By now, you've heard about Kayla Gerdes, the 18-year old Freeport woman who police say lost control of her car and killed Dr. Rebecca Twine, a 69-year-old retired educator who was mowing her lawn last Tuesday morning. Gerdes was reportedly high on oxycodone when the crash happened and told police that she was pushed out of drug treatment after her insurance company refused to pay for more than 7 days worth of inpatient care. If all that's true, then Twine is the latest casualty of Long Island's teen opiate crisis and all-too-common insurance coverage denials that place adequate treatment out of reach for those who need it.

 

This incident, of course,  follows one last November when 11-year-old Courtney Sipes was mowed down and allegedly killed by a 20-year-old driver high on heroin as she crossed Main Street in Smithtown.

 

The impact of substance abuse and addiction has always been widespread, whether we're talking about its impact on families, DWI deaths or drug-related petty crimes. Still, these two cases are graphic reminders of the collateral damage associated with an adolescent health crisis that continues to spiral out of control.

 

These two drivers are 100% responsible for their actions and they'll likely spend a long time in jail. But there are thousands of other addicted kids on Long Island who need our help. Their lives depend on it and, evidently, so do ours.