Mahwah Girl Injured In Crash Speaks To Kids About Drunk Driving

MAHWAH, NJ — Julia Stuart is making sure no one goes through what she did.

Stuart's leg was pinned between two vehicles by a drunk driver at a party last year. Stuart had surgery on the leg and attends physical therapy. She just recently began to play lacrosse again.

Stuart was 13 when the injury occurred. Now, with the help of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the 15-year-old is going to New Jersey schools and speaking with students about what happened.

Stuart spoke to students at Livingston High School and in front of drunk-driving victims at a MADD meeting in Hackensack recently. She is speaking in Westwood in June.

A MADD spokesperson did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Stuart's message is simple: Do not drink and drive.

"Don't drink and drive, ever. Do not drink if you're underage," Stuart said. "I have to live with the scar on my knee. It's noticeable and a constant reminder of what happened. People see it and they always ask me, 'What happened?'"

And that's the other part of Stuart's message.

"I want them to know what happened to me," Stuart said. "They need to know that it could happen to them too."

Stuart wants kids to know about the dangers alcohol can have on others' lives.

"When it first happened, I remember I was afraid to look at my leg," Stuart said. "I was afraid that it wouldn't work after the accident and I didn't think I'd be able to play lacrosse again."

Stuart's family is very proud of her.

"For any kid to put yourself out there, especially at her age after what happened, I'm so proud she's doing it," said Victoria Stuart, Julia's mother. "She's connected with some other drunk driving victims. She's extremely grateful and made the best out of a very bad situation."

Victoria Stuart said her daughter has never been afraid to say she was hit by a drunk driver.

"Some people might be afraid, but she's not," Victoria Stuart said and Julia agrees.

"He [the driver] was wrong," Julia Stuart said. "I shouldn't be embarrassed or afraid because what happened wasn't my fault."

Related: Man Charged With DWI After He Pinned Mahwah Girl, 13, Between 2 Vehicles
Related: Mahwah Man Loses License After Injuring Girl In DWI Crash

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Photo: Julia Stuart playing lacrosse for her Mahwah High School team. (Image courtesy of Victoria Stuart)