Our lives changed in an instant when my wife, Christine, and I were injured in a car crash while driving our daughter to swim class. I was relatively fortunate, requiring only chiropractic care for about a year. Christine, however, suffered a devastating back injury that eventually required surgery.

Having already lost two dear friends to separate crashes in the past, this crash struck an even deeper chord. The dangers of our roadways were no longer abstract—they had now directly impacted our family three times.

The most heartbreaking aspect for Christine, a mother deeply devoted to our family, was being unable to pick up our daughter. Her work as a nanny became nearly impossible as she struggled even to lift the baby in her care.

Though we survived this traumatic chapter in our lives, it reinforced the harsh reality of traffic violence and unacceptable road conditions that claim too many lives. Our previous losses had taught us how fragile life is, but experiencing it firsthand drove that lesson home with painful clarity.

Take nothing for granted. Cherish every precious moment with your loved ones, for as I’ve learned through both personal experience and heartbreaking loss, life can change in an instant.

A driver failed to obey a traffic signal and ran through a red light. 

She was in the intersection protecting kiddos crossing 13th street and Michigan Avenue. Rebecca was able to get her children out of the way but was struck by the vehicle, seriously injured and thankfully survived. 

She was seriously hurt and has had a long road of recovery, but as you can see, she is still dressed for duty! 

Protecting her students is her “Why” for her work! 

Osceola County calls Rebecca, “one of their very special heroes.”

“She is an amazing woman, and many others just like her, make sure that precious students safely make it across intersections and streets on their way to and from school.”

We are so grateful that Rebecca has lived to talk about her passion, her injury and that she has the courage to go back out to that same intersection and make sure that no one on her watch gets hit by an inattentive driver. 

We all have a choice to end a life or save a life! Let’s slow down and protect amazing Crossing Guards, who are modern day heroes, like Rebecca who are utilizing their passion to protect our most vulnerable road users; our children just walking to and from school!  

I was going on a ride, training for my next Triathalon.

Riding on West Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton, between US 441 and Loggers Run park. It is a 2 lane road in each direction, with no bike lane or shoulder.

I rode this route once a week for 9 years!

I was riding at 20mph, hugging the white line on the right, when a 71 year old man going 50mph struck me from behind. After the impact, I was thrown forward and luckily landed on a large grassy swale.

I heard a horrible Sound

Next thing I new I was lying in the grass face down unable to move.

The Driver DID stop and called the police. A friend of mine who happened to be riding by stopped to check on me. I asked him to call my wife.

Shortly afterward the paramedics arrived and secured me to a board and took me right to Delray Medical Trauma Center.

The Driver Said He Never Saw Me?

Every other car that passed me had no trouble seeing the bright red flashing strobe on my bike and moving into the other lane.

The damage to his car was extensive! My body lurched backwards with the back of my head hitting up by the top hood while his bumper hit me in the lower back and launched the bicycle and myself.

The paramedics thought I would be paralyzed.

My next stop was in the hospital.

The X-ray and CT scan showed that I had the following:
*Three compression fractures of the vertebrae in the lower spine L1-L3
*One fractured vertebrae in my neck, but so much trauma that they had to bring in a spine specialist and perform a 5 level cervical fusion of vertebrae C3-C7.

I spent 15 days in the hospital!

*I was hit on October 18, 2022.
*I had surgery on October 21st, 2022.
*I was transferred to the rehab wing of the hospital, October 24th.
*I was DETERMINED that I would WALK out of the Hospital.
*On November 1, 2022, I walked out of the hospital and went home.
*For the next 3 months I was in a body and neck brace.

My next Goal Was to Get Back What I Lost!

I never lost my sense of humor! I thought going into a bouncy house was good for my rehab. My wife would have killed me first!

As bad as my injuries were, the toll it took on my wife and daughters was immense.
I had an amazing support group of family, work and friends who stood by and encouraged me.

My Race Continues

Within 6 months I was riding a bike (only on the gravel trails along the Everglades levee) and running. I still have more work to go!

I will not give up!

The doctors were amazed at my ability to recover from such a horrific injury.

My only wish is that no one else has to go through what I went through.

A simple bike lane and people paying attention to all road users, while driving would have prevented this!