By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — For the family and friends of Danille Kerpan, three years has done little to relieve the pain of her untimely death.

“It’s a feeling and a situation you can’t possibly describe,” her brother Josh said Tuesday. “If I could bottle it up and give it to everybody, to have a sip and understand, that alone would eradicate drunk driving.”

Danille, 25, was killed Oct. 10, 2014 in a collision on Highway 11 south of Bladworth, when her vehicle collided headfirst with a truck headed north in a southbound lane.

The driver of that truck, found to have a blood-alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit, was later sentenced to four years in prison.

Danille was one of 59 people killed in Saskatchewan that year in auto collisions in which alcohol was a factor.

Last week, signs were installed on Highway 11 marking the site of that crash, as a permanent memorial to Danille and a reminder to the hundreds of drivers who pass the site daily.

The signs were unveiled at a ceremony held the afternoon of Oct. 10 at the Kowalski farm shop southeast of Bladworth, roughly a half-mile east of the crash site.

About 45 people were in attendance, including her parents, other family members, dignitaries, media and local first responders.

While roadside memorials for victims of impaired driving have been installed in other provinces over the last two decades, this is only the second one in Saskatchewan.

The first was installed on Aug. 29 north of Saskatoon in memory of Jordan and Chanda Van de Vorst and their two children, who were killed in a 2016 collision.

Danille’s parents, Allan and Melanie Kerpan, both spoke during the ceremony.

“There’s still not a day that goes by that I don’t think about Danille and what might have been,” said Melanie, who was initially opposed to having a permanent reminder at the collision site.

She later changed her mind, in hopes that Danille’s story would wake people up to the tragic results of impaired driving.

“People passing it would know that a life was lost at that spot,” she said. “That’s the hope for what we are doing . . . It becomes a real person.”

Melanie read a passage from the book “Healing After Loss.” She also introduced a video presentation, featuring photos and home movies from Danille’s childhood.

Allan remarked that if another family member had been the victim, “Nille would have been the very first person to be out there in this fight, on this issue.”

In the last two years, the Kerpans have worked alongside MADD Canada and SGI on new advertising and awareness campaigns.

Danille was featured in an SGI ad that premiered in May, where her picture was shown alongside other victims of impaired driving.

Her picture was also used in a campaign launched by RTL-Westcan last spring. Signs bearing her photo, along with her name and the words “Killed by an Impaired Driver,” were installed on the back panels of 40 truck trailers operated by the company in Saskatchewan.

Negotiations are now underway between MADD and the City of Saskatoon for a provincial memorial, with hopes that it will be completed within the next year.

Two officials from MADD Canada spoke during Tuesday’s ceremony, including Andrew Murie, the organization’s CEO, and Steve Sullivan, director of victim services, who introduced each speaker.

Murie said the memorials send a powerful message, while also helping to keep the victims of impaired driving from being forgotten.

“If people made the right decision, there would be no more victims,” said Murie.

Joe Hargrave, the minister responsible for SGI, said reducing impaired driving is a major priority for both himself and the provincial government.

“Allan and Melanie have lived the nightmare of every parent,” he said. “That’s something no parent should ever have to go through, getting that knock on the door in the middle of the night.”

Late last year, the province introduced new legislation to combat impaired driving, which took effect Jan. 1.

This includes extended zero tolerance for drug and alcohol impairment, increased regulation on ignition interlock systems for offenders, and immediate vehicle seizure for experienced drivers caught with a blood-alcohol level over 0.04 for the first time.

Hargrave said he believes the new laws, along with advertising campaigns, are reaching people and helping to turn the tide.

“People are starting to catch on,” he said. “I’m hearing and seeing it all over the province . . . (but) we’ve got a long way to go yet.”