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Permanently
Injured in an 18-wheeler crash that also killed his fianc�.
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RESULTS OF THE
18-WHEELER'S ACTIONS:
PEOPLE
DEAD: Josephine Barnes, aged 29 years; Varnetta
Johnson, aged 7 years
Seriously injured: Agatha Momo, 22 years old
Gravely injured, physically and vocationally impaired:
Sean Golden, 34 years old
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On July 3rd, 2002, my fianc�, Tykeshia Slay, and I were on our way
to a family reunion in South Carolina. We were driving my Nissan
Pathfinder along I-20. It was at night. Suddenly, car lights appeared
out of no where. They were coming straight at us. A car hit us head-on.
I woke up in a hospital. Tykeshia
never did. She was killed instantly. She was only 23 years old.
One minute we were cruising down the highway talking about our future
together. The next she was... just gone.
Later, I found out that the
car that hit us had been rear-ended by an 18-wheeler and was sent
hurling across the median directly into our car. Not only was my
Tykeshia killed, but two people in that car died too, including
a seven-year-old girl.
The driver of the 18-wheeler
apparently had fallen asleep at the wheel. Not only that, but this
particular driver had been cited at least 11 times previously for
driving offenses, and had even had his drivers' license suspended.
But he was still on the road.
It has taken me years to get
my life back. And of course, I never will get it fully back. I couldn't
walk for more than a year. I couldn't return to my job as a telecommunications
lineman because of my injuries. I'll never have Tykeshia back.
All it takes is a moment for
a reckless truck to take many, many lives.
My life was shattered in an
instant by a driver who should not have been on the road in the
first place. If there had been a way for citizens to report him,
he might not have been there. All I can do is beg people to get
involved before they, too, become innocent victims.
I urge all Alabama drivers to
get on board with "Roll On Safely Alabama."
It could save your life, or
the life of someone you love.
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