Jacqueline Saburido was a Venezuelan woman who became the face of anti-drunk-driving campaigns in Texas after an 18-year-old intoxicated driver crashed into the car she was riding in on September 19, 1999, killing two of her friends and leaving her with third-degree burns over roughly 60 percent of her body. She endured more than 120 surgeries over the next two decades and allowed her disfigured image to be used in public service announcements seen across the country. She died of cancer in Guatemala in 2019 at the age of 40.1CNN. Jacqui Saburido, Who Became the Face of Anti-Drunk Driving Efforts, Has Died
The Crash Outside Austin
Saburido grew up in a well-off family in Caracas, Venezuela, and had been in the United States less than a month, studying English, when the crash occurred.2CBS Austin. Former First Responder Remembers Friendship With Jacqueline Saburido She was 20. On the night of September 19, 1999, she rode in the front passenger seat of a car returning from a birthday party at the Oasis on Lake Travis near Austin.3TDCAA. Rest in Peace, Jacqui Saburido
Reggie Stephey, an 18-year-old driving an SUV in the opposite direction, had been drinking. His vehicle crossed the center line and struck her car head-on. The collision set the car on fire. The driver, Natalia Chyptchak Bennett, and another passenger, 20-year-old University of Texas student Laura Guerrero, were killed.4Seacoast Online. Woman Who Served as Face of Anti-Drunk-Driving Campaigns Dies Two other passengers survived. Saburido was trapped in the fire, and her injuries were the most severe of anyone who lived.5WAVE 3 News. Drunk Driver’s Decision Has Life-Changing Consequences
Her Injuries and Recovery
Saburido sustained third-degree burns across about 60 percent of her body. Nearly everything above the lower part of her legs burned. Her lips, ears, and nose eventually fell off. Doctors sewed her eyes shut to keep them from drying out and amputated the dead bones of her fingers.6Austin American-Statesman. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Campaigns Against Drunken Driving, Dies at 40
She spent months in a burn unit in Galveston after the crash and went on to undergo more than 120 surgeries over roughly two decades, including skin grafts and reconstructive work in Miami intended to form a new nose, lips, and eyelids. Her father, Amadeo, served as her primary caregiver. She eventually relocated to Guatemala City for better access to medical treatment and medications.6Austin American-Statesman. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Campaigns Against Drunken Driving, Dies at 407New York Post. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Anti-DWI Campaigns, Dies at 40
The Driver’s Conviction
Stephey was charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter for the deaths of Bennett and Guerrero. On his 20th birthday in June 2001, a jury found him guilty on both counts and sentenced him to seven years in prison. He served the full sentence and was released in June 2008.8Springfield Journal-Register. Woman Who Served as Face of Anti-Drunk-Driving Campaigns Dies9Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
During the trial, Saburido asked to meet Stephey and told him she forgave him. While he was imprisoned, the two collaborated on anti-drunk-driving PSAs and spoke together at high schools. They met in person again in August 2009 in San Antonio, their first face-to-face encounter since the trial, which Stephey described as “emotionally draining.”9Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
The “Faces of Drunk Driving” Campaign
Saburido became the central figure in the Texas Department of Transportation’s “Faces of Drunk Driving” campaign.10CNN. Jacqui Saburido, Who Became the Face of Anti-Drunk Driving Efforts, Has Died Produced by Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing, the signature PSA showed a photograph of Saburido before the crash and then transitioned to her appearance afterward. The material ran in videos, posters, and television spots across Texas.9Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
Her reach went well beyond Texas. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in November 2003, with the episode rebroadcast in 2005. She spoke at TxDOT’s Save a Life Summit and at schools around the country. Judges and law enforcement officers in multiple jurisdictions used her image and story in DUI sentencing and patrol work. Laura Dean-Mooney, then national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, called hers “one of the most impactful stories anywhere.”9Austin American-Statesman. 10 Years After Drunken Driver Left Her Disfigured, Jacqui Saburido Still Struggling to Find Peace
Saburido was direct about her reasons. “Even if it means sitting here in front of a camera with no ears, no nose, no eyebrows, no hair, I’ll do this a thousand times if it will help someone make a wise decision,” she said. “This is part of my mission here on the Earth. If this face and this body can help others, then why not?”10CNN. Jacqui Saburido, Who Became the Face of Anti-Drunk Driving Efforts, Has Died
Her Death in 2019
Saburido died of cancer in Guatemala in April 2019 at age 40. The specific type of cancer was not publicly disclosed. Her cousin, José Saburido, said her final wish was to be buried next to her mother, Rosalia Garcia, who had died of cancer in 2006.6Austin American-Statesman. Jacqui Saburido, Face of Campaigns Against Drunken Driving, Dies at 40 Her death was confirmed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.1CNN. Jacqui Saburido, Who Became the Face of Anti-Drunk Driving Efforts, Has Died Rob Kepple, executive director of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, called her “a symbol of the dangers of drunk driving” and said her “selflessness in the face of this unspeakable adversity was humbling to everyone involved.”3TDCAA. Rest in Peace, Jacqui Saburido