Home City: Silsbee, Texas
Crash Anniversary: June 2012
Many of the stories you hear about victims of drunk driving are from the victim's surviving family, but in my rare instance, I was able to live to tell about my experience. I was hit head on in June of 2012 by an intoxicated driver while on my way to work one Friday morning. I suffered four broken ribs, a lacerated liver, a cracked vertebra in my lower back, and both of my legs were crushed and broken my the engine of my car. I was also unfortunately coherent enough to have memories of almost everything until I was put under sedation in the hospital. After four surgeries, a month in the hospital and two weeks in a live-in therapy facility learning to walk again, I was finally able to go home to spend the next six months in a wheelchair. With me I would take all the terrible memories of seeing the pure hurt and anger on my families' faces as they tried to comfort me. I will never be able to forget my mother's, father's, fiance's and friend's faces standing over me not sure if I was going to live or die, and feeling that fear they felt when they all got that awful phone call. I am left with a terrible fear of driving and life-long pain in my legs as a result, and countless screws and rods in both legs that prevent me from doing many things including running. The annual Walk Like MADD event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with other survivors, and victim families, and it is such a good feeling to know that I can actually walk the 3 miles. MADD is such a wonderful organization and I am thankful I found them and can be a part of it and spread awareness of this senseless crime. I honestly do not know where I would be without their help.
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