The Tragic Denise Wagoner Story

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

Denise Wagoner's life changed dramatically after she caused a near-fatal car crash while driving under the influence. Despite sustaining severe injuries and facing multiple surgeries, Denise now shares her powerful message about the consequences of impaired driving. Through her story, she educates others on the dangers of alcoholism, drug abuse, and the importance of wearing safety belts. Learn from Denise's experience and make responsible choices to prevent similar tragedies.

DUI - Was it worth it?

Denise Wagoner • Denise Wagoner was involved in a near fatal car crash, the victim of an drunk driver. She had multiple skull fractures, compressed vertebrae, crushed ribs, and a swollen brain. Every facial bone was broken, her arm was broken, and she lost her sight. Doctors did not expect her to live another 24 hours. Denise survived, later to have extensive surgery fifteen times, seven on her face alone. She is now disfigured and blind, with permanent brain damage. This life changing experience was the result of her own actions. Denise was the drunk driver. Before the accident.

Denise’s car hit a culvert...

Her car flipped 3 times end to end...

And then rolled 2 times...

Denise was thrown 70 feet into a field on the last roll...

Denise’s face right after accident She lost 9 units of blood in the 20 minute medivac flight. 56 units her first night...

Denise’s face after the first couple of surgery’s. Her first operation took 17 hours...

After 5 surgeries - Bridge of nose has been rebuilt. Lips have been started, pink skin from inside mouth used to make lips look more natural. Teeth still wired shut...

Denise 7 surgeries later...

The whole family has been affected, it is not just you. If you do something like Denise did your family suffers. Think about your mother and father, brothers, sisters, just everyone in the family has had to deal with Denise.

Denise has spent the last few years sharing her story, and has spoken to high school classes, drivers education programs, and convicted DUI offenders about her experience. She shares a powerful message about impaired driving, drug abuse, alcoholism, wearing of safety belts. 

Denise after 15 surgeries...

Denise during filming of “Just Call Me Crash”...

The Myths of Drinking and Driving

MYTH 1: You can sober up with black coffee, a cold shower, fresh air or exercise.

REALITY: Only time can sober up a person. Many factors contribute to how much alcohol it takes for a person to become impaired. A person's weight and how much food they have in their stomachs at the time of alcohol consumption are two such factors. For example, depending on height and weight of a someone who has had five drinks in two hours will probably need at least three more hours without alcohol to sober up. Research shows the effects of alcohol take longer to wear off on women. • "Women generally get tipsy faster and stay high longer than men matching them drink for drink."

MYTH 2: Drinking beer or wine will not make you as drunk as hard liquor.

REALITY: a 12-oz. beer, a 5-oz. glass of wine, and a 1-oz. shot of hard liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol. Depending on your drink of choice, it may actually have MORE alcohol than a shot of hard liquor.

MYTH 3: You can tell if a friend is drunk by looking at him.

REALITY: Judgment is the first thing affected when someone has been drinking and important motor skills are next. Even one drink can impair someone's ability to drive. Someone's physical appearance can be misleading The Myths of Drinking and Driving

MYTH 4: I’m OK…I’ve only had 1-2 beers…I only live a few miles away…I can make it. 

REALITY: You may feel alright, but the alcohol has already impaired your reflexes, motor skills, and thought processes. If you drink and drive…it’s only a matter of time before you are stopped and taken into custody or kill someone. Is it really worth it?

MYTH 5: If arrested, I’ll hire the best DUI attorney in town to defend me.

REALITY: A cop with an establish DUI arrest/conviction record, training, and experience will always prevail in court. More Myths of Drinking and Driving.

YOUR OPTIONS • Continue to drink and drive • “I can handle it… I’ve done it for years!” • …or... • Opt not to drink if you intend to drive • Find a designated a driver before you drink • As a last resort… • Call a cab! (cheaper than court costs) • Call a friend, supervisor, anyone! (Free) • Call AADD for help! (Free). Best advice yet, abstain completely from drinking booze! You cannot take two drinks if you don't take the first. No one ever says when taking their first sip of booze: “I want to become a drunk someday, I want to destroy my life.”

