‘Profoundly heart-wrenching’: MADD advocate speaks out on crash that killed Gaudreau brothers

NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — The night before their sister’s wedding, Columbus Blue Jackets player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while biking in Salem County.

Authorities say the driver, Sean Higgins, told police he had five or six beers, but they don’t yet know how much alcohol was in his bloodstream.

“It’s such a tragedy and profoundly heart-wrenching that this senseless act that this alleged drunk driver chose to do will forever alter the lives of this family and their families and this community,” said Paige Carbone, regional director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving , which helps victims and pushes for better roadway protections.

She says every 78 seconds, someone is killed or injured in a drunk driving crash.

“Behind every statistic is a person — is a son, is a brother, is a hockey player, is a loved one, whose life is at risk,” Carbone said.

She says even with ridesharing apps like Uber or Lyft, taxis, and more ways to call a friend or family member for a safe ride, the number of drunk driving crashes in the United States has increased by 33% since 2019.

“We want to believe that it would impact our numbers but unfortunately we are seeing our numbers go in the wrong direction,” Carbone said.

To help combat these rising statistics, MADD advocates are pushing for the HALT Act, which requires all new cars to install technology to detect impaired driving. Carbone says they believe it will save more than 10,000 lives per year.

Higgins has been charged with death by auto, reckless driving and possession of an open container, and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. He remains behind bars.

“We are just appalled that this is happening still and happening every day in our communities,” Carbone said.