A very good friend, Kay, has had a great loss in her life. A great loss for a senseless reason. She has a tight knit family who she is very close to. Her family has lived in the same house since she was 2 yrs old. Those years provided her the opportunity to build strong relationships with people in the community. After time it was hard to remember if they were just friends or relatives. One in particular, we'll call him Jay, was always intertwined in the family. It just worked well for everyone. He was there for a last minute ride to school, a badly needed bike repair, or a dinner guest who added conversation and laughter. Jay was a good man with a kind and giving soul. On Tuesday, Jay was taken from all who love him in a terrible and senseless accident. One that could of been avoided. Please allow me to outline the incident and you can be the judge.
Kay's sister and her husband continue to live in the McKinney area. They have a large ranch where Jay was hired to manage 22 yrs. ago. The day Jay died was like all others. He had put in a day's work and then called his oldest daughter to "chat". She was at her home after a tough day at work. She saw that her dad was calling and decided she was just too tired for a conversation and possible lecture from a previous conversation. She pushed the button and his last words to her went into voice mail. There was no way of knowing this would of been the last conversation with her father. Of course, she regrets not taking that call.
Dinner was over and the day was cooling down. Jay turned to his wife and said "Hey, want to ride into town with me and pick up that part?" "Nah, I'll just stay here and get some laundry done." she said. Jay asked a few more times only to get the same response. Once again, there was no way she would know that this would be the last time she would speak to her husband. Jay had been given a Harley by the family for his many years of devoted service. He put on his helmet, jumped on the Harley and started down the road. He came into a s-curve that he was particularly careful with. He could not prevent what was about to happen.
Unfortunately, I don't know this level of details on the other driver. He was driving a large pick-up truck on the same s-curve form the opposite direction. Before he got into the curve he was talking on the phone. He dropped the phone and reached down to pick it up. He crossed the road and hit Jay head-on. Jay died on the way to the hospital. He never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead on arrival to the hospital. The other driver did not have a scratch, at least not on the outside. He told the police exactly what he had done. The family could tell he was hurting. A hurt that is deep inside the soul. A hurt that will not go away any time soon.
I'm happy that 2 people didn't die. But I am upset that picking up a cell phone is what caused another person to die a senseless death. I have vowed to not talk while driving and in fact I have made it a new rule to turn off the phone and put into the center console. I hope that everyone will do the same. No call is worth causing someone to lose their life, or lose your life.
My prayers are with the man who caused the accident, and the family and friends who Jay left behind. They are all hurting.
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