At the tender age of 16, I was in a horrific accident that almost took my life! I was in the back passenger seat of a 1980 Ford Mustang when we hit a parked 1976 Buick at 65mph. It was like a tin can smashing into a boat at a very high speed. The point of impact was right where I was sitting because the driver tried to over correct and slid into the parked vehicle. The results were not pretty. The emergency personnel removed me from the wreckage using the jaws of life. It was determined that I had a broken pelvis and severe internal bleeding because my abdomen was swelling. I was rushed to the hospital and after 8 hours of surgery was placed in intensive care.

After the surgery, my parents were informed that I had broken my pelvis, stretched the sciatic nerve of my right leg, broke my left ankle, lost my right kidney due to a ruptured renal artery, dislocated my left shoulder and broke all of my front teeth. Their assessment was that I would never walk again due to the amount of damage to my pelvic region and sciatic nerve. They also speculated I would not be able to have children. The doctors also had my parents contact a social worker because it was believed that I would be disabled the rest of my life and I should go onto some type of government assistance.

That was 21 years ago. I can tell you as I am writing this from my dealership, that I walked into my Junior Prom in May. And now, my three wonderful children love it when Daddy WALKS into the house! There was a true blessing the day the doctors spoke to my parents. They spoke to my parents in front of me and no one, and I mean no one was going to tell me I couldn't do something. After a two month hospital stay and three months in a wheel chair, I learned to walk again. I started back to work six months later and never went on to any assistance or aid and I never got my handicap placard. My first child was born in 2002 and I have had to other children since.

See, the point is this, the experts said I couldn't do something, and they should know best, right? Well, my mind was unreasonable and refused to accept their expertise. I turned a tragic accident into a triumph. I used severe adversity as a means to fuel my desire to prove those experts wrong. So, if you ever meet me, I'll WALK up to you and shake your hand and then I'll introduce you to my kids, the one's experts said I would never be able to have!

Don't let anyone tell you you can't, because if you have it in you, you can no matter how insurmountable the obstacle or how steep the odds, you can and you will turn adversity into triumph!

Dan The Car Man