Some of you know bits and pieces of what happened. Most of you do not. I've been very weary to bring up this subject but being that today is the ten year anniversary, I feel today is the right day to say something. I cannot give every single detail of the last ten years but I'll do my best give you an idea of what has transpired with obviously having to cut corners. Here's a warning...this will be a long post.
The accident:
It was bad. It was really bad. So bad in fact that the homicide unit shut down the road to reconstruct the accident and deem it a crime scene as there was no way two people should have survived this crash.
Michael had over 100 cuts to his entire body. A broken sternum. Cracked and chipped vertebrae in his neck. Bruised organs. He suffered a concussion and was unconscious.
Best friend was reported dead on one of the reports. He had all ribs broken on one side, broke his hip and shattered his pelvis. He had a punctured lung and both of his lungs would collapse at separate times after the accident. Both his liver and pancreas were lacerated. He also suffered a concussion and was unconscious in a coma. He would come out of the coma, only for the doctor's to induce it again later at the hospital.
Michael went to one hospital and his passenger to another as best friend had to go to a hospital with better specialists.
Best friend spent weeks in the hospital.
To the best reconstruction, an SUV ran a red light and smashed into Michael's and his best friend's rental car, pushing them into a palm tree. A palm tree that when hit, is like concrete.
The Legal:
Remember, I'm cutting corners here with the story.
Michael finds out that he is being sued by the rental car company.
Michael finds out that he is being sued by the driver of the SUV that hit him. She is suing him for $25,000 because after the accident she claims she has "lost the ability to have fun". She wins. I suppose I should mention that her husband at the time was an NFL player...who had signed for over $100 million in contracts during this era.
Michael finds out that he is being sued by his best friend...for $1 million dollars. Best friend is no longer Michael's best friend.
Michael finds out that attorney for rental car company is also representing Michael together. Rental car company offers ex-best friend $600,000 to settle. Ex-best friend's attorney says no. After years of anguish, ex-best friend ends up with $79,000 in his pocket in 2007, paid by rental car company. Friendship remains a thing of the past.
September 12, 2010:
Michael is driving home from his cabin on a sunny, Sunday morning. He is in a hurry to rush home to me and to watch the start the Vikings in the start of the football season. He gets pulled over by the state patrol for speeding. He gets handcuffed, arrested and is taken to the Chisago County Jail as he has a warrant out for his arrest stemming from the accident in 2002. He is not worried as this is a mistake.
It's not a mistake. He was charged with DUI- seriously bodily harm in May 2002, five months after the accident and no one bothers to tell him. He's had the same address and phone number for 38 years and no one has ever once tried to contact him. Since he's been "fleeing" all these years, he is considered a "Fugitive of Justice". We didn't know this at the time but this charge equaled the following...a felony and a minimum of 4 years in prison with a maximum of 5 years.
Michael is not allowed to be bailed out per the charge but the judge he sees after spending one day in jail, the high security area, mind you, agrees to set bail at $75,000. Do me one favor. Next time you read a story or listen to the news, pay attention to the amount of bail that is set. Crimes of the worst kind get less than that. This bail is outrageous but what other choice does one have other than to post bail. It's that or lose your job and Michael would have had to stay for two weeks when they may have had him extradited to Florida. I spend the most amount of energy I have ever spent in my life finding the original attorney in the case, calling Michael's boss to explain what has happened, getting his car out of impound 50 miles away, finding a bondsman and coming up with $7500 to bail Michael out. All of this comes with gracious help on Michael's side of the family as well as my side of the family. Family matters.
Michael was released from jail late Tuesday night after being booked around 12:30 pm the Sunday before. He was released to the bondsman and myself. I had never been so happy to see him.
The Legal...Again:
This is the part that is the hardest to summarize.
Michael hired a wonderful lawyer who is also his friend. This business relationship started in September 2010. Michael fly to Florida for court dates in October, November 2010 and February, March, April, May and June 2011.
Remember all those Florida vacations Michael and I went on during February, March, April and May of last year? Yeah, not really on our terms. They were for court dates. There, I said it. That's the part that has been eating at me for so long. I never wanted to disguise the court dates as Florida vacations but I had to at the time. Now my conscience is free.
Due to Florida law, Michael had to hire a Florida lawyer too as it's necessary to establish local legal counsel. These two lawyers would end up being Michael's dream team. There is so much to tell about the actual details and how the legal system works. The amount of time that had passed since the accident was a good thing and lack of evidence helped. We were told unexpectedly after court in May 2011 by Michael's Florida lawyer that the state would be dropping the case. It was unbelievable and surreal. Michael would still have another court date on June 14, 2011, and that is the day it became official. The State of Florida dropped the case against Michael. That is the day he was officially free, forever.
The Present:
Michael is now friends with his passenger again. They've been friends for awhile now.
Michael is in debt up to his eyeballs due to legal bills and repeated travel expenses.
Our relationship has been affected by this whole situation. We were together during much of the first round of legal and of course this past year. There's been times when our relationship didn't feel like it was going to make it. Michael had to do a lot of administrative stuff to prepare me to have the house alone for potentially five years. Would I even want to stay and "wait" for him? It's easy to say yes but putting yourself in the situation. Then there were times when all we had was love and that's all we needed. It just depended on the day and news that was received from that month's court hearing. But this isn't about our relationship. It's about an anniversary.
We're happy that all of this is truly now, a thing of the past. We're happy to have moved forward with life. I'm happy that Michael and his friend are alive today.
I've saved the pictures for last. I don't think it needs to be said but Michael and his friend's car was the brown car.
