Jamie Wehrheim-Johnson said she never knew drunk driving would touch her own life so deeply when she began working on “Crossroads,” a locally-made anti-drinking and driving film.
Most of the filming for “Crossroads” took place in Brownsburg on March 24 and 25. During production, on June 24, Wehrheim-Johnson’s 19-year-old stepdaughter, Elizabeth Nichole “Nikki” Wehrheim, was killed in a drunk driving accident. Another young man lost his legs in the same accident.
“It was definitely ironic,” Wehrheim-Johnson said. “But I truly believe everything happens for a reason.”
Wehrheim-Johnson has two other children, including a 13-year-old daughter, so she said the film was a big deal for her personally at the beginning, but has become even more important now.
“Crossroads” will be premiered at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Pavilion Cinema in Brownsburg. The night will begin with an introduction of the cast and some background information about the movie. Daniel Risk, a senior at Brownsburg High School who worked on production of the movie, will speak before the 19-minute film is shown.
After the showing, actors will sign autographs. Posters will be available for $5 each, while DVDs will be available for $10. Behind the scenes photos will also be available for $1 each. All proceeds will go to drug and alcohol programs for the youth in Hendricks County.
“I’m very excited,” Wehrheim-Johnson said. “I have lots of people coming in from all over.”
Steve “Papaw” Pyatte, screenwriter, producer, director, and lead actor in the film, said he has mixed emotions about the event, due to Wehrheim’s tragic death.
“I think there are going to be some tears that night,” he said, adding that the actors in the film have not even seen it yet. “I wanted them to keep the excitement they had while working on the film. I wanted them to see it for the first time on the big screen.”
Wehrheim-Johnson said she is very proud to have “Crossroads” dedicated in her stepdaughter’s memory and she hopes the film will help keep such a tragedy from occurring in the lives of others.
“I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that we don’t think about her,” she said. “It can touch anyone, even if you make the right decision. A lot of people don’t drink responsibly at all.”
Wehrheim-Johnson added that although she never drinks alcohol, she knows people have the right to do so.
“Anybody else has that right to get home safe,” she said. “I’m definitely a more conscious driver and rider. It makes you a lot more alert. It’s a way of life for me now.”
Pyatte too has experienced loss due to drinking and driving. He said he lost his uncle, Ronnie Wycoff, in 1960, when a drunk driver hit Wycoff while he was pushing a car that had run out of gas, crushing the lower half of his body.
Pyatte was very young at the time, but he said he still carries memories of that time with him. That, along with other events that he has witnessed in his lifetime, have led him to his work in getting the word out about the dangers of alcohol.
He often speaks at schools in the area about making the right decisions and said he hopes to use “Crossroads” as an aid in his work.
“Can we change the world?” Pyatte said. “No. Can we touch someone with this film? We believe so.”
He added that he hopes eventually schools from across the nation will buy and use the film to educate their students. For more information about the movie, Pyatte’s public speaking, or to inquire about a private screening, visit the website at www.stevepyatte.com.
Local News
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