Layne Michael Ward

8/21/58 - 2/26/80

Layne's Story

(As told by Tami, his fiancé.)

               I woke up that morning thinking it was going to be an ordinary day.  Layne woke up and we both got ready for work.  He was 21 and I was 20.  I thought it was strange that when he left that morning he came back 2 or 3 times to kiss me good-bye.  Little did I know that would be the last time I felt the warmth of his touch.  I went to work and couldn't wait to get home because we were going to go to a movie.

I got home and started dinner, Layne should've been home any minute, but the clock kept ticking and he wasn't there.  Dinner was done and I was seething! "WHERE THE #%$! IS HE?" I thought.  As the time went by I got madder and madder.  Then the phone rang.

"Hello, may I please speak to Tami?" the voice on the other end said.

"This is she," I replied.

"Are you Layne’s wife?"

"Yes, Who is this?”

"This is Marin County hospital.  We need to inform you that your husband has been in an accident."

"WHAT?  WHAT DO YOU MEAN????"

"Ma'am, are you alone?"

"THIS ISN’T FUNNY!  WHAT'S GOING ON????"

"Ma'am, we are sorry, but the accident was fatal.  There will be an officer at your door any minute.  Can you please let him in?"

"STOP IT, IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE???"

When that doorbell rang my heart skipped a beat.  It can’t be true!  I ran to the door and there was an officer.  I started screaming, "NO, WHY, HELP ME!" I felt so bad for the officer afterwards.  He didn't know what to do or say.  He was just there to drive me to the hospital. 

As we walked in to the emergency room I noticed two gentlemen talking. One was a CHP officer.  He was crying.

I was led into a small waiting room.  The other gentleman came into the room.  He was the County Coroner.  When he found out who I was he asked me a few things about Layne.  Then he asked me if I would be willing to identify him. I thought I could.  I needed to see for myself, so I followed him into the room.  I saw the love of my life lying there.  THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!  WAKE UP!

Layne was covered with a sheet, just like you see in the movies, only this was reality.  When I saw his face all cut up, his arms broken in multiple places, his right foot almost amputated, his stomach and groin torn open, I just wanted to die.  He was gone, truly never to breathe another breath again.  I just wanted to die too.

What happened?  It all started when he left for work.  Layne and a friend decided to go whale watching in Bodega Bay.  They stayed there for a few hours then hit a few bars on the way home.  Layne was the driver.  He had a brand new Harley Davidson.  His "friend" is lucky he made it home.  After Layne dropped him off, he stopped at a liquor store. 

A CHP officer (the one I saw at the hospital) saw Layne.  He went into the store to talk to him and asked Layne if he was going to ride his bike home.  Layne said no, so the officer said he was going to stay there until he got a ride.  Layne said he was calling his wife to pick him up. He pretended to call.  The CHP officer left, but waited on the highway overpass to make sure Layne didn't ride away.  Well he did ride away. 

To avoid the CHP officer Layne rode UP an OFF ramp onto the freeway.  It didn't take long before he was hit head on by a Chevy Suburban.  He was thrown onto the center divider.  I don't want to go into more details of what happened to him.  I can’t.  It is too painful.

Layne made the choice to drink and drive that day, but he didn't think of the other lives he would be destroying. 

The CHP officer quit his job.  He couldn't handle the fact that he gave Layne a break and felt responsible.  The driver he hit head on doesn't drive anymore.  He had to be sedated and was in counseling for many years.  His many friends were crushed.  He had always been the life of the party!

As for me, my life will never be the same.  It’s been over 20 years and I still think of Layne with sadness, of what could’ve been, but my last memories are of seeing him lying there.  I still cry, even after all these years.

I became good friends with the coroner and write to him to this day.  Layne died that day, but he took a part of a lot of other people with him…all because of his stupidity to drink and drive. 

If you don't care about yourself, please think of the ones that love you.  If Layne would have known the pain and grief his decision would soon cause a lot of people, he would have made that call instead of pretending.

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