Iwaniec couple's fight to curb drunken driving honors state trooper son

Debby and Ken Iwaniec have spent the past eight years fighting to stop drunken driving in honor of their son, Kenton, a state trooper who was killed by an intoxicated driver in 2008.

“The night before Kenton's funeral, I remember having a conversation with God and asking why he would take him that way,” Debby Iwaniec said. “I remember saying to God, ‘Please, whatever you want from us, lead us in the right direction where we need to go with this,' and we decided as a family shortly thereafter that we would try to continue Kenton's legacy.”

They, along with their three daughters, have shared his story with thousands, lobbied for tougher DUI laws and donated hundreds of Breathalyzer kits to Pennsylvania police agencies through the Trooper Kenton Iwaniec Memorial Foundation.

Debby Iwaniec will be recognized for her efforts Aug. 9 when she receives the Governor's Pathfinder Survivor Activist Award from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency at the Hilton Garden Inn in Uniontown.

“I had no idea I was being nominated, and I'm humbled,” she said.

The state commission on crime and delinquency gives the award to those who have a “commitment to enhancing the lives of victims of crime within Pennsylvania,” according to Jennifer Storm, victim advocate for the state.

Linda O'Keefe, legal advocate for the Fayette County Victim Impact Panel, nominated Iwaniec.

“They never stop,” O'Keefe said of the Iwaniecs. “They're just wonderful people, so when this award came over and they were looking for nominations, I thought there was nobody more deserving than Debby and Ken Iwaniec.”

Unfortunately, only one person can receive the award a year, O'Keefe said, so she decided to nominate Debby Iwaniec.

The Iwaniecs often work with the Fayette County panel, sharing their story with first-time DUI offenders.

“When we speak, it's difficult. There's not a time that I won't cry. I tell myself every time going in that I'm not going to cry, then I do, but in the end it's so worth it,” Debby Iwaniec said.

Speakers like the Iwaniecs can show the ugly truth about DUI better than anyone, said Jana Kyle, executive director of the Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission, which runs the panel.

“It makes it real — because most people who drive impaired are not thinking about potential consequences,” she said.

Alcohol-related crashes have been falling in Pennsylvania in recent years. In 2010, there were 12,426 crashes where alcohol was a factor, 408 of them fatal, according to PennDOT. In 2014, there were 10,550, 311 of them fatal.

It's a sign of progress, but the numbers are still too high, Debby Iwaniec said.

“One life lost to an impaired driver is one too many because it is the most preventable of all crimes,” she said. “Nobody should ever drive impaired.”

Ken Iwaniec said his family will keep fighting to drive those numbers down.

“We help the law enforcement community to do their job, make it easier to get people off the road, because once they're off the road, lives are saved,” he said.

Kenton Iwaniec had a deep bond with his fellow police officers, so assisting law enforcement is a way to honor his memory, according to Ken Iwaniec.

“Helping them is helping us to further what he loved,” he said.

About 25 volunteers work with the Iwaniecs to organize fundraisers for the Breathalyzer program. Seeing the community band together to help the cause has given the tragedy a silver lining, Debby Iwaniec said.

“There's been great beauty since Kenton's death,” she said.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6646 or jtierney@tribweb.com.