Cynthia: Repeto

My name is Cynthia Howland. Five months ago my husband Scott and I were returning from a charity function at St. Francis hospital in Milwaukee benefiting the AHCA (American Health Care Association). We were stopped at the exit of the parking lot on the 3100 block of 18th street when our vehicle was broadsided by a speeding semi-truck. Based on the lack of skid marks on the pavement, the driver of the truck made no attempt to stop. I only remember bright headlights shining into my eyes from the left, and then nothing. The crash killed Scott instantly, and left me paralyzed for the rest of my life, my spinal cord severed. I retain the use of my head and neck, nothing else.

After the crash, the driver (based on the spread of debris found at the scene) turned south and drove off. The crash occurred at 12:38AM. The police have questioned local residents, and though no one seems to have seen the crash actually occur, they did receive a statement from an elderly woman who lived across the street concerning the aftermath. Mrs. Justina Walentowicz's testimony states that when she was awoken from her sleep by the noise, she went to her window and saw the truck fleeing the scene. Mrs. Walentowicz looked for the license plate number only to find that the rig had no plates at all. She also added that it was only the rig (or front) of the semi-truck, and that it was not towing any cargo.

(At right, the remains of our car after the crash. I have kept the wreckage and had it moved to my property. Scott was fond of collecting Mustangs, much as I disliked them. Regardless of make, no ordinary car would have withstood the impact from a truck that size moving at such a high rate of speed. )

That the driver made no attempt to stop before colliding with our car might indicate that they were intoxicated at the time. The fact that they fled following the incident shows cowardice. But the most interesting evidence is that the truck had no visible license plates. For a commercial vehicle, it is almost unheard of to drive completely without plates. Doing so stands out like a beacon to law enforcement officials, and that individual would be pulled over and questioned immediately. Further, As Scott and I were parked at the intersection, the truck would have had to actually swerve to the right to hit us as squarely as he did.

Individually, all these factors can be attributed to a driver who is either drunk, lazy, negligent or incompetent. But taken together? To me, they indicate intent. I believe that-for whatever reason-the driver of that truck meant to crash into our car.

My life... our lives have been destroyed by this person. I intend to see them hunted down to the ends of the Earth and punished to the fullest extent of the law for what they have done.

The officer in charge of our case does not agree that it was an act somehow premeditated (and let me be clear, it is entirely possible that the driver's intention could well have been to simply hit anyone, not us in particular). Officer Randazzo has been exceedingly polite and sympathetic, but he has made it plain that while they will continue to gather information, this case is being viewed as an ordinary hit-and-run accident.

Since the crash I have done everything I could to keep the incident in the public's eye. I have communicated extensively with the media, had Joshua put up posters in the neighborhood and issued a substantial reward of $100,000 for information leading to an arrest. Thus far our efforts have generated no substantial leads.

Upon consultation with my lawyer, it appears my only recourse if I wish to continue this inquiry in earnest is to hire a Private Investigator, a profession that until recently I considered to be mostly relegated to the previous century's fiction. I have been interviewing potential hires for the past two days and have found no one suitable. I am widening my search to Madison, and should that prove fruitless I will include the Chicago area. I intend to retain whomever I hire full-time, and am willing to put them up in my own home should that become necessary. I essentially am limited to my own bedroom at any rate, so it would hardly be an inconvenience.

While I think of it: Joshua, contact that dreadful community newspaper in Riverwest, the one that allows its readers to write their own articles. It is doubtful that any truck driver would read such drivel, but I suppose it's possible. Take out a full-page advertisement offering the reward.

Also, I've been having difficulty accessing via Internet the archives of some of the newspapers in the southern portion of the state such as Racine. Perhaps a personal visit is in order to see if similar hit-and-run crashes involving semis have occurred over the last few years.