Yuma family seeks donations after drunk driver totals only car

A Yuma family is asking for donations after a drunk driver ran a stop sign over Memorial Day weekend and totaled the household’s only car, cutting off the transportation they relied on for work, school and everyday trips. The crash left the family facing unexpected costs at the same time it lost its only reliable way to move around Yuma County.

The appeal landed as the Yuma Police Department was warning drivers to stay sober behind the wheel during the holiday weekend. Officer Hayato Johnson said impaired driving slows normal reaction time and turns a driver into a hazard to themselves and everyone else on the road. Johnson also pointed out that a $20 Uber ride is far cheaper than the thousands of dollars in court costs that can follow a DUI arrest.

The scale of the problem is not limited to Yuma. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says about 32 people die every day in drunk-driving crashes in the United States, and it reported 11,904 alcohol-impaired-driving traffic deaths in 2024. In Arizona, DUI enforcement has remained heavy over Memorial Day weekend, with one state report citing 405 DUI arrests in 2024 and 436 in 2025.

The local human toll has also been visible in Yuma courts. Kiara Gomez was sentenced Jan. 30, 2025, to 10 and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a wrong-way DUI crash that killed 81-year-old Robert Shipp. Family member Gina Ott said the sentence finally brought closure, a reminder that impaired-driving cases in Yuma often leave lasting damage long after the police tape comes down.

For the family now seeking help, the loss is immediate and practical: no car, new repair or replacement costs, and a renewed dependence on others for daily transportation. Their plea fits a pattern seen across Yuma, where families hit by severe crashes increasingly turn to community donations and online fundraisers to bridge the gap when insurance, savings and public assistance fall short.