July 2007 Car Accident the TRUE story

Being in the Radio (Media) field, I have a lot of people out there that will take personal situations in my life and completely twist them around to make me look bad.  It is just like the tabloids and sadly it will not get any better any time soon.  There are a lot of jealous competitors out there that would love to take me out of my career in talk radio.  I have had a lot of things floating around the internet as well as social networks about me that I will clear up in this entry.  I have nothing to hide and am not ashamed of anything that I have gone through in life as it all happens for a reason.  I will be creating several blog entries aboet these rumors and tell all of you the TRUE story behind it.  First I will get started with the accident in 2007 that just about took my life.  I will also be going back several years to explain what ended my career in Criminal Justice (Corrections Officer).  Some of what you will read her will simply blow you away while other parts may just upset you, none the less, it must all be addressed so you all understand and know the truth behind it.  Please continue reading...
In July of 2007 it was the month of my oldest daughters birthday as well as the year that HVRN became a non for profit corporation.  Things were going great with both the family as well as HVRN.  That month I had a visit from Haydon Hall (Old graphic artist for HVRN) and he stayed with Kris and I for 2 weeks.  Haydon and I had a really good time together and became really good friends in the year that we knew each other.  The day came where it was time for him to go back home and I drove him to the Indy airport to catch his plane.  I was really sad to see Haydon go as I learned so much from him during his visit.  That weekend was a Midnight Syndicate marathon and that was back when I stayed up for over 48 hours straight!  Haydon helped  me with the show for the first night but had to leave the following day.  I was very tired and NEVER should have go behind the wheel.

We get to the airport and were talking a bit before his plane was ready and decided to have a drink to chill out a bit.I ended up having 2 drinks and it was time for him to leave.  We said out goodbyes and he boarded the play and I returned to my car and started the long 2 hour journey home.  Keep in mind that this was my daughters birthday!  The drive went well and I started getting really tired when I was about 20 miles from home (The alcohol didn't make me drunk but it DID make me tired due to no sleep for 36 hours).  I do not remember a thing from the accident as I was knocked unconscious.  What I am telling you next is from the police and rescue reports as well as my wifes testimony.  According to forensics, I had passed out at the wheel and went off the road at 65 mph.  The car ramped a ditch and was airborne for 122 feet.  The nose of the vehicle then pointed down and flipped end over end for an additional 100 feet before it came to a complete stop.  A woman close to the area witnessed the accident and called 911 for help.  Keep in mind I do not remember anything here so I am going on hearsay at this point. Police and fire rescue arrived and found me unconscious and they thought I was dead right there. The car was so demolished that I was removed with the jaws of life and pulled from the vehicle.  The local police found my identification and came to the house to inform my wife of the accident.

She wasn't expecting the shock of her life that day.  She was told what happened and then asked "Is he alive" and the cop replied "I don't know".  Both Kris and my oldest took this really hard and to this day I am glad I wasn't killed because Kaycee would hate her birthday for the rest of her life.  I was rushed by ambulance to the local hospital and this is where I started to come out of it.  I woke up to a nightmare!  Doctors and police all around me and I was laying on a backboard with the neck collar, the whole thing you see in movies.  Through all of that commotion and questions, there was only one thing on my mind and that was "where is my wife".  Through all of this chaos I managed to look over and see my beautiful wife right by my side.  I was immediately calmed down and compliant with all of them.  I remember my arm and foot just killing me and then I saw the blood and knew I was hurt.  I looked a lot worse then what it was come to find out.

So they ran some tests on me and by the grace of God all I had was a mild concussion and some deep cuts from the broken glass on my right arm and foot.  It was soon after that the police asked me if I would submit to a Breathalyzer test.  I told him "why waste with that when you can just take my blood".  So I submitted to the BAC and was over the legal limit.  I was not ashamed of this and just thankful to be alive!  The officer did not arrest me for the DUI nor read me my rights, as he simply told my wife "He has suffered enough"  About an hour later I became very irritated with the dr.s and walked out of the hospital denying any treatment.  I was tired and upset at what I have done and couldn't take it any longer.  I wish I would have never left as come to find out a few months later, I had a large bruise on my brain.

This bruise was caused by one of my equipment cases hitting me in the head hard enough to dent the case itself.  This bruise explained a lot of the symptoms I was having like loss of memory, dizziness, and severe confusion.  This injury still effects me to this day and has completely changed my entire personality.  I was charged with a DUI and my licence was suspended until my classes are completed.  I am currently now taking these classes and will be driving again come Spring of 2010.  This was the closest that I have even come to death and I am very thankful to even be alive.  Our car was totaled and it has been a constant battle ever since that day .  I still have a very large fear of driving but  am working with myself by taking short drives from time to time.  You will hear all kinds of rumors saying that I was at a huge party and wasted all the way up to me doing drugs in the car while driving.  That is how cruel and stupid people can be.

My life is getting back to normal now and I was hit with a ton of things the past two years which I will explain in this blog to you as it really helps me get through it.  Since this accident I have really toned down on my attitude as well as my bad habit for judging people.  We are all equal and this could happen to any one of you at anytime so think TWICE before getting behind the wheel if you have been drinking or tired.  It can change your life forever.  You may read this and think "Oh they will never get me for a DUI" well trust me they will!  I would like to thank my wife Kris for her continued support during these very rough times as she was the glue that held all of this mess together and I love her dearly for this.  I hope you all understand  why I explained this  situation and made this story public.  I have nothing to prove to anyone but I will be damed if I sit back and watch while people try to ruin my good name!

I would also like to give a huge thank you to the HVRN staff as they were aware of this situation and supported me all the way through it and still do to this day.  Without them HVRN would have surly failed and this is why I love and respect them all so very much.  DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Until next post...