Killed by a drunk driver … I hope I never have to hear those words in reference to any of my family members. Can you imagine what emotions would come to the surface if you were having to hear those words in reference to a loved one?

Well, this week the wife of Valley native Shane Wyrsch had to hear those words from a police officer. I stand with the rest of the Snoqualmie Valley in remembering Shane and offering our sympathies to his family.

I have to admit, I enjoy a beer on occasion as much as anyone. But something is wrong with the system when a person whose license had been suspended because of drug and alcohol related arrests was behind the wheel and on the same road as Shane. It could have been any one of our family members on that road near Buckley at 10:30 p.m.

So what is the answer? I doubt there is any great solution for this one. Maybe the person who killed Shane was at a bar prior to the accident and the bar should be named in a lawsuit. Maybe he was at a friend’s house prior to the accident and the friend should be named in a lawsuit. Maybe he was at home, drinking alone. In that case, his privileges of any kind should be revoked for the length of time that Shane’s children live at home without a father.