Arrive Alive - Don’t Drink & Drive (I say don't drink alcohol at all)...

Alarming Booze Statistics:

• 13,458 Americans died in alcohol-related crashes 2022
• 12,429 Americans died in alcohol-related crashes in 2023
• 11,904 Americans died in alcohol-related crashes in 2024
• 12,492 Americans died in alcohol-related crashes in 2025
• Every day, 34 people in the U.S. die in a drunk driving crash (2023 data)
• Between 2014 and 2023, there was a 25% increase in drunk driving fatalities
• Hawaii leads the nation with 42% of fatal crashes involving legally drunk drivers, followed by Texas and South Carolina
• 804,926 Americans were arrested for suspected DUI in 2024, representing 11% of all arrests nationwide
• Drunk driving crashes drain $58 billion from the U.S. economy annually, and one DUI can cost one offender as much as $30,000 on legal fees and penalties

Alcohol Will Destroy Your Life

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

The statistics don't lie dear reader. Booze is nothing to mess around with or take lightly.

Excessive alcohol use causes about 178,000 deaths annually in the U.S., with two-thirds from chronic conditions like liver disease and cancer, and one-third from acute incidents like overdoses and accidents. Alcohol-related deaths have increased significantly, with men accounting for 67.1% of these deaths. SOURCE

Booze is becoming a serious problem across the United States...

The death toll has risen 29% in five years

Federal data tracks approximately 178,000 Americans dying from excessive alcohol each year — equivalent to one death every three minutes, around the clock. That toll rose 29% between 2016–17 and 2020–21, climbing from an average of 137,927 annual deaths to 178,307. The pace has accelerated sharply: deaths jumped 23% in the most recent measured period, nearly four times the 5% rate recorded in the prior years.

Women represent the fastest-growing group. Female alcohol-related deaths climbed 35% over this period, outpacing the 27% rise among men.

These deaths are not just premature — they are dramatically premature. On average, each person who dies from excessive alcohol use loses 24 years of potential life. Across the full death toll, that amounts to approximately 4 million years of potential life lost every year in the United States.

The five leading causes are alcohol-associated liver disease, heart disease and stroke, accidental poisonings (including combined alcohol-drug overdoses), falls and crashes, and alcohol-related cancers — particularly colorectal and breast cancer. Alcohol now accounts for 44.5% of all liver disease deaths in the United States, and contributes to roughly 5.6% of all US cancer cases.

Alcohol also plays a significant role in other forms of violent and accidental death. In 2022, alcohol was a factor in approximately 16% of drug overdose deaths, and an estimated 21% of suicide decedents had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10% or higher at the time of death. SOURCE

It is disturbing knowing that 178,000 Americans are still dying each and every year because of alcoholic beverages and yet nothing has been done to stop it. When two teenagers shot up a high school in San Diego a couple weeks ago, over one hundred police officers responded to the incident. The media went into a frenzy. Interviewed neighbours demanded change. Yet, only three people were killed. Why is it that we freak out over three deaths, while totally ignoring the annual death of 178,000 Americans because of Liquid Devil? We're crazy!

The old adage is still true: You cannot take two drinks of beer if you don't take the first.

The Dangers Of Booze, Cigarettes And Abusing Your Body's Health

Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.”

There are umpteen good reasons NOT to drink booze. Besides the risk of developing cancer if you drink alcohol, as an intoxicated drunk driver you may also ruin someone's else's life. It has always bothered me that murderers get sentenced to life in prison, but drunk drivers who murder people only get a few years in prison, if that.

“𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸.” —𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗠.𝗗. 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻

On 19 September 1999, Jacqueline Saburido (1978-2019) attended a birthday party near Lake Travis. She and her friends left after a few hours, and accepted a ride home from a classmate. A short while into the drive, their 1990 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency was hit by a 1996 GMC Yukon driven by Reginald Stephey, who had been drinking beforehand and was intoxicated. The driver and one passenger of the vehicle she was in were killed, with the other passengers injured; of the three survivors, Saburido was the only one trapped in the car when it caught fire, and was unable to escape the flames.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a jungle we live in here. Life is a veil of tears.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “The Patient Waiting Of Christ”

Jacqueline suffered second and third degree burns to more than 60% of her body, but survived despite her doctor's expectations. Her fingers had to be amputated, but there was enough bone left on her thumb to construct an opposable thumb. She lost her hair, ears, nose, lips, left eyelid, and much of her vision. Jacqueline subsequently underwent more than 120 reconstructive operations, including cornea transplants to restore her left eye. The ungodly monster who did this to her is enjoying a good life today. I hate booze!

Woe unto America! We live in a reckless society of irresponsible fools in the United States. How many more people are going to have to die before we wake up and stop eating at the Devil's table; before we stop playing with the Devil's fire? I love the following meme, because it is absolutely true. Society tells their children that they cannot drink alcohol until they are age 21, while being surrounded by a culture of booze. We live in a major wicked hypocritical society!

I have a serious problem with the primary message of the organization, Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Their motto is: 'Don't Drink And Drive!' Sadly, that is the wrong message. Their motto should be: 'Don't Drink Booze!' Total abstinence from alcoholic beverages is the only remedy for society's woes caused by drunk drivers. The idea that someone can drink a narcotic beverage on a regular basis without ever going overboard by drinking too much is a flawed concept. All it takes is just one bad day!

I thank God that I have never drank a drop of booze in my life. That is quite remarkable considering that both of my parents drank beer, and my father drank Vodka. They were both true born again believers, thankfully. The only time I ever saw my father truly drunk was when my mother died in 2001, which I humbly think is understandable. My father was happy when he got buzzed, thankfully. My mother was a drunk. I watched her when I was a little boy puke her guts out in the kitchen sink on a regular basis, more times than I can remember. My sister one day counted 50 empty beer cans that Mom had left under the coach, which she slept on. 

Mom was also a heavy smoker, she loved Kool cigarettes. Believe me, they weren't cool! So, it didn't come as a surprise that in 1989 she suffered a crippling major stroke and would never walk again. For the remaining 12 years of her life the entire left side of her body was completely paralyzed. Even when she talked, the left side of her mouth couldn't move. It was difficult to see my mother in such a tragic condition, but she did that to herself by abusing her health for decades. She started smoking cigarettes at age 15. Dear reader, learn from my parent's mistakes, as I have. I have never smoked a cigarette and never will. Granted, smoking cigarettes won't send you to Hell, they'll just make you smell like you've been there.

In 1989, my sister came running to tell me that Mom fell on the floor and couldn't move. I called my Dad right away at work and he instructed me to carry Mom to Cook County Hospital. I did that. As you can imagine, it was s surreal and frightening experience for all of us. Due to poor circulation, my mother eventually had both legs amputated below the knee. Ouch! I remember seeing her cry in pain, and I saw the bloody stump where doctors had amputated her leg. Dear friend, please don't smoke tobacco! The tobacco companies don't care about you. They just want your money. Please take care of the healthy body God has blessed you with.

And I'd like to mention it, while we're on the subject of taking care of one's body, I am against tattoos. In my humble opinion, nothing robs a beautiful woman of her God-given beauty than getting ugly manmade tattoos imprinted on her skin. Ladies, I am going to share a secret with you—men love a natural woman. Normal men do not like lipstick, rouge, plastic surgery, breast implants, rhinoplasty, butt lifts, et cetera. Just be yourself. When you start tampering with the natural body that God gave you, I promised you that down the road you will regret it.

I am 57 years old. I have never been drunk even once in my life. I don't have to wonder what I may have done while intoxicated. My lungs are clear because I have never smoked a cigarette. I was severely rear-ended by a church bus in 1992 that permanently ruined my health. Albeit, that wasn't my fault, some irresponsible person left their abandoned automobile on the roadway, which caused a major accident involving three buses. We live in a reckless culture of drug and alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse, tattoo abuse, et cetera. Everywhere I go I see women, even female police officers and emergency room doctors, covered with ugly multi-colored tattoos, which make those women look like foolish clowns. It is abuse to one's health.

