(May 8, 2009) — According to the Every 15 Minutes program, someone dies from an alcohol related collision every 15 minutes. Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart recently became a victim of one of these fatal accidents. The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher had just come up from the minor leagues, and pitched his first game of the new season. His dad had come to watch his MLB debut, which turned out to be the final game of his career. Adenhart pitched a shut out, allowing zero runs to score. In six innings of play, Adenhart had a total of 98 pitches and 68 strikes. It would be his final outing. The mourning started as soon as the Angels hit the field the next day. The organization immediately decided to cancel the game in remembrance of their newfound “Angel.” A mistake by a drunk driver cost Adenhart his one and only life. How many alcohol related “mistakes” does it take for people to figure things out? Something should be done to avoid these kinds of accidents. For example, having cops stake out pubs and bars. These police should try to catch drunk drivers as soon as possible. Sophomore Vahe Vardanian responded, “Drunk driving must be stopped or controlled. Too many people have died from these kinds of accidents.” With the help of law enforcement, drunk driving can and will be stopped. The government can enforce stricter laws on convicted drunk drivers. If Andrew Thomas Gallo was given a stringent penalty for his first drunk driving offense, then would Adenhart still be alive? What if the police instead caught Gallo driving under the influence? Sophomore Abu-Saleh Imtiyaj believes that justice should be served. “It is unfortunate that Nick was killed in the car accident. I am even more saddened to hear that the driver was driving illegally. It’s such a shame that a talented man like him had to die early. May he be remembered for his talents,” said Imtiyaj. If these questions can be answered, and drunk driving is on the rise, what is the United States of America going to do? What is the world going to do? Who is going to prevent any more “Angels” from dying? A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. Adenhart should have never become a statistic. “Sacrifices must be made by the whole team and the coach as they mourn the loss of Nick,” said sophomore Elliot Baygan. The Angels have had a rough start to their season. In addition to the loss of Nick, they have lost a couple of starting pitchers due to nagging injuries. It has not been the season the Angels had planned for. Nick’s death has been felt all over the league, not just in the Los Angeles Angels’ locker room. Other teams have taken time during games to pay tribute to Adenhart. The Angels will commemorate their “newfound Angel” by wearing patches on their uniforms for the rest of the season.