The reality of drunk driving - Meet Jacqui Saburido

Every year on the 19th of September, Jacqui Saburido celebrates a different kind of birthday. She isn’t celebrating the day she was born on – it’s the anniversary of the car accident that changed her life.

In August of 1999, Jacqueline Saburido moved from her home in Venezuela to Austin, Texas. She came to the United States to take English classes. She had it all – beauty, brains, and a future overflowing with opportunities.

Three weeks later on September 19, 1999, Jacqui went to a friend’s birthday party. According to several publications, Jacqui has said that the party reminded her of home because the birthday boy was also Venezuelan. At the party, she did not drink alcohol and neither did Natalia Chyptchak Bennett – the person Jacqui chose to get a ride home from.

Reggie Stephey, an 18 year old high school student, had been drinking with some friends and made the decision to drive himself home. He drove his SUV into the Oldsmobile Jacqui and her friends were riding in. Natalia and Jacqui’s friend, Laura, were killed on impact.

Two paramedics who had just left the scene of an emergency call drove up on the accident. They saw flames coming from Natalia’s Oldsmobile. One of them ran to the car with a fire extinguisher and put it out, emptying the extinguisher completely. Soon, though, the fire was back. The paramedics were able to get Johan and Johanna, two more of Jacqui’s friends, out of the backseat. Jacqui’s door couldn’t be pried open, and she was trapped – her legs were pinned between the seat and the dashboard. The flames grew, and the paramedics witnessed the horrifying scene of Jacqui’s body catching on fire. They said she burned for a solid forty-five seconds. She screamed and wailed.

When the fire was finally put out, the paramedics believed Jacqui was dead, but they soon discovered that she was still alive – somehow. She was airlifted to Breckenridge Hospital in Austin and then transferred to the Blocker Burn Unit at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Jacqui had third degree burns (the worst kind) on over 60% of her body. The paramedics later said that when the fire was finally put out with a hose from a fire truck, Jacqui’s body steamed.

Doctors, nurses, burn experts – no one knew if she would live through so much trauma. Jacqui Saburido was born a fighter, and her survival is proof of that. She underwent over 40 surgical procedures within two years of the accident. She has had more since then. Her body is severely disfigured, her injuries innumerable. There are scars on almost every part of her except her feet, and her feet are the only parts of her body that still have full sensation. Most of her fingers were amputated. She has none on her right hand (although doctors were able to make her a thumb), and the ones on her left hand are short nubs. Jacqui didn’t even have those for a while – they had sort of healed or grown together while she was in the hospital, but one of her doctors was able to separate them. She was blind for quite some time, but she had cornea transplants, along with countless other procedures on her eyes. Jacqui can see out of both her eyes now – although her vision is blurry at times and therefore not dependable eyesight. She lost the ability to grow hair. After being in the hospital for so long, all of the muscle she had left had deteriorated on her, and she had to gain it back gradually. Because of her burns, her skin can no longer hold in heat or cold. During her stay in the hospital, her lips, ears, and nose fell off. Jacqui’s face was damaged beyond recognition.

Jacqui’s parents, Amadeo and Rosalia, rushed to Texas from Venezuela the day after her accident. They had been divorced previously, and eventually her mother went back home. Jacqui depends on her father for the simplest of things – showering, buttoning her clothes, etc. She has said she feels like a toddler because she is very dependent on Amadeo.

Three hours after the accident, police officers placed Reggie Stephey in the back of a squad car when his blood alcohol level reading came back at 0.13 (the legal limit being 0.08). This was THREE HOURS later. No one knows exactly how intoxicated he was when he caused the car accident. He was later fined $20,000 and sentenced to 14 years in prison, with the possibility of parole. He killed two people and permanently disfigured Jacqui. During the court proceedings, Jacqui met him and publicly forgave him, displaying a level of courage most people can only dream about.

Jacqui lent her story to anti-drunk driving campaigns in Texas. She has been featured on posters and in commercials. One of the most popular posters shows before and after pictures of Jacqui with the statement, “Not everyone who gets hit by a drunk driver dies.” A video was made with the purpose of discouraging drunk driving that featured Jacqui and Reggie Stephey. Students have said they are much less likely to drive impaired after hearing Jacqui’s story.

Jacqui has been through so much more than I could ever explain to you. The treatments, masks, creams, drops, surgeries, bodysuits… they are all too much for me to keep track of. But she has come SO far. She and her father are confident that she will continue to progress.

The major accomplishments Jacqui has had? She can see, she has driven a little, and she even finished her studies in English. Jacqui shares her story publicly in speeches at high schools across the country when she has time.













I would like for everyone to take away three things from this:

This is the time of year when most schools have their proms. It’s also the time of year when you go to parties, barbeques at your friends’ houses, etc. When you’re out having fun, PLEASE don’t drive if you are impaired! It is absolutely NOT worth the risk!

You are blessed beyond belief. Writing this has been extremely humbling for me, and I am thankful for yet another reminder of what all I have to be grateful for.

If you have children or spend a lot of time around children, please teach them that it is okay for people to look differently than they do. Jacqui is stared, pointed, and laughed at far too often. People are sometimes afraid of her. Don’t be and don’t teach your children to be that way – she is a human being with feelings. People who look differently need to be shown love too!



Jacqui’s medical bills are continually piling up. (Can you even imagine?) If you would like to help her family financially, I’m sure they would greatly appreciate even the smallest donation. All donations can be made securely through a paypal account set up for Jacqui. Click here to donate.


While she isn’t able to respond to every message (writing and typing are still challenging for her), Jacqui loves to receive both snail mail and email from people who have heard her story. I hope all of you send her at least a short note with some words of encouragement!
Jacqui Saburido
P.O. Box 27667
Austin, Texas, USA 78755

jacquisagar@gmail.com


*Please share this with all of your friends!