My son was killed by a drunk driver on Friday night, September 10,1999, a night I keep reliving every day. I had gotten off from work at 10:30 and came home and was home about 15 minutes and decided to go do a little grocery shopping. I was home by myself because my husband had been in the hospital over a month and I almost lost him a few weeks before to pancreatitis and infection had spread through his body. I got back from the grocery store about 11:30 and was cooking when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and the police asked me who I was. They asked if they could come in and talk to me. I said sure, come on in. I knew then something had happened. The stove was still on so I told them just let me turn the stove off and I could see them out of the corner of my eye pulling a chair out from the table and they were trying to make small talk about how good whatever I was cooking smelled. I went back into the dining room and they told me to sit down that they had something they had to tell me. Its hard to remember exactly everything they said but I remember they said there is no easy way to tell you this but your son Homer was involved in an accident tonight and was pronounced dead at the hospital. I remember getting this sick feeling in my stomach and it was like my whole body went numb.I just started shaking and was hysterical. They had the victim assistance team come to my house with me for awhile. My other son was not home at the time, he was over at some friends house so they took me over there so I could tell him what happened and he just lost it, and I didnt know what to do for him because I was just feeling like it all wasnt real it was just a bad dream and I was going to wake up and everything would be ok.

He punched a wall and hurt his hand and was bleeding every where so we had to take him to the hospital and have that checked, he didnt break anything. So they took us home and stayed a little longer and then left. My son and I decided to go to the hospital at 5:00 in the morning to tell my husband. I have just recently found out exactly how it happened.

My son had gone to football practice and was with two friends walking up to meet his other friend who worked at Mcdonalds and walk him home. On the way there they were walking down a service road and my son was in the front. The boy in the back said he heard something coming and moved out of the way and the second boy got out of the way but his arm hit the mirror and broke his arm and I guess my son just didnt have time to move and the truck hit him and threw him 70ft into the ditch on the side of the road. The one friend ran up to the little restaurant across the street and had them call 911 and one of the lady's in the restaurant stayed with Homer until rescue got there. They said Homer was still alive when he was airlifted to the hospital but his injuries were to extensive and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. He had massive head and chest trauma. His neck was broken.They said his spine was seperated from the brain stem. His left aorta was torn from his heart so he more or less bled to death. The drunk that hit them according to the police report started going off the road 26ft behind the boys before impact. After he hit my son he then stopped and got out of his truck and started hollering absurdedies at the boys. One of the boys said he got about six feet from the guy and could really smell alcohol. The guy then got in his truck and left. They didnt find him until the following Tuesday when he went to a dodge dealer to try and get part to repair the damage on the truck and the lady behind the counter got suspicious about it and recalled the accident and called the police. She had his name and address because they didnt have everything in stock that they needed to fix the truck so they had to order everything but the grill. The police went to his house to talk to him with a search warrant and found the damaged grill in his garage. He had told his boss he had damaged the truck at a constriction site, the truck was a company truck and the police found the truck at this remote construction site where he had hidden it. They confiscated the truck and arrested Michael Bissman.

They set bond at $500,000 but when they had a bond hearing they must have lowered it and his boss bonded him out. We have a set trial date for March,12.2000 but not a firm date so I'm sure his lawyer will get a continuence. Our lawyer had talked to the DA to try and get additional charges but she wont do it. He was out on a DUI bond when this happened and he didnt even get an alcohol related charge with my sons death even though he had just left a bar and one of the waitresses that worked there said he had 5 or 6 beers plus shots in between. This guy has hired a high paid lawyer and I think the district attorney is intimidated by him. I will never understand how a lawyer could defend someone after they take someones life like that. I dont think I could go to bed at night and sleep knowing I put someone like this person back out on the streets to possibly do something like this again.

My son didnt have anyone to defend him when he was hit from behind by this heartless SOB. My son was the most considerate caring person. He always wanted to make sure everyone else was taken care of even before himself. He was very protective over his little brother and sister Anna and Andrew. I had one of his friends mothers tell me at the funeral that her son was getting into trouble and getting bad grades in school until he started hanging around with Homer and it was like her son did a complete turn around and really started to do good in school and didnt get into trouble anymore and she just wanted to thank me for having such a wonderful son. I hope you dont think I am rattling on but I really have found out that other people that havent been through what we have all been through tend to forget about it and think everything is ok. And when I even mention my sons name you can tell they feel uncomfortable.

It seems like I think about Homer all the time. Its hard to concentrate on anything and I hardly sleep at night. I finally had to go to the doctor and get an antidepressent so I could sleep a little better and be able to concentrate at work. If only these drunk drivers could go through the pain and suffering we have all gone through because there is no justice for our loved ones that are taken from us because of someones stupidity.

We love you Homer with all our hearts and souls and you will always be in our hearts

Love Mom, Tom, Chris, JR, Anna and Andrew.


He Only Took My Hand

Last night when I was trying to sleep,
My son's voice I did hear.

I opened my eyes and looked around,
But he did not appear.

I heard him say Mom you've got to listen.
You've got to understand.

God didn't take me away from you,
He only took my hand.

When I called out in pain that afternoon,
The instant that I died.

He reached down and took my hand
And pulled me to his side.

He pulled me up and saved me,
From the misery and pain.

My body was hurt so badly inside
I could never be the same.

My search is really over now.
I've found hapiness within.

All the answers to my many questions
And all that might have been.

I love you all and miss you so
And I'll always be nearby.

My body's gone forever,
But my spirit will never die,

and so you must all go on now.
Live one day at a time.

Just understand God didn't take me from you,
He only took my hand.

Author Unknown












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