By the end of the presentation, most of the audience members found their eyes welling up; some struggled to resist the emotion while others wept openly.
At the podium, tears also streamed down the face of Debby Iwaniec, the third member of her family to speak during a powerful program that focused on the death of her only son seven years ago. Kenton E. Iwaniec had recently started his dream job with the Pennsylvania State Police when he became a drunk-driving fatality.
Since then, his family has launched an indefatigable crusade to reduce DUI casualties. On Saturday, Debby Iwaniec; her husband, Ken; and their daughter Acacia Houck addressed a reluctant audience at the Chester County Government Services Center.
The dozens of people who had gathered to hear them had no choice about being there. Attendance was required because they all shared an unwelcome bond: a DUI arrest.
Gina Basciani Cirucci from the Chester County Crime Victims’ Center, which runs the mandatory alcohol-safety program with the Chester County Probation Department, explained that the goal is not to serve as judge – “everyone makes mistakes” – but to try and prevent reoccurrences. One way to accomplish that is to help people realize that reckless actions can have excruciating – and lasting – consequences.
As the father of three daughters, Ken Iwaniec said he and his son, his “best friend,” always had a strong bond. He joked that he sometimes referred to him as “my link to sanity” in a female-dominated household. And he used to suggest facetiously that he wanted to be like his son when he grew up. “But I really meant it,” he said. “He was such a good guy.”
That characterization manifested itself in myriad ways, his father said, explaining that “at a young age, he [Kenton] had a desire to serve,” seeking a career as a Marine or a police officer.
On March 27, 2008, his son, a history buff who also loved sports, reading, and music, had just finished his shift at the Avondale barracks and was headed home. “He had no idea what hit him,” his father said.
Accompanied by her 4-year-old son and a fifth of Grey Goose, Kristina M. Quercetti, 40, of Landenberg, was speeding in the wrong direction on Route 41 without headlights at 10:14 p.m. She slammed head-on into the trooper’s Hyundai Elantra, trapping him in the vehicle. Quercetti had a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit and was also under the influence of the painkiller oxycodone, police said.
Houck recalled that she was almost asleep on March 27, 2008, when she got a call from her mother about the accident. She picked up her sister Ashley, and they began the five-hour drive from western Pennsylvania to Christiana Hospital in Delaware; her parents were already on their way. “I just kept praying: Just let him be OK,” she said. “Just let him be OK.”
When Houck and her sister arrived about 5 a.m., they were enveloped by state troopers and taken inside. “In an instant, our lives were changed forever,” she said. “We didn’t have to hear the words ‘he didn’t make it,’ we knew.”
A slide show created by Houck illustrated her brother’s life, showcasing his contagious smile and capturing his sense of fun. The images ranged from family photos of Kenton as a child to high school shots on various sports team to somber scenes from the funeral.
Debby Iwaniec said the family struggles daily to cope with the loss. “How can a family be whole again?” she asked.
She said none of them made it to the hospital in time: Kenton died during surgery. “I didn’t get one last time to tell him I love him and how proud I was of him,” she said.
And even though he was an organ donor, no organs could be salvaged. “Kenton died a brutal death,” Debby Iwaniec said, referencing an autopsy report replete with horrific details. “My son had to have a closed casket.”
As painful as the funeral was, Debby Iwaniec said she didn’t realize until later that it represented “the easy part.” The empty seat at holidays and the knowledge that her son, who was eager to get married and have children, would never get the chance has taken a toll, she said. “We are heartbroken for what will never be,” she said.
Debby Iwaniec said as family members have battled the emptiness, it has strengthened their resolve to spare others from it. “No one should have to hold the death certificate of a loved one because someone else chose to drive impaired,” she said, displaying her son’s death certificate.
She pointed out that Quercetti’s family was not spared from pain. “Both families lost that night,” she said, but Quercetti, who suffered a broken ankle (her son was not injured), will be able to return home when she completes her prison sentence of 8 ½ to 17 years.
Debby Iwaniec said when she looks at the audience, she sees hope. “I see people who are blessed in front of me with a second chance,” she said. “Make use of it.” Challenging them to make a difference, she urged them to avoid making their legacy “a defendant in a courtroom.”
At the conclusion of the program, the Iwaniecs presented two portable breath-testing units to two Philadelphia police officers, part of their ongoing efforts to reduce drunk-driving. To date, through a foundation they set up in tribute to their son, they have distributed more than 500 of the units, which cost about $600 apiece.
As the alcohol-safety school participants exited the room, many stopped to thank the family. Some exchanged hugs, and some shared stories about their own circumstances. Although the Iwaniecs acknowledged that it is agonizing to relive Kenton’s death, they believe it serves a greater good, even if just one person changes their behavior.
Despite living southwest of Pittsburgh, the family returns to the area about four times a year, participating in as many presentations as they can schedule. They regularly attend the annual Candlelight Vigil, a tribute to homicide victims organized by the Crime Victims’ Center, and the twice-yearly cleanups of the stretch of Route 41 where the accident occurred, a PennDOT initiative.
Peggy Gusz, the executive director of the Crime Victims’ Center, has seen the positive impact of the Iwaniecs’ presentations firsthand. She said the audiences typically contain mostly first-time DUI offenders who get to see how the choice to drive impaired can affect real people.
“The Iwaniecs … each tell their stories from different perspectives, making their messages more personal,” Gusz said. “They want their messages to prevent repeat offenders, and they want the offenders to realize that the law enforcement who cited them were doing them a favor by giving them a second chance – the second chance their son never had.”
For more information on the Iwaniec family's efforts to curb drunk-driving, visit http://www.trooperiwaniec.org/Kenton_Iwaniec/Welcome.html.
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