DALEVILLE, VA – “It happened so fast,” Wes Derby said.
Being hit by a car is a possibility Wes Derby has faced his entire life, but when it actually happened, it still turned his world upside down.
“All I could think is, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to die,’” Derby said.
Derby is blind but has learned to navigate life independently.
“If I want to go somewhere, I get up and go, but now I have to think about, ‘Okay, can I afford the Uber to go there, because I’m not walking,’” he said.
Derby and his housemates all face unique challenges. One roommate shares his blindness, while the other has lived with a traumatic brain injury since her teen years.
On Tuesday, they were walking home from a restaurant in the Town Center, less than five minutes from their home, when a truck hit them in the crosswalk.
“All I remember is Helen screaming, impact, I fall face first. Helen is probably about ten feet in front of me because she flew over the hood of the truck, and then Clara is screaming behind me,” he said.
Emergency crews arrived on the scene in minutes.
Derby and his roommates were taken to the hospital, where one has a number of broken bones, and the other is set to have her jaw wired shut.
“The final verdict for me was a broken left hand. I had lacerations on my knees, my head, my hands, my wrists,” Derby said.
They’re thankful to have survived, but Derby points out that this incident highlights a bigger issue: the safety of blind individuals.
“A lot of blind people do end up getting hit by cars; it’s just a thing that happens,” he said.
They picked the Daleville Town Center because of its walkability.
“Have you ever felt unsafe doing that?” 10 News Anchor Abbie Coleman asked.
“No, not until this time. Although, I’ll tell you, it’s given me pause before wanting to walk anywhere,” Derby said.
The 29-year-old Jordan Cox driver is charged with failing to yield to pedestrians.
“To Jordan Cox, if he is watching, man, I forgive you for what happened. I know you didn’t leave your house and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to mow down three disabled people in my truck. I don’t know you, but I’m sure you’re not that kind of person,” Derby said.
