Davis Law Group, P.S.

Sign Honors Two Killed Boys in Hopes to Prevent Drunk Driving

Two boys were killed by a drunk driver and now their community is working to prevent it from happening to anyone else. Three days before high school graduation, three boys were sitting in their stalled car on I-5’s shoulder when a drunk driver hit the three teenagers.

Two boys, Derek King and Nicholas Hodgins were killed and one boy, Anthony Beaver, survived. A new sign has been posted on the road that urges people to not drink and drive in honor of the boys.

When police got to the scene of the accident, a bottle of vodka was found in the car of the convicted driver, Alexander Peder. His blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit at the time of the crash.

A ceremony was held that revealed the sign, which they hope is a reminder for drivers during the summer months ahead. The ceremony was held by the South Sound and King County Victim’s Panels.

"There are plenty of taxis out there and town cars, and I just hope they use their sense," said King's father, Randall King. "Spend 50 bucks for a taxi as opposed to killing somebody's child and spending the rest of life in jail."

Peder, however, will not spend the remainder of his life in jail – he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide. This is Peder’s third DUI conviction.

The families of the victims are fighting for more severe state DUI laws.