It was supposed to be a night out on the town.
It turned into a night that led to the death of Ron Miller, 18, and transformed the life of his best friend, Brian Lorence, 20.
Convicted of vehicular homicide in Miller's death, Lorence went to jail, got out on parole and did his 50 hours of court-ordered community service, speaking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. Remorse compelled him to do 30 more hours without being asked.
It also took him a step further.
He knew he couldn't talk to every underaged student. So he produced a DVD -- writing the script and doing the on-camera narration, even burning the copies on his own equipment -- that recounts how his decision to drink and drive killed his best friend and landed him behind bars. In the coming weeks, Lorence plans to hand-deliver the DVD to area high schools and driver's education programs, all at his own expense.
"I just want people -- the kids, at least -- to realize if you are going to drink, just don't get behind the wheel," Lorence said.
The DVD caught the attention of Richard Restivo, Lorence's probation officer. Restivo said he found the DVD -- titled "A Night Never Forgotten" -- very effective and gave it to the county's DUI prevention officers. He also plans to show it to his son before he starts driving.
Restivo made sure that the judge who sentenced Lorence also got a copy.
"In the DVD, you could see his remorse," said Allegheny County Judge John Zottola, who had sentenced Lorence in March 2003. "It's a very important resource that can be used with students in high schools around this time of year with graduation and prom. His desire to try and make something positive out of this tragedy is commendable."
Millie Miller, of McMurray, Washington County, said nothing will bring back her son, but she considers Lorence's DVD a good way to prevent underage drinking and driving. She has not seen the DVD.
"The unfortunate part is that teenagers continue to go out and do the same thing over and over again," Miller said.
She is hopeful the DVD will connect with teens like her younger son, Adam, who just got his driver's license a few weeks ago.
"I cringe every time he goes out," she said.
Lorence and Miller lived a few blocks away from each other in McMurray and went to Peters Township High School together. They met when Miller dated Lorence's neighbor. But it was their mutual love of "souping up" cars that turned them into best friends. They ran a portion of a car detail shop together and Lorence admired Miller's car, saying that he "always had the nicest car in the township."
In December 2000, the young men came home for winter break from college -- Lorence was a sophom*ore at West Virginia University, and Miller a freshman at Virginia Tech -- when a friend told them about a night club, Rock Jungle, opening up in Station Square. Four days before Christmas, they decided to go.
They were underage, but had fake ID's -- Lorence's showed a picture of an Asian man and Miller's said he was 29. They easily gained admission to the club.
After drinking for about two hours, they left to meet a friend at another club. Lorence and Miller decided that Lorence, who had had four or five beers, was in better shape to drive. So, a little after midnight, he took the wheel of the Honda Accord they had borrowed from Miller's mother.
It was a cold, icy night.
Near the Liberty Tunnel, Lorence lost control of the car, he thinks on a patch of ice.
"I do remember a bend. We were literally going around a bend, and I was turning the wheel really hard," Lorence said. "I woke up a few minutes later with a lady pulling me out of the car."
The Honda hit a utility pole that was less than 4 inches from the curb. The passenger wheel well crumpled in and the bumper was hanging off the car. Shards of glass were everywhere.
"I looked over and saw Ron. He was just sitting there; there was no blood," Lorence said.
Before he could check on his best friend, Lorence was whisked off in an ambulance and treated at Mercy Hospital for cuts and bruises. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.143 percent. At the time, the level at which a Pennsylvania motorist was considered intoxicated was 0.10 percent.
Miller had to be cut from the car before another ambulance took him to the same hospital.
A nurse told Lorence that Miller hit his head and had a few broken bones. Just before Lorence went up to see him, doctors found a blood clot in Miller's brain and took him to surgery.
"They told us he would be fine; the nurse said he'd be up and walking and back in school in no time," Lorence said.
On New Year's Day, 10 days after the crash, Miller suffered respiratory failure and died.
"It was a huge shock when we found out he died," Lorence said.
Lorence was a pallbearer at Miller's funeral.
Lorence was convicted on March 6, 2003, of driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle, careless driving and other charges. He served 90 days of his 11-month jail sentence before being paroled in July 2003. His parole expired last month, and he became eligible to get his driver's license back on April 19. He will remain on probation until Aug. 4, 2006.
Lorence had his own cell. He said the isolation from the outside world was the hardest part.
"Imagine a bathroom," he said. "It's a bathroom with a bed."
Lorence said he has tried to talk with Miller's parents, Ronald and Millie, but still can't find the right words.
The pain of her son's death haunts Millie Miller.
"He had everything going for him. He was very smart, very mature for his age. He made instant friends when he met people. He was just so structured and goal-oriented, he really knew what he wanted out of life," she said, sobbing.
The Millers are suing the nightclub for serving alcohol to Lorence while he was visibly intoxicated.
Lorence's fiancee, Angelique Badamo, said the ordeal has changed Lorence, who was a "big partier" before the crash and has since become more religious.
"He's become more worried about other people and worried about his friends because he knows the consequences," said Badamo, who started dating Lorence a month before the crash. "He doesn't judge people, which I love, because I think he knows what it's like to be judged."
Lorence is covering all the costs associated with making and mailing his DVD. He said it will be free, but if anybody wants to pay for it, he will donate the money to the Allegheny County Court's DUI program.
Janet Yuhasz, coordinator of student wellness for Pittsburgh Public Schools, said she would consider using it in health classes and other wellness programs if the school district receives a copy.
"Personal testimonials by individuals closest in age to the students you are trying to reach -- those messages, coupled with facts, are very important," Yuhasz said.
When a peer shares their drinking and driving experiences, the message gets across to teens better than lectures by adults, said C. Stephen Erni, executive director of the Pennsylvania DUI Association in Harrisburg.
"Kids can relate better to other kids," he said.
Lorence just finished final exams at Robert Morris University and will soon graduate with a degree in advertising. As he applies for jobs, he knows his criminal record will be an issue, but he said he plans to be honest and tell his story just the way he did on his DVD.
He thinks of his best friend every day and said Miller, who had a 3.8 grade point average and wanted to pursue a career in engineering, motivated him to get through school, both before and after his death.
"I miss him and wonder what he'd be doing," Lorence said. "I'm sure he'd have a $400,000 job by now."
