Rachel Callaway was just 7 years old when her mom was hit and killed by a drunk diver in Markham Ontario. Matthew Junkert was driving 50km over the speed limit with a blood alcohol level of 0.130 when he hit Teri Callaway killing her instantly. The mother of 4 was out for her nightly jog around 9pm on November 29, 2006 after she tucked her children into bed. Rachel was waiting up for her mom to return as she always did, but was left heart broken when she heard the ambulances pull up on her street.
“I always waited eagerly for my mom to get home around 10pm, then I would fall asleep. That night she didn’t come back and when I saw the ambulance my heart sank.”
Teri Callaway and two of her children
The news has been flooded with talk of former Western student Andrea Christidis’s family filing a law suit against Jared Dejong–the man who killed her by driving impaired–and Western University/USC. Londoners have been less than pleased with the statements released on behalf of the defendants claiming that Andrea’s death was in fact her own fault. Although Rachel Callaway did not comment on the Christidis case, she did say that families of victims having to go through court cases only makes the healing process worse.
“When the justice system constantly drags the victim’s family in and out of court it is extremely painful.”
She says that in her own situation the justice system attempted to blame her mother for her death by bringing up the fact that she was wearing headphones while on her jog. Rachel says that this, as well as the sentence received by Junkert disappointed her family greatly.
Rachel and her mother Teri
“He only received a 5 year sentence, but I received an eternal sentence of life without my mom. I lost my best friend, she will never see me get married, but he gets to go home and see his wife and kids after only serving 2.5 years of that sentence.”
Callaway decided that it was time to do something about impaired driving so she joined MADD at the young age of 14. With her grandmother already being a part of the York Region chapter, she joined in the hopes of raising awareness in her home town. She has participated in multiple conferences and acts as a youth group leader at support groups for victims families. She has done many presentations at high schools and elementary schools in the hopes of making sure young people understand the dangers of impaired driving.
Her MADD influence does not stop there however, she makes sure to warn her friends as well.
“If I am at a party I am always the one making sure people get home safe. I always remind people that if you can afford to drink or smoke then you can afford to call an Uber or taxi home.”
Rachel at a MADD event
Callaway says the biggest message she wants to spread is that driving impaired does not just ruin one life, it ruins many.
“It is not just the drivers life at risk, it is the friends in the car, the pedestrian on the sidewalk, the people in the other cars, and people need to realize that.”
