Support Ryan's Journey to Rebuild After Tragic Crash

Hello friends. I hope all is well with each and everyone of you.

As some of you may already know, I was involved in a serious car accident recently. I was on my way home from work. It was a normal ride home, thinking about whether or not to grab some food or eat some leftovers when I got home. Lenny Kravitz “I want to Fly” was playing on the radio. Not one of my favorites but I remember singing along anyway because wouldn’t that be nice? Work had been busy and rough and with some problems at home flying away was just what I thought I needed.

A late night, early morning mist had settled in which was nice because it had been a hot day. The roads were relatively empty. My stomach was growling so I thought to myself that I had better stop for something quick that would be open. I reached for my wallet to make sure I had the debit card I wanted to use. I fumbled through my wallet found the card and entered the location into my GPS. A little out of the way but no big deal. Finding myself on a road I hadn’t really traveled before I continued on.

I can’t be sure but I want to say he had on a black or grey coat and some jeans with a baseball cap. Older man.

It happened so fast, there he was as the most sound him broke and dissolved as I approached. He was standing, not walking in the road and I want to say that he looked bewildered but not frightened. I just remember thinking “I’m going to hit. There’s no way around it, I’m going to hit him and he’s going to die.”

A surge of adrenaline, a fierce stomp on the brake and a sharp turn of the wheel sent my car flying into a brick wall.

I didn’t pass out but there was about 10 seconds where I was slightly blacked out and disoriented. There was a high pitched tone ringing in my ears. The front of the car was a mangled mess of metal and pushed forward. It was not even recognizable.

That’s when I noticed a strong scent of gasoline. My first thought was that I needed to get out of the car as soon as possible. I unbuckled my seat belt and attempted to open the driver side door. I remember thinking thank goodness it’s not damaged I opened the door but it only moved a few inches forward. The door wedged shut as it was positioned in front of the wall. I couldn’t get out.

Thats when I heard the sound of combustion and notice the flames under the hood…and they were spreading fast. I saw my phone under the passenger seat and crawled over the seat and out the passenger side door. My balance was off but I far away from the car. That’s when I heard and saw the front end of the car explode and burst into flames. Once the fire engines and police arrived I told my story and watched the new Jeep turn into molten lava.

I told the police about the homeless man and I was told that they found him wandering in the streets not too far away from the accident and was okay.

Im so grateful that no one got hurt but it is a reminder that anything can happen. I thought well what if I had decided to eat leftovers that night? What if it hadn’t been so foggy? What if I had gotten off work a little later?

But we can’t live on “what if’s” and should focus on the here and now.

The accident unfortunately has set me back quite a bit. I own this accident and am taking accountability but I also know when I need help. After exhausting all other options I come to you for help. With debt for property damage, the car and lost wages I have fallen behind. I’ve tried to get loans but unfortunately I know that I’d only fall further into debt and danger in the future.

While I’m embarrassed to ask for help, I think it’s good to be self aware when you’re in trouble.

Thanks all and I know we all have things going on and financial stressors…every little bit counts. Please help and thank you for reading.

Much Love,

Ryan