Former Marine shares tragic story to raise DUI awareness

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — As police ramp up their patrols over the holiday weekend, a former Marine from Connecticut shares his tragic story about the dangers of drunk driving.

It’s been two decades since tragedy for Mike Panus, who said a poor choice he made changed his entire life and ended another.

“Still here it is, 20 years later and I still deal with this every single day,” Panus said.

In 2005, the then 24-year-old Marine was set to graduate from Eastern Connecticut State University.

After a night of partying and drinking up the road at UConn, he and his friend got in the car, with Panus behind the wheel.

“We left the bar when it closed,” he said. “And unfortunately came across a patch of black ice.”

As his car careened off the road, Panus was thrown from the vehicle.

“When I woke up from a coma, I was told that my good friend Rich Bronson was killed in the accident,” he said.

Two years later, Panus was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and served four years in prison.

Panus said, while Rich’s family forgave him, he still felt a responsibility to honor his friend’s legacy.

“Rich had an unbelievable life ahead of him,” Panus said. “He was very smart, he was driven, and he was always laughing and joking.”

Panus now travels around the region, speaking everywhere from high schools to military bases.

He has also written a book, “Live with Honor,” to make sure others don’t make the same mistake he did.

“A lot of people give me credit for what I’ve done, but I just tell them this is all I know,” Panus said. “I have to live with this for the rest of my life, and I will do everything to live with honor, and that’s why I wrote a book.”

Panus said he hopes people hearing his story will think twice about getting behind the wheel after drinking.

“It can change your life and effect so many people in a negative way,” he said. “What I live with every single day, I’m sure they do not want to live with that.”

“It could be your daughter, could be your son, could be someone close to you that’s tragically taken away from this earth from a decision that you’re making,” Panus added. “A death could be easily preventable.”