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HICKTOWN DIARIES — TALES OF APPALACHIA
Reframing the Death of Ronnie Daniels
I think my dad caused his death
*names have been changed to protect the innocent
My best friend in grade school (elementary school) was Johnny. I didn’t know what to say to him, when his brother died in a tragic car accident.
The man that I had to call dad, was really my stepdad. He was the first one to find him. He saw headlights shining and disturbance at the edge of the road that alerted him to look more closely. It was Ronnie’s car down in the steep ravine. When he got to him, he was already dead. His neck was broken. There must have been more injuries.
I remember Ronnie being a big guy. But we were much younger than he was. Of course, he was on the football team. I remember him being warm and jolly.
Ours was a very small rural community and this was a stunning tragedy. I still feel the sadness and pain of this even now. This was in the late 1970’s and Ronnie was sixteen. He must not have had his license long. But growing up in the country, there are endless opportunities and equipment to drive, in wide open space, long before you are old enough to legally drive.
He was on his way home, but never made it. His family was calling around trying to find out where…
