To all of you who have written, I apologize for not responding just yet. The fracture on my right clavicle has made it painful to type. And to be honest, I haven't really felt up to doing much for the last month and a half. I suffered pretty wacky brain trauma from the skull fracture (and yes, wacky is the word), leaving me a bit fuzzy on the cognitive level: dizzy spells are the norm these days, and I feel like I could sleep for eternity.

For those of you reading this post who aren't aware of what happened, my good friend Suki Finnerty and I were hit by a hit-and-run driver on New Year's Eve—just after 1AM—while taking a pedicab (sometimes referred to as a rickshaw, only it's operated by a bicycle) ride over the Las Olas Boulevard Bridge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Unfortunately, we never made it all the way over the bridge before an unidentified driver struck our pedicab from behind and then fled the scene. Suki and I were sent flying, and we were both knocked unconscious. (Yes, thank goodness we did not fly into the water; we are incredibly fortunate to be alive.)

I'm not really writing this to rehash what happened though. For that, you can visit this link to Channel 7 news (though the video has been taken down, the story is still there) or this article that ran in the Sun Sentinel.

The pedicab driver received minor injuries, while Suki and I ended up in the hospital for a week. Suki suffered severe cuts on her forehead and a blown-out knee that required surgery and having plates put in. She'll be in a wheelchair for another 2-3 weeks. (The poor thing had tons of video and photography work lined up for the Miami Boat Show this weekend that she had to turn away; this is already costing her big time.)

As for me, I received clavicle, pelvis, and skull fractures; along with lots of cuts and bruises. Here I am a couple days post-accident--not exactly a glamour shot (that's blood coming out of my ear; draining from the skull fracture):

The good news is that the fracture to my pelvis seems to have healed, though because of those dizzy spells, I still use my cane to get around—for balance more than anything else. The clavicle is finally healing, but when the doctor warned me that the pain would get worse before it got better (because new bone must form around the break), he wasn't lying. Some days, I'm in agony.

Now for the fun part (note: that's sarcasm): my face is paralyzed on the right side from nerve damage. That came complete with hearing loss in my right ear. They're telling me it could be 3-6 months before I get movement back on that side of my face. The same goes for the hearing. Apparently, nerve damage takes ages to heal.

I'm taking it in stride, often amusing my roommates and friends with my effortless "Mary Jo Buttafucco" impersonation (if anyone remembers that from the Saturday Night Live skit mocking the Amy Fisher story back in the 90's…saying with a half-frozen face: "I'm Mary Jo Buttafucco ova heeyah!" – though to be honest, now that I'm a victim of it myself, I have a lot more of compassion for ol' Mary Jo.)

About all I can do is try to see the humor side of it, because otherwise, it's a bit depressing. I have trouble talking clearly (any word beginning with a "b," "p," or "f" is nearly impossible), I drink through straws, and half the time I eat, I end up with portions of the meal on my chin and cheek. But, having to wait a few months for my hearing, full cognition, and facial muscles to work again is no big deal when I think about the "what could've beens."

The most common question that people keep asking me is if I'm mad. There again, for the last month and a half, I've felt nothing at all, really. It has only been in the last week that I've been able to even get my head around what happened. Until now, I've just been kind of moping around in a foggy daze. That's brain trauma for you, I guess.

But now that I'm waking to the reality of my situation, yes, I'm finally feeling what some might compare to anger—only for me, it's more frustration. Bills are starting to mount (health insurance isn't going to cover everything), and if I can't work full-time for another two to three months, that's a problem for me.

Here's some of the fun news I've recently learned about the "status" of our accident (and I'll be honest with you, while I've been in my what seems like a brain-dead haze, NOTHING has come of anything, leaving both Suki and me pretty screwed in the months to come):

1)  Not one lead came into Crimestoppers regarding who might have hit us. Our story received coverage by all three major local news channels, and also appeared in the newspaper, but there was not ONE call!

The investigator told me she was shocked; she said that even with accidents occurring in the middle of night in an isolated area, there is usually at least one call to the tips line. Here, Suki and I are hit on New Year's Eve in one of the busiest, prime beach locations in Fort Lauderdale, and NOT ONE person can claim to have seen a thing!?

I just don't believe that. There is up to a $1,000 reward for anyone with a tip that leads to an arrest—and we get not one clue…not one lead!? C'mon people…even if there's no one who can recall seeing the car, there's bound to be another person who knows something!

Either someone else was in the car as a passenger (remember, tips are anonymous!!), or there's someone who did work on a car in the days just following New Years and is suspicious…or there's maybe even someone who overheard others discussing the event. And what on earth were all those other cars and people on the bridge doing that night!? Were they just too drunk? How could they not have seen a thing!?

CrimeStoppers is offering up to $1,000 reward for any tips that lead to an arrest.

Someone out there knows something, and while 99% of the people I talk to tell me I'm wasting my time, I'm optimistic. Even if no one saw the car or caught a glimpse of the driver or his passenger: nothing stays a secret. Again, tips are anonymous, so even if you were a passenger, you can call. Please, I don't know how Suki and I are going to be able to afford this—especially with all the time out of work. Granted, the coward may not even have insurance, but at this stage, it's worth trying to find out.

If you have any information, please contact Broward County Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS or Fort Lauderdale's Traffic Homicide Investigator at 1-866-828-5755.

