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However, I was "the victim", and I have the police report showing "the truth". I didn’t have the "convenience" of blacking out, so I know exactly what happened to me.  I was in the slow lane on I-275 headed toward Eastgate to purchase a baby monitor.  Earlier that day, at our ultrasound, I heard my babies heartbeat for the first time.  What an amazing feeling that was.  Later in the evening, we had our last Mentoring session with our Pastor.  We even chose (and practiced) our wedding vows. 

 

So, while driving the speed limit, in the slow lane, listening (and singing) a CD I made with all our wedding music, I was rear-ended.

 

Now, if a car rear ended me at 75 mph, not much damage could have been done, seeing I was going 60 myself.

 

The highway patrolman, who investigated this tragedy, put in his report that the car driven by Ms. Peterson was going approximately 118 mph.

 

I was hit so hard, it shattered my back window, bent my rear axle out of place, and blew up my gas tank.  She then "slammed on her brakes" (again, according to solid evidence in the police report) and my truck came back down off the top of her car.  From there, there was no control of the truck due to the axle being severely bent.  The truck flipped on its side and skid across the highway where it flipped over upside down in the median.  Now, I can understand blacking out and hitting the gas on accident, but slamming on the breaks after and still being blacked-out, is kind of hard to believe.

 

From the median, I was left hanging upside down (from my seatbelt).  Katy (who was not thrown from the car, like Ms. Peterson said) was lying on the roof of the truck dead.  Her neck broken from the tremendous force of the hit.  Not even a seatbelt would have saved her life.  The truck was also on fire.  Confused as to what happened, I undid my seatbelt, and fell to the roof.  Somehow, (covered in mud and blood) I managed to squeeze out what used to be the drivers side window.  Screaming for help and looking around, all I could think about was Katy.  She was still in the truck, and since we skidded across the highway on her side, her door was welded shut.  Several people came to help; one man even took off his own shirt to wipe the blood off my face.

 

Aircare had arrived for Katy and an ambulance for me.  They had to cut the door off the truck to get to her.  I went straight to the hospital.  They told me they flew Katy to Christ (of course they knew she was already dead, but were trying to keep me sane).

 

I was 4 beds down from Ms. Peterson in the hospital.  I never heard one cry, one scream, one word of remorse while I was there.  Of course, I myself was still in shock, so maybe these things did happen.

 

When the officer told me Katy was killed, I lost everything in me.  Everything I had worked for was gone.  See, Ms. Peterson wasn’t the only successful one.  I was a restaurant general Manager.  On a bad year, I still made over 60K.  I also had a new truck, was looking to purchase a home.  Not top mention planning a wedding that was 30 days away.  On top of that, I was expecting my first child. Not a day went by that I didn’t get down on my knees and talk right into Katy's belly "Daddy loves you baby, I'll see you soon".  But of course that never happened.

 

Now, was 3 years in prison enough?  I think it was.  I think that God changing someone’s life for the better is always a positive thing.  And yes, I truly believe God has forgiven Ms. Peterson for what she did.

 

The website is about choices.  Calling my wreck an accident is infuriating.  She made a choice to drink, a choice to drive.  Even though, she was educated enough to know, the risk in doing so.  Yet chose to anyway.

 

Now I see her on the news, and in websites, and everyone is feeling sorry for her, and portraying her as the victim.  I find this wrong.

 

No one's asked me how my life was affected.  My back was broken in 3 places in the wreck.  I had to walk with a cane for 3 years.  I still can't stand for more than 20-30 minutes.  Job? Yeah right, I have issues finding a minimum wage job now, because of my limitations.  I can’t drive at night because I'm still scared I'll get hit.  Every time I see lights behind me I freak out and pull over.  I have a handful of pills I have to take everyday now (pain, depression, blood pressure, etc).  Relationships are nearly impossible, because my "soul mate" was murdered.  It's hard to find a love like that, and its harder to let go.

 

So, in a nut shell, what I've been reduced to is a medicine dependant, non-driving, jobless man, who has to live with his mom.  All because of one person's choice to drink and drive.

I don’t have anything more to say to Ms. Peterson.  My only issue is, if you're going to tell a story, please be truthful.  Don’t embellish or change facts to make people more sympathetic to you (examples: saying 75mph instead of 118, or Katy being thrown from the car)

 

I'm happy to see God has helped you put your life back on track.  God must have a plan for me as well, because according to the police report, they still don’t know how I survived.  I leave everything in His hands, and I always have.