West Coast Ink Issue 1 - 2012 | Page 29

This was just the start to many problems that were about to occur in his life. Dave was involved in two high-speed car accidents while under the influence. The first one happened when he was sixteen, and the second when he was eighteen. Dave said at one of the accidents the paramedics had to actually cut him out of the car! Amazingly, he was fortunate enough to survive both car accidents, walking away with only a few bad cuts and bruises. “In court, the charges laid against me resulted in fourteen days in jail, $5,000 in fines, two years probation, and five years without a driver’s license. Trust me; I realize now what most people would say – what an idiot!” Dave had to learn things the hard way, as do many young people, but after going through all of this, it was clear that he had a guardian angel looking over him. “I definitely have someone watching out for me,” says Dave. Shortly after his accidents, Dave suffered the loss of his best