A giving soul, always generous with his time and skills to help those less fortunate across the world – that’s what Scott Leister’s family now has to remember as. The 21-year-old was killed Sunday morning in a drunk driving accident involving his car and a Subaru on the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge

Scott, a graduate of the Athenian School in Danville, was retuning home from a visit to San Francisco at the time of the accident. He was with his brother Chris as well as two friends. At about 2:20 am Sunday morning, the car was apparently slammed into by a Subaru Impreza from behind. The impact of the crash sent both cars spinning out of control, and both cars slammed against the bridge railing. Scott, who happened to be sitting in the back seat, received the full force of the impact. He was pinned inside the car, and died at the scene of the accident.

The Subaru meanwhile burst into flames, and the driver, 22-year-old Jerell Puno, was barely able to make an escape from the damaged car before it exploded into flames.

Scott’s brother and two friends have been admitted to Highland Hospital in Oakland. Puno, a resident of Fairfield, was found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. He was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter, and driving under the influence. According to witnesses, who saw the Subaru on the lower deck of the bridge just before the accident, the man was doing 100 miles per hour when his car slammed into the Mercedes Benz. He has posted a bail of $102,500 and has been released from the Alameda County Jail.

At the time of the drunk driving accident, Scott was involved in preparing himself for a life dedicated to service and helping others. He had been on a break from learning wilderness skills and environment education at the National Wilderness Leadership School. This young man’s life was definitely well-lived, with Scott having spent a considerable portion of his high school and later college years, involved in volunteer work in some of the poorest regions in Central America. He was skilled with his hands, and put his carpentry skills to use in these places.

Apart from foreign volunteer service, Scott also volunteered with the Bay Area Mountain Rescue, a San Francisco bay area search and rescue team. According to his mother, Scott had plans for continuing with volunteer and service work in the country and abroad. He had just obtained his wilderness emergency medical technician license, and had been full of plans for his future when the accident took place.

His parents have made arrangements for a funeral for their son which will be held on Saturday, and have set up a memorial fund to continue the work he left behind so suddenly. Meanwhile Puno, whose rash behavior has cost another his life, is out on bail, and in the comfort of his own home, no doubt thanking his stars that he was lucky this time around. The world needs more Scott Leisters. Unfortunately, we have one less person who cared about society, and one more drunk driver in his place.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.