Grieving parents hit by suspected drunken driver on daughter’s death anniversary

HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) - A family in Hawaii has turned tragedy into advocacy after a drunken driver killed their daughter. However, the big anniversary was tainted by the reality that drunken driving is still prevalent in their community.

Hannah Brown was only 19 years old when her life was taken from her. Her parents said last Sunday marked five years since she was killed by a drunk driver, KHNL reported.

“For the most part, we are coping with the loss of her. That’s all we can do,” said Hannah’s mother, Charlene. “I can’t tell people its going to get better. I can’t tell people it’s not. You have to just figure it out.”

On the fifth anniversary of her death, Charlene said a suspected drunk driver hit her and her husband.

“I’m just dumbfounded how this happened to us twice,” she said.

Thankfully, Charlene and her husband were able to walk away from the crash in stable condition.

“Me and my husband were just talking... ‘Why are we even doing this? Why are we doing so much to make a difference when there’s still individuals that don’t care?’”

At that moment, Charlene realized that her daughter would want her to keep continuing the fight to lower Hawaii’s legal drunken driving limit from a blood alcohol content of .08 to .05.

“She would tell me to ‘keep going mom, because you are making a difference and I’m sorry you have to go through this every day,’” Charlene said.

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