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Grandmom Wants Drunken Drivers To See Pain They Cause

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2008

Updated: 09/23/2008 03:51 pm

TAMPA - In photos supplied by her grandmother today, 4-year-old Summer Moll lies in a hospital bed with her hair in pigtails, a brace on her neck, casts on both arms and metal rods supporting her legs.

The child has been at a local hospital since Sept. 10, when she was injured and her mother, Jennifer O'Boyle, 24, was killed in a crash on the Selmon Crosstown Expressway. The Florida Highway Patrol said an intoxicated woman drove the wrong way into oncoming traffic and smashed head-on into O'Boyle's vehicle.

"I want these people who have one beer or 10 beers or 50 beers to see what happens when they get behind the wheel," said the grandmother, Tammy Rosian , today. "I've lost my daughter, and my granddaughter is hurting so much. It's not fair."

There are free services available offering transportation to drunken drivers, Rosian said, adding that even she would drive someone home who was impaired. "I cannot emphasize enough, you hurt so many people," she said. "Call a neighbor. Call anybody. Call me."

Troopers charged the driver in the expressway crash, Cheryl Riemann, 25, with four felonies: vehicular homicide, driving under the influence-manslaughter, DUI resulting in serious bodily injury and reckless driving. She is being held without bail at Falkenburg Road Jail.

Blood drawn at Tampa General Hospital after the wreck showed Riemann's blood-alcohol level at 0.244, the highway patrol said. Florida law presumes intoxication at 0.08. Results of additional toxicology tests are pending.

Summer has two broken bones in one arm, one broken bone in the other arm, broken fingers, and pins supporting her legs from her hips to her ankles, her grandmother said. She was in critical condition but has been upgraded to stable, she said.

"She's our strong girl," Rosian said. "She'll open up her eyes. She'll wiggle her fingers and toes."

The child doesn't know her mother is dead, Rosian said. She is awake for about 10 minutes at a time and doesn't speak because of the neck brace and medical tubes.

When she is awake, she loves to watch the family's DVDs of "SpongeBob SquarePants." "You put on SpongeBob, and she's wide awake and listening," Rosian said.

Summer will need additional surgery but could begin to walk again in about 10 weeks, her grandmother said. She is grateful to those who have kept Summer in their prayers.

"She calls me 'Memaw,' " Rosian said. "I keep saying, 'Just say it once.' But not yet."

A trust has been established for the child via the office of Mac Greco III, Rosian's attorney. Greco said anyone wishing to donate to the trust can mail checks payable to Tammy Rosian as trustee of the Summer Moll trust to his office at 501 N. Morgan St., Suite 200, Tampa FL 33602.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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