Collision Course!

An essay on the consequences of life and death. 

 

 

  Pirate Press             January 2026 

 

On Veteran's Day weekend 2025, Amanda and I were celebrating the one-year anniversary of the most tumultuous weekend of our lives: Both she and Victoria had nearly died when she succumbed to a diabetic coma and Victoria totaled her car in an accident, all within a 24-hour period.

 

But, as has become routine for us, our joy was cut short when Victoria never came home Saturday night and Amanda was unable to reach her Sunday morning. Even worse, no one we contacted knew where she was and a deep-seated concern began to set in. 

 

I have always preached that nothing good ever happens after midnight on a Saturday and I backed that up with statistics: Multiple studies show that Saturday has the highest number of fatal crashes, peaking between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.. But as anyone who's ever raised a teenager can attest, they don't need parental input because they simply know it all and are invincible. I've often reminded Victoria of her two classmates that both died on their way back late from a Homecoming party but my protests fell on deaf ears.  

 

Our worst fears were confirmed when we finally did reach her and discovered that the car I had just bought her six months earlier was now also completely destroyed. But our relief that she was largely unhurt (save for some nasty contusions on her legs from the airbags) quickly gave way to anger that this all could have been avoided had she just heeded my advice and not been driving home at 3 a.m..

 

It was also revealed that she delayed calling us because she knew we'd be mad and (in her words) she was "trying to figure it out" as if she could simply wave a magic wand that would repair her car and we'd be none the wiser. In fact, we later learned that after she called a friend from the accident scene that half of Hurley— including a coworker and her boss— had all shown up. By the time we finally found out she'd been involved in accident it was over 5 hours later!

 

Her version of events were that she was driving home when a vehicle from the opposite direction crossed over into her lane and struck her . She was adamant about not being at fault, but reports from the scene had (not surprisingly) the other driver placing the blame squarely on Victoria, so the onus fell on the Highway Patrol to determine who was ultimately at fault. Of course, I went to bat for her, even going so far as to take my own pictures at the crash scene since I reasoned that the original night pictures might not show everything.  

 

Sure enough, the skid marks she claimed were generated when she slammed on the brakes were in her lane, and were straight and true. Moreover, it was plainly visible that the other driver's path had veered directly in front of her. However, I just had to hope that the State Trooper had gathered the same evidence as I did and then we'd have to wait for the accident report which hopefully was in our favor. 

 

The other driver was a 39 year-old male and a public records search revealed that he had a rap sheet as long as my arm for a string of arrests dating all the way back to 2008 for assorted vehicular and drug-related activity.  

 

 

In fact, prior to him hitting Victoria in November, he was arrested just six-months earlier in both May and April 2025. Although some of the details had been removed, he'd racked up TWELVE separate charges for the April arrest alone, including (but not limited to) Speeding, No Insurance, No Tag, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Improper Turn.

  

In 2022, he was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Public Intoxication, Illegal Possession of Prescription Drugs and Failure to Appear. Exhibiting a dangerous pattern that spans nearly twenty years, he was also arrested at just 22 years-old for No Driver's License, No Insurance, and Speeding. In short, he's the epitome of a serial offender and I was quite frankly stunned that he still possessed a driver's license and insurance. Undoubtedly, that speaks volumes about Alabama's unenforced penal codes and is a direct reflection of the 54.62% increase in traffic fatalities since 2015. 

 

But the first sign to me that he had a hazardous driving history was when it was discovered that he had "First Acceptance Insurance", a firm I'd never heard of and had to look up. Naturally, it was revealed as a budget policy for notoriously high-risk individuals. However, after this latest excursion, I couldn't imagine them continuing to insure him no matter how expensive the premium. 

 

There had also been vehement remarks from Victoria and her friends of his strange conduct after the wreck that led them to surmise he was under the influence of something unlawful. MHP also apparently suspected this too, as he was tested for both alcohol and drugs but the results were inconclusive, an outcome I chalked up to the limited efficacy of the roadside examination.  

 

We were initially told that the accident report would be available in 2-3 business days, which seemed reasonable. However, as the days accumulated and I continuously checked the Department of Public Safety (truly an oxymoron) for results, I was left empty-handed. This was obviously anxiety-inducing for myself, Amanda and Victoria as our fate was left up to the officer's discretion and we were concerned about the final verdict as to who would be declared at fault. Even worse, I was informed that a copy of the report was $50, a ridiculous sum given our taxes have already paid for everything involved in generating the findings.          