Getting a bunch of tattoos on your body is not a healthy thing to do. It will affect your mind and how you view yourself. I pride myself in not having any tattoos, which I consider marks of wordiness. To me, tattoos identify someone with the world, not Bible Christianity. Even getting a religious tattoo is still a worldly thing to do. It is common knowledge that tattoos are closely associated with the prison gang subculture. I want no part of that! So, be good to yourself folks. If God wanted you to smoke anything, He would have put a chimney up on top of your head. If God wanted you to have marks on your body, He would have put them there. The human body is sacred, created in the image of God almighty. Love yourself by taking care of your body, health and well-being dear reader. 1st Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

“You can't buy mental health, it's the gift of God.” —Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982), 'Steps In The Degeneration Of Our Nation'

Drinking Alcohol Causes Cancer

Proverbs 23:29-34, “Who hath woe?  who hath sorrow?  who hath contentions?  who hath babbling?  who hath wounds without cause?  who hath redness of eyes?  They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?  I will seek it yet again.”

I was surprised to learn today that the U.S. surgeon General warned Americans that drinking booze causes cancer, which evidently is a well documented fact. ...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

U.S. Surgeon General Issues New Advisory on Link Between Alcohol and Cancer Risk

Alcohol Consumption is the Third Leading Preventable Cause of Cancer in the United States

Washington, D.C. – Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Surgeon General’s Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk, outlining the direct link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk. Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, after tobacco and obesity, increasing risk for at least seven types of cancer. While scientific evidence for this connection has been growing over the past four decades, less than half of Americans recognize it as a risk factor for cancer.

The Surgeon General’s Advisory includes a series of recommendations to increase awareness to help minimize alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths, including updating the existing Surgeon General’s health warning label on alcohol-containing beverages.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic crash fatalities per year in the U.S. – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “This Advisory lays out steps we can all take to increase awareness of alcohol’s cancer risk and minimize harm.”

The direct link between alcohol consumption and cancer risk is well-established for at least seven types of cancer including cancers of the breast, colorectum, esophagus, liver, mouth (oral cavity), throat (pharynx), and voice box (larynx), regardless of the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits) that is consumed. For breast cancer specifically, 16.4% of total breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol consumption.

In the U.S., there are about 100,000 alcohol-related cancer cases and about 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths annually. Cancer risk increases as alcohol consumption increases. For certain cancers, like breast, mouth, and throat cancers, evidence shows that the risk of developing cancer may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day. An individual's risk of developing cancer due to alcohol consumption is determined by a complex interaction of biological, environmental, social, and economic factors. SOURCE

Here is some more helpful information from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas...

There are many reasons why alcohol can increase your cancer risk. These include:

Acetaldehyde: Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol. When the body breaks down ethanol, it becomes acetaldehyde, which Bevers says is a known carcinogen. “This compound damages DNA and stops our cells from repairing the damage. This can allow cancerous cells to grow,” she explains.

Hormonal effects: Alcohol can affect the levels of hormones like estrogen, Bevers says. She notes that these hormones act as messengers that tell our cells to grow and divide. “The more cells divide, the more chances there are for something to go wrong and for cancer to develop,” she says.

Reduced nutrient absorption: Alcohol makes it harder for the body to absorb and use nutrients that protect it from cancer. These include vitamins A, B1, B6, C, D, E, K, and folate, iron and selenium. “These are just a few vitamins and minerals that are responsible for immunity, protecting cells from oxidative damage, reducing inflammation and aiding in DNA synthesis and repair,” Lee says.

Weight gain: Consuming more calories than your body burns leads to weight gain. “Alcohol can contribute to weight gain from excess calorie intake. Excess weight is linked to over 12 types of cancer,” Lee says.

