A few months before my husband, Patrick, was hit and killed by an impaired driver, another cyclist was seriously injured in a hit and run accident. Dr. William Dominic, director of the burn center at Community Regional Medical Center was riding his bike home after a late-night surgery and was hit. Here is the story about the hit and run http://bit.ly/2sp3VvJ, and the follow-up story when the driver was caught http://bit.ly/2tMcpe5. Dr. Dominic is alive but his injuries severely impacted his life and the life of his family. His wife is my primary care physician and she was away from her private practice for an extended period due to his injuries. The case is reaching resolution and as part of mediation the person who hit him, Brianna Sandoval, is writing a blog and posting You Tube videos. The rest of this is addressed to her. If I hear back from her and she is willing to have a two-way conversation and open her blog to comments then I will share the links. Until then I just feel that it is self-serving and intended to elicit sympathy.
Dear Brianna – I recently read your blog and watched your YouTube video, neither of which allowed me to post comments. Instead I am writing this open letter that may or may not reach you. I followed this case closely because I am a cyclist, Dr. William Dominic is well-known in the community and Dr. Susan Dominic is my physician. A few months after you hit Dr. Dominic and left the scene, my husband, Patrick, was hit and killed by another driver who was probably impaired and likely fell asleep at the wheel. Now I am committed to doing anything possible to prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. You will notice that I am not using the word “accident”. This is because neither of these situations were accidents. They both occurred because of the actions of an individual.
You seem like a nice person and I’m sure that your “story” will appeal to some people who will feel sorry that such a horrible mistake affected such a sweet girl. I understand that Dr. Dominic has forgiven you, and of course he has every right to do so. I also understand that your blog was created at his request. If you are truly sorry for what happened here are a few suggestions that may help you to really make a difference in the lives of others.
Your blog should state clearly that it is being written after mediation through the Restorative Justice program. I don’t feel you are being sincere if you are not being honest about the purpose of the blog. Also, your blog states that you are sharing a “terrifying experience” you had. An experience is something that happens to you. This was something you caused. Perhaps you could change this to indicate your responsibility and say it was a “terrible mistake” or, even better, a “series of bad decisions”.
You were seen drinking earlier in the evening and you admitted to drinking two beers and a mixed drink. Why is this not mentioned in your blog or video? If you truly want to warn people and prevent future tragedies you need to tell the full story. I guess it’s possible that you truly believe that the alcohol had no effect on you and you simply fell asleep (more on this later). The problem with that scenario is that someone who is fully sober is going to immediately wake up and investigate. If my windshield was mysteriously broken I would want to know what caused the damage. How convenient that you did not stick around so proof of your sobriety could be established beyond a reasonable doubt.
In your video, you indicate that Dr. Dominic is “in full recovery and he is doing okay”. Did he downplay his injuries? I have not heard his condition described as full recovery. He may be back at work but I think that he will be recovering for a long time. He almost died and I don’t think you should dismiss it as “he is doing okay”. You also mentioned that after your arrest you were “guilt free, knowing he was going to get justice”. I’m sure that it was a weight off your chest to know that you would not be able to continue hiding your guilt but something is wrong if you think the only thing you did wrong was not come forward.
When I met with the district attorney for my husband’s case, I was told that juries are usually sympathetic to drowsy drivers because most people have driven drowsy at some point in their lives. This is the biggest problem I have with your explanation. It is NOT okay to drive drowsy. I don’t believe that being tired caused you to hit and almost kill Dr. Dominic, just like I don’t believe that is what happened in my husband’s case. If you are sticking to that story you need to accept responsibility for driving drowsy. If you are truly willing to share your story and impact lives, tell people not to get behind the wheel when they are tired.
My last suggestion is to give people the option to contact you through your blog. You may get angry responses, in fact I’m pretty sure you will. But if you want your story to make a difference then you need to engage with your readers. You need to understand the impact what you did had on this family. If you can prevent one person from causing this type of tragedy you will have made a difference.
I always look for the best in people but recent history has made me cynical. I want to believe that you are a good person and trying to do the right thing. Right now, your blog and video seem to serve the purpose of eliciting sympathy for you; this is not about you. Change your message. Being honest might be terrifying for you but it’s the only way you will make an impact.