughter’s mode of transportation for her next chapter is unknown. She leaves for college in a couple of weeks, but now it will be without her car.
Ruwersma says her daughter let friends borrow her car, and one of them later admitted to being under the influence while driving it Thursday night.
The car was missing for days before they were finally able to locate it at 14 mile and White Creek Rd., where it's believed the car went off the road, deep into the woods, and hit a tree. The car was discovered abandoned Monday morning.
"I did not realize how bad it was until seeing the car today, it's absolutely amazing that those girls are alive. Essentially, everywhere in the car is impaled besides where the two girls were sitting, it's just pretty tough to see it," said Ruwersma.
Ryan Nielsen owns Ryan’s Towing in Rockford, and was called to help retrieve the car. He was surprised that the people inside were able to walk away.
“It's pretty extensive. I'm surprised there's not any blood in there or anything like that. It had to be quite a hit,” said Nielsen.
We reached out to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. They confirmed a Chevy Malibu was reported missing on August 4th and recovered on August 7th. They could not confirm if alcohol played a role since the car was abandoned. The investigation is ongoing.
In the meantime, this mother is on a mission to spread a message:
“Basically, just letting your kids know that it's okay to call us If you need help, please call us instead of driving, because this could have been so much worse,” said Ruwersma.
