You can’t go back and change the beginning. But you can start where you are and change the ending.
C.S. Lewis (and others)

When Mark Couto, a local plumber, left his house on 103 Lake Shore Dr, Brewster, MA 02631, USA, the morning of 27 June 2013, he drove towards Brewster, passed the local Brewster Police Station and turned right onto Route 6A, also known as Old King’s Highway, one of America’s most iconic byways which comprises the largest contiguous historic district in the United States.

According to the police report, “the 23-year-old was riding his bike near the Bramble Inn at 10 a.m. on June 27, 2013, when he turned in front of a van driven by Mark Couto, 52, of Brewster. Both driver and cyclist were headed east on Route 6A when Schaler turned left in front of the vehicle without warning as Couto was trying to pass him. The report stated that Schaler was not wearing a helmet.”

Seriously?

They blame the victim not just for the accident. They also blame him for the seriousness of his injuries. No bicycle helmet protects your head when you are hit at 80 km/h.

Watch the video above taken at the site of the accident and make up your own mind. Even without knowing the details, the police report, published within hours after the accident when no (thorough) investigation could have taken place, seems to be misleading at best. While Pádraig’s phone and bicycle were taken into ‘custody’, Mr Couto was not tested for substances, his phone not looked at, and the car driven by him was taken to his garage the same day. The Chief of Police told me that they had decided not to, wait!, prosecute Pádraig. No other prosecution took place.

The District Attorney of Massachusetts later considered a criminal investigation against the Brewster Police Department but a lengthy investigation concluded that there was not enough evidence for this.

Following a visit to the site of the accident, the assessment of an independent accident investigator we had to pay for, and sworn statements made by the driver and others involved taken by a lawyer we also had to pay for, I strongly believe that Mr Couto attempted to overtake Pádraig when another car turned right onto Route 6A coming out of a lane ahead of him. When suddenly confronted with an oncoming car at a relatively short distance, Mr Couto did not watch Pádraig anymore but concentrated on avoiding the oncoming car. He failed to keep the lawful distance and clipped the handle bar of Pádraig’s bicycle.

His head hit the C-Bar and the windscreen of Mr Couto’s truck, and then the road. He was revived by a passing nurse, transferred to Cape Cod Hospital where doctors recommended to end his life that would be ‘intolerable’, donating his organs which – according to the doctors – would dramatically increase the quality of life of at least three or four other people. Subsequently, Pádraig spent the best part of two year in hospitals in three different countries.

Instead of donating his organs, Pádraig inspired and attends the An Saol Foundation – Life and Living with a severe Acquired Brain Injury (sABI). The work of the Foundation has improved dramatically the quality of life of many people living with a severe Acquired Brain Injury.

Life could be easier. Happier. But so could the lives of many.

Pádraig cannot do many things. But he enjoys life. He is proud of the work he has been doing as a champion with the Decision Support Services and, especially, the An Saol Foundation which would not exist without him and which he continues to inspire.

Last week, on the anniversary of that fateful day eleven years ago, we went to Dunmore East and had a wonderful time on the cliffs overlooking the harbour.

He was the one and only wheelchair user on the edge, pushing the boundaries. As he has been doing all of his life.

We never met Mr Couto despite our best efforts. Mr Couto never met Pádraig. We offered our help to the local police Chief and the Town of Brewster by sharing with them Pádraig’s story, educating drivers, telling them of the need to keep their speed down and their distance to pedestrians and cyclists on the narrow roads on the Cape.

We wanted to share with them the inspiration Pádraig has been to many families in dire straits.

There is nothing we can do about the accident.

We cannot change the beginning.

But Pádraig has certainly started to change the ending.

He will need everybody to contribute to this change. The people of Brewster, as well as the people of Germany and Ireland. You and I.