 

But, after nearly two weeks (of which I feel constituted an excessive amount of time devoted to gratuitous doughnut consumption and morally-reprehensible speed traps) the report was finished and justice was served when Victoria was found completely innocent of the wreck and any circumstances contributing to it.

 

Despite our jubilation, I was nevertheless concerned when I discovered some of the erroneous reporting such as identifying the offending vehicle as a 2019 BMW Z3 when it was clearly a 2014 BMW X3. Granted, I've never been much into BMWs but even I can spot the difference between a roadster and an SUV in the accident photos. And that unfortunately brings into focus a much larger issue, which is the "expert testimony" the State Trooper is expected to have given his job duties. Worse yet, the report was also allegedly verified and approved by another officer, who apparently didn't read it or also can't visually distinguish between a roadster and an SUV. Finally, I won't even mention that the Z3 officially ended production over twenty years ago in 2002.     

 

For comparison, there's a distinct contrast between the two vehicles that should be obvious to even an untrained eye. The raised rear hatch in the bottom accident photo is the most egregious evidence that it's not a two-door convertible.    

 

     

It also made no sense that the Trooper had Victoria's car towed 50 miles away to a lot in Biloxi, while the BMW was dropped off just 12 miles from us in Vancleave. At that point, we still had not even seen her car so we called the shop to find out if it was drivable. Not only did the employee confirm our worst suspicions that it was not, Amanda nearly fainted when he admitted it was so mangled he didn't know how Victoria survived. To hear that we almost lost our only child because of someone's deliberate negligence absolutely petrified Amanda and completely infuriated me. (BELOW: Her car at the crash scene and later at the junkyard.)    

 

 

As I mentioned earlier, she'd only had the car for six-months before the accident. And just two-weeks prior, I'd paid $100 for it's first synthetic oil change at the Hyundai dealership and $150 for a new tire when something punctured the sidewall.   

 

But, the sordid saga doesn't end there: As everything was being wrapped up and I was looking forward to putting it being all behind us, I received a call from our insurance company late one afternoon. I was informed that when they attempted to contact Mr. Tuck's insurance, they discovered that the policy was not valid. But his obfuscation didn't stop there; No, he then attempted to avail himself of the consequences by telling my insurance agent that the accident report was wrong and that it was being amended to reflect that Victoria was actually the guilty party. Of course, it was a desperate falsehood but one that my insurance was compelled to investigate nonetheless, delaying the resolution even longer. 

 

Addiction is a cruel mistress and I suppose he rationalized that his defensive mechanism of deception— however temporary—would buy him some immediate time to strategize his next move. It's actually a pretty common trait in those with substance abuse issues as they have no long-term plan and thus no regard for future repercussions. 

 

With his heedless history and willful contempt of the laws meant to protect us, I honestly feel like it's only a matter of time before he kills himself or someone else if he isn't permanently locked up. Furthermore, he's made it abundantly clear that no amount of arrests will prevent him from getting behind the wheel again, no matter the human or financial casualties.                 

 

Unfortunately for him, his drug-fueled behavior towards Victoria (which I feel constitutes attempted murder) birthed an incalculable rage in me that I've heretofore never experienced towards another human being. Sure, I've had childhood fights and animosity towards other people for various transgressions over the years but the emergence of this raw emotion was on a whole new level. Here was a stranger that could have killed my innocent daughter with his reckless disregard for life when he swerved into her lane. By the grace of God she wasn't seriously hurt but with his name, photo and address I was fully prepared to dispense my own brand of punishment. I was raised in a strict, military household that embraced the Old Testament and advocated the "Eye for an Eye" doctrine. My Father was an ex-Marine who killed multiple Japanese soldiers in World War II protecting himself, his family and his country. As such, I've never believed the liberalism of the New Testament which preaches forgiveness instead of vengeance. I've made it very clear that had she died as a result of his selfish actions, he wouldn't have lived long enough to worry about a trial or prison. At this stage of my life, I'd rather take the law into my own hands and make sure justice was served instead of spending the rest of my days with the regret of doing nothing. He had better pray to whatever deity he worships that I never darken his doorway!  

 

Aside from that, we're hoping 2026 is a better year for all of us.