n has been identified as Jessica Opinion of Tamuning.Â
A confidential source close to the family said Opinion sustained severe damage to her liver which required emergency treatment off-island. Because the condition was too grave for her travel to Hawaii, the decision was made to evacuate her to Manila where she remained unconscious and connected to an apparatus to help her breathe until Monday night.Opinion was taken off the ventilator and was reported to be awake and talking last night and this morning. Though the young mother is breathing on her own, other serious complications besides massive brain and organ trauma included collapsed lung and broken ribs.
The driver, and boyfriend, Droubay, a 25-year old E-5 sailor was arrested last week on multiple charges including DUI with injuries, reckless driving with injuries, no seat belts, and one count of “clinging to a motor vehicle.â€
In the Philippines with Opinion is her family. They plan to return to Guam at the end of this week, but Opinion's mother will remain with her in Manila until she is recovered.
Opinion is the mother of a toddler who she had left with others the day of the accident. According to the source, a military investigation concluded that alcohol played a critical role in the accident, and open containers were found in the cab of the truck.
The Ford F-150 pickup truck slammed head-on into a concrete fence near Paseo de Oro. Opinion, Droubay and another friend, were drinking heavily the night before at an area hotel, the source said. The next morning, Opinion left to go home and change clothes before returning to the hotel and join her friend for lunch where they continued drinking.
Afterwards the trio went to a convenience store in Tamuning where they purchased beers. A witness told Variety that the group began drinking on the spot outside the store. It was from there that the reported horseplay began as the driver of the truck, with the tailgate down, began to pull away slowly as his friend tried to get in the vehicle.
The friend chased the slow moving truck as it drove off and managed to jump into the back. The truck never stopped moving. As it traveled down Ypao Road, the young man in the back of the truck climbed through the rear window of the cab to get inside. It was about that time the driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a concrete wall.
A group of friends have posted an announcement on Facebook for a fundraiser on Tuesday, Oct. 20 for Opinion that will take place in a Tumon bar. Opinion’s friends hope to raise money to help the family out with expenses as the accident victim struggles through recovery. The family friend said, "I really hope Jeff (her father) and his family can get through this tragedy. But it is a shame her friends are doing this at a bar. Drinking and getting drunk was the problem in the first place," she lamented.