It increases the risk of tobacco-related cancers: If you drink and smoke, you may be at an even higher risk for certain cancers including oral cancer and throat cancer. Lee says alcohol may make cells more sensitive to other substances that cause cancer. “The combination of drinking and smoking increases the risk of developing mouth or throat cancer more than drinking or smoking alone,” she says. SOURCE

Why in the world would anyone continue drinking booze after reading this? I thank God that I have never drank a drop of booze in my entire life, and I don't plan to start now at age 57. Booze is a menace to every society. Alcohol is a monster! What surprises me is that it took over 50 years for the government to finally warn people about the truth that alcohol causes certain types of cancer. Dear reader, no one needs to drink booze. I value being in my right mind all the time. I would hate to sober up one day, just to find out that while intoxicated I committed some unimaginable crime. When you are drunk, you have no control over your behavior! You become a vessel for demonic possession. If you don't believe that, simply search online for what drunk people have done while under the influence of alcohol.

Alcohol causes cancer! That is a disturbing truth.

“You can't buy mental health, it's the gift of God.” —Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982), 'Steps In The Degeneration Of Our Nation'

The Disturbing Truth About BOOZE!

Proverbs 23:29-35, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake?  I will seek it yet again.”

In ancient times the fruit of the vine was allowed to naturally ferment. This meant that to get drunk you needed to 'TARRY LONG AT THE WINE.' You'd have to drink a half gallon of this natural weaker form of wine to get drunk. This is very different than modern-day fermenting, which produces a highly concentrated alcoholic beverage. Even two beers is enough to cause the average person to be recklessly impaired to drive a vehicle. According to the National Highway And Traffic Administration, even one beer renders a person unfit to drive at all. Yet, we hear in the news about drivers with BAC (blood alcohol concentration) levels of .15 and higher. 

It is ridiculous to set the legal intoxication limit at .08% when most employers will fire you at .01% BAC. Ungodly lawyers have ruined the United States, effectively legalizing crime. They all hide behind the same lame excuses of “That's the crazy laws” and “I'm just doing my job.” Yea, and so were Herod's henchman while slaughtering thousands of children throughput Palestine in the New Testament! They were just following orders too. It will be a cold day in Hell before you can pay me to make society worse! Proverb 10:25, “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.”

Not everyone who gets hit by a drunk drivee dies! ...

Jacqueline Saburido | Faces Of Drunk Driving

She was only 19 years old in 1978. A drunk driver, a male college student, hit and destroyed her life. She was burned over 60% of her body. Life as she knew it was over! Americans time and time again have proven that BOOZE is a menace to society. Yet, our ungodly lawmakers, judges and lawyers keep letting these criminals murder people. Don't believe it? Here's a wicked Kansas man with 17 drunk driving convictions. Here's another Wisconsin man also with 17 drunk driving convictions. The irresponsible courts keep allowing these alcoholics to get behind the wheel, until they murder a family while stoppering drunk. And then they'll still go do it again and again and again, Great country we live in, huh?

I'll never forget a funeral that I attended of a family on our church bus route. A drunk male driver murdered a pregnant mother. It is first-degree murder. I am sick and tired of drunks getting charged with involuntary manslaughter, because they didn't mean to do it. Right! When you drink that alcohol, you know EXACTLY what you are doing and risking. Our partying, get drunk, irresponsible culture of debauchery in the United States is the problem! Hollywood glamorizes booze. Ungodly singers like Jimmy Buffet and Toby Keith glamorize booze. Yet the Baptist preacher is scorned and mocked for telling it like it is. Beer is LIQUID DEVIL!!!

Anyway, at the funeral of that pregnant mother, there were TWO caskets. I don't care what any liberal says, abortion is cold-blooded rotten murder! Only God gives life, so that NO MAN has a right to stop it! Isaiah 44:2, “Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.” It is mind numbing to think that such a beautiful creation as a human being that God is forming in the womb, would be destroyed by some irresponsible mother and doctor. I watched as those TWO caskets, a mother and her baby in a separate casket, were slowly lowered into their graves. Seeing that tiny white coffin was heartbreaking!!!

The beer companies will never show you that! SIN CITY Las Vegas won't show you that. The Devil only shows you the flashing neon lights of Broadway. The Devil doesn't show you the morgues, the hospitals, the prisons and mental institutions. Satan is a beautiful liar!!!