Lutzie 43 Foundation & ALDOT host safe driving summit at Prattville High School
PRATTVILLE, Ala (WAKA) – Today, Prattville High School students heard a moving message from the father of a former Auburn football player, who was killed in a drunk driving accident 12 years ago.
Mike Lutzenkirchen, lost his son, former Auburn football star, Philip Lutzenkirchen, in a drunk driving wreck in 2014. Mike created the Lutzie 43 Foundation, which educates teenagers about safe-driving habits.
The Alabama Department of Transportation and local law enforcement also spoke to students about the dangers of drunk, impaired, and distracted driving. Lutzenkirchen shared his heartbreak at losing his son as he emphasized the destruction that comes from mixing alcohol and driving.
Students were also able to participate in different education and simulation seminars. Included was a mock demonstration of first responders treating a trauma patient who was a victim of drunk driving.
“I think when we have messages and programs like this, we can make a difference in one student’s life. If one person will stop and think, before getting in the car when someone has made a bad decision, then we feel that we have made a difference,” said Dr. Daniel Farris, Prattville High School Principal.
“There’s nobody in the Southeast that promotes road safety like the Lutzie 43 Foundation does. They are so good, and they’ve done 30 plus summits, and maybe more than that, not just in Alabama, but in Georgia and Tennessee. They really just care, and they really want to change lives,” said Drive Safe Coordinator for ALDOT, Dalton Middleton.
Lutzenkirchen also talked with Action 8 about how he wants his son’s time on Earth to be remembered.
“You know you can live a great life, and you can serve others, and you can have great faith, but if you make terrible decisions in a short period of time, there’s no discrimination, and you can lose your life. I hope his legacy is that people look back, and research who he was, forgive him for the mistakes he made that weekend, and recognize that he had a servant’s heart and gave to other people. We’re just trying to carry that legacy and save as many lives as we can,” said Mike Lutzenkirchen, Executive Director of the Lutzie 43 Foundation.
To learn more about the Lutzie 43 Foundation, you can visit lutzie43.org.
