John Maland students receive message about the dangers of impaired driving from former JMHS student

Losing a loved one to a motor vehicle collision involving an impaired driver will hopefully not ever happen to any of the students currently attending John Maland High School in Devon.

Unfortunately that is exactly what occurred in Nancy Collins’ life. Collins is a former JMHS student, who recently presented to the school’s student body, on behalf of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). She shared about the loss of her husband, Brad Lentz, in 2011. Lentz was also a JMHS grad, and Collins described him as the love of her life. 

Collins says Lentz died when an impaired driver’s vehicle crashed into the vehicle she and Lentz were in, which was stationary at an intersection. She described waking up from the crash only to realize her partner was gone. 

“It takes a lot of emotional energy to tell this story,” says Collins. “My hope is that by sharing it, it will save someone’s life.”

“I volunteered to be here,” says Collins. “I felt like it was my mission to come. I wanted to be in my home town and share Brad’s story.”

Collins says she was pleased to see the students, and take their questions. She also appreciated seeing friends and family in the audience.

Collins co-presented with Aaron Libby, also with MADD, who has suffered life long injuries as a result of a vehicle collision involving an impaired driver. The presenters also brought a vehicle with them that demonstrated the impact of a collision involving alcohol. Libby told the students that in that event, in 2013, the 18 year old driver and his 18 year old passenger were both impaired and both died as a result of the collision. 

“We invited MADD to give this presentation because we don’t want our students to experience this type of tragedy,” says Jon Ganton, Principal, John Maland High School. “We want students to recognize the choice they have, and make the right choice when it matters.”