Brian Hoeflinger Death – Brian Hoeflinger, age 18, lost his life in a horrific car accident four months before his high school graduation. He was the son of a Board Certified Neurosurgeon in Toledo, Ohio. Brian would have graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in Toledo, Ohio on June 6, 2013. Currently, he would be 28 years old. On the night he passed away, he was at a party with his buddies where they were drinking vodka, and he ended up driving while under the influence.
According to Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, the phone call they received late that night when they learned Brian had been in a car accident. The sickening feeling in the pit of the stomach and the frantic racing of the heart when they do not know if their child had been hurt or if he is even still alive. The second worst feeling was telling their other three children at home about an hour later that their older brother Brian was dead and gone forever. At the children’s request, they took them to the hospital to see Brian. It would be the last time that they would ever get to see him so close to being alive.
He had a GPA of 4.5, a score of 32 on the ACT, and a handicap of 4 on the golf course. As a result, he was accepted to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which was his top choice among institutions. Dr. Brian Hoeflinger has took it upon himself to share the story of Brain to other graduating student so that they can learn Brian. In the message to graduating students by Dr. Hoeflinger, he tells this story because Brian could be any one of them, if they choose to drink. And they say choose, because it is their choice and nobody else’s. Once you take your first drink of alcohol, you are not making the decisions, the alcohol is. You are putting yourself and others at risk for injury or, even worse, dying like Brian.
And lastly, but most importantly, don’t Drink and Drive or ride with someone who has been drinking. If you could feel for only a brief moment the extreme anguish and pain that we as a family feel over Brian’s death every moment of every day, then you would understand what drinking can cost you and your family. Think about what Brian lost, all his hopes, dreams and ultimately his life, as a result of alcohol. Please don’t make the same mistake. Stay safe and make it to graduation. Don’t put your family through what we are going through.
News from SNBC13
