Wreck ironic for designated driver

On Sunday, he was waiting at the light on the corner of Raeford and Skibo roads when he was involved in a wreck that was the ultimate a sobering reminder of the importance of that service.

Campbell was hit by a suspected drunk driver.

He had just dropped off a paying client.

"We didn't have the radio on or anything. We were just sitting there and I heard the tires squealing, and then bang! It happened so fast," he recalled.

Police charged Jessica Iris Rivera, 27, of Red Springs, with driving drunk and reckless driving. She hit Campbell's Hyundai Elantra and sent him and two passengers to the hospital.

Rivera hit two other cars and totaled her Pontiac Grand Prix.

"Somebody definitely should have died," Campbell said. "We're lucky no one did."

Emergency workers had to break a window to get Rivera out of her car, he said.

Campbell can't help but think that if Rivera used his service the wreck might have been avoided.

"They could have spent $40 and gotten themselves home safely and not cost themselves thousands of dollars in insurance and pain and suffering for other people," he said.

Designated Driver Incorporated has promotional fliers at bars and restaurants around the Fayetteville area. Similar companies operate in the Triangle.

For $35 for the first ten miles, an employee of DDI will pick up a client and a take them home. A second employee follows behind to deliver the client's car.

“We do have a lot of responsible people out there who want to go out, have a good time and get home safely,” Campbell said.

Rivera's police record shows a history of traffic violations, including speeding, speeding in a school zone, reckless driving and ignoring a stop sign. She had no previous charges of DWI.