I should have tried harder to motivate him

By Chris Fisher

Chris Fisher, center, with his brother, left, and father.

Even though it has been nearly four years since my dad’s accident, I still remember that day, and days that follow like it was last week.  I can play
it all back in my head.  Every single moment.

It was February 12, 2018.  10:30 a.m.  One day after his 60^th birthday.

My dad, who was a stone and brick mason had just picked up a load of sand in Bonner Springs for a job he was doing a little farther down the road in Johnson County.  Just as he exited one highway for another, for some reason left the road to the left, overcorrected, crossed the road to the right and overcorrected again. 

Dad rolled his one-ton dually, loaded with sand two-and-a-half times.  He was ejected on the last roll, which sent him head-first through the driver’s side window.  He went straight up in the air and then came straight down, also head-first.

Dad wasn’t wearing a seat belt.  He never did.

Out of all my memories of the accident, the one that I wish I could forget the most happened the day after his death as we went to collect dad’s belongings inside the mangled truck.

I was expecting wreckage far more dramatic. In my head I was hoping to encounter some gnarly pile of twisted metal in a heap that nobody could have survived – seat belt or not. 

That was not the case.

In fact, the cab of his truck was fully intact.  Yes, it was banged up, but all but the driver’s side window was still in place.  Both doors opened with little effort. 

The truck Chris' dad was driving at the time of the crash.

Dad would have walked away from that crash if only had he been wearing a seat belt.

Ugh.

After the accident I beat myself up because I felt like I could have done something more to motivate him to wear a seat belt. I should have tried harder.  I would tell him about all the tragic accidents we cover at WIBW, the overwhelming data that supports how seat belts save lives, how people would die all the time when they didn’t have to.  Blah blah blah.  It all fell on def ears, God love him.

My dad had retirement in his sights.  He was looking forward to becoming a full-time farmer – his herd of cattle was growing, he spent weekends on the property putting up fence and making improvements.  He was really working hard to set himself up to enjoy his golden years. 

But that didn’t happen.

He worked six days a week for nearly 40 years only to die while on his way to work.

Chris Fisher is the Digital Media Manager at WIBW-TV

Please read Chris’ previous blog here