Dear Editor:

My name is Deana Flanagan-Crews and I’m the best friend of Sherry Martin-Arthur. I’ve known Sherry for 27 years.

I also am a firefighter/EMT. I’ve also seen bad and ugly motor vehicle crashes. I responded to Hwy. 280 near Hwy. 204 back in April, 2005 when Jack Barfield and Emily Mosley were speeding and driving recklessly to school. Upon arriving to that scene, I saw Ginger Reagin’s vehicle.

Ginger was a very good friend of mine. I knew her for about 25 years and I knew Garrett from birth. No person should have to see babies, children or teenagers die like this.

You see, Melissa and Heather Arthur were just like my daughters. My daughter Heather was best friends with Melissa and Heather Arthur as well. These three girls hung out as sisters just about every weekend and during the week.

Sherry and I will get to see my Heather graduate. We will not get to see Melissa or Heather Arthur or Laura Cobb graduate.

Sherry and I can’t take Melissa or Heather Arthur to the mall, out to eat, to see a movie, to the beach, to the fair or anywhere else. We didn’t get to celebrate Melissa’s 18th birthday on Sept. 3 nor Heather Arthur’s 16th birthday on Sept. 14. Instead, we talked to two cold graves while looking at a third and made a sign to put by the accident site.

Sherry and I miss Melissa and Heather Arthur every day. Not a day goes by that we do not think of them.

Tam Duc Le is still here. He gets to graduate. His parents can hug him and tell him that they love him.

In response to Heather Harper, we don’t blame Laura Cobb for letting Tam Duc Le drive her car. We blame Tam Duc Lee for three felony counts of first degree vehicular homicide. We blame Tam Duc Le for reckless driving, driving too fast for conditions and failure to maintain his lane.

Tam Duc Le is responsible for our daughters not being here today. I say prosecute him to the fullest extend of the law.