This Hero Teen Sacrificed His Own Life Trying To Prevent A Friend From Drunk Driving

Well this is a real bummer. a 19-year-old Coconut Creek Florida kid is dead after trying to prevent a friend from driving drunk. Joey Ianzano was described by friends and family as an honest, selfless, funny person who aspired to become a fireman — and were devastated but not surprised to learn that he had died trying to help someone else.

Saturday night Ianzano and some friends had attended a concert, and after he drove everyone back to his house he thought a friend was too drunk to drive home and tried to do anything he could to stop him.

Sadly, the friend survived the ensuing tragedy but Ianzano did not.

“He blocked the car with his car so that he couldn’t get out because the car was parked in front of his house anyway,” said Barbara Ianzano. “He got around the car and Joey ran after him and grabbed onto the spoiler trying to stop him yelling screaming.”

Police said the driver sped off with Joey still grabbing onto the back of his car. About half-a-block away, the car slammed into a tree near the 5300 block of Flamingo Place.

“I heard it and I came running out and that’s when I saw him laying there,” said Persaud. “It was really bad, I was trying to flip him over and when I saw the blood, I couldn’t do it.”

What’s even sadder here is that, according to CBS Miami, the family of Ianzano is not even sure if they want to press charges against the friend (who has also not been publicly named) because he was such a close family friend. Imagine having to live with that your entire life. I think most of us would have rather just perished in the accident.

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