Chouteau mother lost 20-year-old daughter in auto crash
A suspect in handcuffs during a Highway Patrol DUI checkpoint in May. Photo provided.
Chouteau resident Brenda Branson suffered an unimaginable loss April 25th when her 20-year-old daughter, Kendra Lee Gonzalez, was killed in a two-vehicle collision in Mayes County.
The other driver, Derlin Lara, has been charged with first-degree manslaughter, DUI, driving without a license and transporting an open bottle of liquor.
Branson has turned some of her grief into advocacy for families impacted by drunk driving. Her first event was a walk in Pryor to raise awareness for drunk driving.
This is Branson's story, edited for clarity:
“I relive it every night. It was about 1 o'clock in the morning. I was sleeping on the couch with (her granddaughter.) The doorbell rang. I got up and looked through the peephole and there were two guys standing there. I opened it, still half asleep. The Highway Patrol was standing there. They said ‘Ms. Brenda Branson?' I said ‘yeah.' They said, ‘You have a daughter named Kendra Gonzalez?' They said, ‘I hate to tell you this but your daughter was in a fatal accident.'
“I told him he was lying, or joking. I remember him telling me ‘no ma'am I'm not, it's real.' She died at the scene. The guy ran the median and hit her head on.
“She was goofy, she was funny. She was a patient care assistant at the veterans' center in Claremore. She loved that job, she loved taking care of people. She also worked part-time at Pizza Hut. She was the life of the party.
“She was 20. She had a big heart. I think sometimes that was her problem. She really cared too much. She did want a baby, she wanted to be married and have a family.
“There's no sense in it (drunk driving). If you're going to go out drinking, call a taxi. Get a friend. Don't drink until you get home. Just don't do it. Maybe you can step back and say this isn't worth it.
“I want people to know how it effects someone. You are literally standing in quicksand trying to get out and it's like every time you move, you just sink further down.”
In Edmond, some good news
Alcohol-related crashes in Edmond were reduced 33 percent, from 18 in 2011 to 12 in 2013. The Edmond Police Department utilized a grant to increase the use of saturation patrols.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in 2014 drastically reduced the average turnaround time for DUI blood testing, from 109 to 39 days.
Source: Oklahoma Highway Safety Office
Jennifer Palmer joined The Oklahoman staff in 2008 and, after five years on the business desk, is now digging deeper through investigative work. She's been recognized with awards in public service reporting and personal column writing. Prior to... Read more ›