Levittown Woman Who Lost Teen Says ‘No Excuse For Impaired Driving’

It was Sunday, January 19, 2014 when two officers arrived at Kelli Donlen’s Levittown home and knocked on the door.

At the time, she was awaiting the arrival of her 15-year-old nephew Zachary Gonzalez, who was out with friends, when she heard terrible news from the officers.

Donlen said she was told Zachary, who she had custody of, had died along Route 13 when he was struck by a Volkswagen.

Zachary, who has just celebrated his birthday, was killed after being hit by a 60-year-old Bristol man who was under the influence of drugs. The man was sentenced to one to six months in county jail and two years of probation for intoxicated driving.

“We didn’t know at that time that [Zachary] had been killed by an impaired driver. That came later down the line,” she said. “We found out it was a 60-year-old man driving 55 miles an hour with cocaine, Valium in his system, Percocet in his system, a bottle of Oxycontin in the car without his name on it, five cocaine pipes under the seat in the car with residue, but yet he was still driving.”

“My life will never be the same,” she added. “It’s a long journey going through this.”

Donlen said she hoped to see Zachary go to prom, graduate high school, get married, and have grandchildren, but that will never be.

Zachary’s dad was killed by a DUI driver in 2002 and his mother died a few years later from cancer. The deaths left Donlen as Zachary’s guardian.

“We did not adopt him because he didn’t want new parents, but I consider him one of my boys,” she said.

“No parent should have to visit their 15 year old in a cemetery,” Donlen said.

The Levittown-area resident spoke recently at the DUI Victims’ Memorial Garden in Harrisburg as PennDOT, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania DUI Association gathered to urge motorists to celebrate responsibly over the Labor Day holiday.

Zachary’s memorial brick sits next to that of his father who died because of a DUI driver 12 years earlier.

“He’s forever 15,” she said with emotion in her voice.

“We honor and remember the lives lost because someone chooses to drive impaired,” said Pennsylvania DUI Association Executive Director C. Stephen Erni. “Labor Day weekend and every remaining day of the year, the message is clear: Do not drive impaired. Our collective goal is to end the suffering caused by an individual’s choice to drive impaired.”

There were 231 crashes resulting in 12 fatalities that were alcohol-related and 104 crashes resulting in three fatalities were drug-related over the Labor Day holiday weekend in 2020.

Over the holiday period, state police and local law enforcement agencies will conduct impaired driving enforcement details as part of a national impaired driving enforcement and education initiative funded through $4.7 million provided to the state yearly by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for DUI enforcement.

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub urged people to be safe over the upcoming holiday weekend. He said party hosts and attendees have a responsibility to make sure everyone is getting home safe and not driving while intoxicated.

The district attorney said local police will be out on area roads making sure intoxicated drivers aren’t traveling.

On Friday night, multiple agencies will converge on Route 611 in Warrington Township to conduct a sobriety checkpoint.

“Remember: if you drive hammered, you’ll get nailed,” he said.

Donlen, who has helped advocate following Zachary’s death, urged people not to drive impaired.

“It’s your choice to drive impaired,” she said. “I shouldn’t have had to go to a funeral home to visit my 15 year old laying on a gurney beyond recognition to say goodbye. I shouldn’t have to go to a cemetery.”

“Try to be smart with your choices. There’s really no excuse for driving impaired,” she said.

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