I wrestled with this for two days now. I wasn't going to post this but I want this to be a public service announcement. If it makes one person think twice, it was worth posting. Most of you know about the accident that happened to Cindy and I in the weeeee hours of 31-Oct-2015. ... the accident that totaled our little Dodge Dart and gave us aches and pains. The young lady that hit us was sentenced 2 days ago. I was asked to give a public Victim's Impact Speech face to face with that young lady. I wrote the speech but there is a part that no matter how much I prepared and practiced, I could not get through without breaking down emotionally... the softie in me I guess. Cindy had to give that speech, and she did a great job. She started out saying" My husband wrote this from personal experience. So personal that he could not read this to you. So I will do my best with it." Here is what I wrote and the part about 1999 is what I could not get through: Ms. Martinka, Whether you realize it or not, I forgive you for what you have done to my wife and me. Our injuries were minor in comparison to what could have been. I am in complete agreement with the sentence handed out. Incarceration is not the answer here. Learning is the answer. Knowing what could have happened is the answer. You are going to detect a theme to the rest of this statement. Please learn from it and never repeat your mistake of the 31st of October 2015. You only killed a car… this time. You do not want to achieve the next step… killing a person. In 1976, when I was a senior in high school, a good friend that lived next door to me ran a red light in his little Datsun 240Z and was killed in the accident that happened. I was not there to say good bye to my friend............. Alcohol was onboard. In 1987, one year before your birth, one of my good friends was decapitated when he lost control and wrecked his car into the side of a dump truck. I was not there to say good bye to my friend............. Alcohol was onboard. In November 1999, I witnessed a 17 year old girl take her last breath before dying in my arms after the driver of her car lost control and slammed into a bridge abutment. I could not do anything for that young lady. I was untrained for that need. I swore to myself and that girl’s lifeless body that I would learn what to do so the next time, maybe, just maybe, I could make a difference. The driver had ............. Alcohol onboard. My wife and I joined the local volunteer fire department where we lived in North Williamson County and took courses to help us save lives. We saw the devastation many times that intoxication causes. The call out that I will never forget is when a man was driving South bound in the North bound lanes of I-35 in Bell county just after midnight and collided with a minivan as soon as he reached North Williamson County. The occupants of that minivan were on their way home to Canada after vacationing in South Texas. That couple never made it home. The driver going the wrong way had............. Alcohol onboard. We cleaned up after a high school student drove a pickup truck with three passengers off the road at high speed killing himself and seriously injuring the other three. We performed those lifesaving procedures we learned that day giving meaning to the death of that 17 year old girl that died in 1999. That high school student driver had ............. Alcohol onboard. Ms. Martinka… With all of that said, I am not against drinking. I do so very rarely but I enjoy a drink occasionally. However, when I get behind the wheel, there is nothing in my system that would cause my reaction time to suffer. If there is, I call a Taxi or a friend for a safe ride home. I do so, not just for my safety, but for the safety of those in my path. I have seen enough devastation to last me a lifetime. I never want to be the cause of it. I will never be caught driving with ............. Alcohol onboard. Again, before something happens that will haunt you for the rest of your life, please learn from this. Please do not become one of the statistics that I have discussed here. Please never again get behind the wheel with ............. Alcohol onboard. You have a long life ahead of you. Make your life a happy one with happy memories. Not one with the memories that through no fault of my own haunt me daily. ____________________________________________________ That young lady never changed the look on her face. This did not reach her in the least. I hope it reaches people here
Tom and Cindy, I'm sorry you had to go through that, but like you said, it could have been much worse. You both are very fortunate and very strong.
It is heartbreaking what devastation that one decision causes. It is disgusting when you pour out your heart and show compassion to save a young lady from that and she disregards both the compassion and your heartfelt plea. You and did yourselves great credit. I appreciate your message, thank you .