You can also visit www.browardcrimestoppers.org/webtips.html

PLEASE help me pass this word around. I'm working on getting flyers distributed around Fort Lauderdale, and meanwhile, I'll be taking my story back to the local media: both to find the individual responsible, and even more so, to make an issue out of these next two items…

The public deserves to know the following:

2)  The investigators have found that not one of the cameras going over that Las Olas bridge was working the night of our accident (new ones were installed in the last year, but they told us they're "only used for special events," and, apparently New Year's Eve doesn't classify as one of those).

So you're telling me that we can go online at anytime and view the live webcams at the Elbo Room there on the corner, but here in these post-9/11 times, in such a high-trafficked and "party party" area, with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of yachts passing through it on a regular basis, and on a night known for having the highest rates of hit-and-run accidents than any other night of the year, there's NOTHING keeping tabs on that Las Olas Bridge??? That's insane!

So do I have problems with the City of Fort Lauderdale????

You betchya! ...And it's not so much because of the camera issue either.

Get this:

3)   We've learned that the guy who owns the pedicab company, some Kevin Green character, had a bogus insurance policy. The insurance agency has no record of it on file, and apparently, the agent who wrote it up had his/her license revoked by the state of Florida back in October and it's now a wild goose chase to try and find him/her.

People need to know that the Elite Bicycles Pedicab business down on the beach is shady!! Mr. Kevin Green's business shouldn't even be operating without insurance (there's also talk that his permits were bogus; not confirmed, but suspected)...

And here is one that really gets me: the city of Fort Lauderdale says it's not their fault that no one checked on the validity of Mr. Green's insurance policy.

Oh yeah? Not their fault?

Well, take a look at THIS:

COMMUNITY STRONG CHAMBERS COMMISSION CITY P.M., 7:00 – 2005 10, OCTOBER MEETING, BOARD ADVISORY SERVICES
– Clean Air Taxi/Elite Bicycles –

Kevin Green stated that he was requesting permits to conduct his business for pedicabs and rickshaws along Las Olas Boulevard and A1A. Alfred Imgrund stated that he reviewed the police memorandum dated June 25, 2005, which recommended a denial of the business permits and reasons for such denial.

That's right. DESPITE a recommendation by the police department, which they based on Mr. Green's past arrests (three, including two years in jail), citations (well over nine), and run-ins with police (including battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence), the city commission STILL voted to grant Mr. Green permits to operate his business.

But wait! It gets even more shocking...To see more, please see my previous blog entry (I don't want to take up too much space here). If you want to see the report for yourself, please see this link and check out Pages 5-7 (it's disturbing). In short though, shame on the city of Fort Lauderdale. Sure enough, here we are two years later and finding out that Mr. Green had a bogus insurance policy.

Shouldn't the city have looked into that? Granted, they can't check on the validity of every insurance policy that get issued; however, I think that in this case, Mr. Green was obviously one who should have been flagged and kept an eye on—as a matter of fact, what happened to this deal where he was approved but put on "probation"?

Didn't anyone come back around to check on him and his so-called business???

So yes: I am frustrated...and finally feeling half with-it enough to do something about it.

On a more positive note, and really, most importantly (I should have opened with this), I want to offer a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has sent emails, comments, and even in some cases cards, flowers, candy, and balloons as a get-well gesture.

The response was overwhelming--probably a bit too overwhelming for my bruised brain to take in initially--but now that I'm feeling better, I'm going back through all the generous and thoughtful messages (and feeling a tremendous sense of guilt for not having been able to reply just yet; that I'm working on), and I don't think the words "thank you" even do the trick. I am truly blown away and so grateful to everyone who took time out their days to brighten mine. It's the best medicine I've received.

A few friends I want to send a special thanks to are my two Internet Marketing friends (and in this case, heroes), Michel Fortin and Simon Leung, who were kind enough to write about our accident in their blogs. I've always known that the Internet Marketing community is a special one, made up of so many kind and good-natured people, and sure enough, so many wonderful messages, comments, and even friend invites on both MySpace and Facebook came about because of these blogs. I owe a huge thanks goes to Michel (and his wife Sylvie Fortin, who ROCKS) and Simon for getting the word out.

The response from the marine industry has also been incredible. So many friends and fans of my former podcast, TheBoaters TV, have written in to offer their support. I especially need to thank Power & Motoryacht magazine Editor Diane Byrne for the blog post she wrote just after the accident.

Also, to Alan Spicer of Marine Telecom blog.

I so appreciate that Diane and Alan took note of the fact that there was a $1,000 CrimeStopper reward being offered. That was something I did not even know about until two weeks ago (my warped brain didn't register it when I first saw their blogs).

And with that, I'm off to publicize this Crimestoppers reward to the best of my ability.

I'll be posting blogs and bulletins (please repost if you see one), calling all the news reporters back, getting my flyers made and distributed, and keeping my fingers crossed that the private investigator hired by Suki's attorney finds at least ONE camera down on that beach that caught a glimpse of the car that hit us (doesn't necessarily have to be viewing the bridge, now does it? What about the 7-11 parking lot down the way??? Anyone?).

While I might not be able to work or leave my house much, I can't just sit here any longer. As I run the above issues over and over in my mind, the frustration does begin to lead to a bit of anger. Not necessarily anger that has me seeking revenge; rather, I want simple justice. I'm a firm believer that it never pays to be angry; however, I figure if I can channel that energy into action and allow the frustration I am feeling to motivate me to right the wrongs in this situation--not just for Suki and me, but for future victims--then perhaps getting a little worked up isn't such a bad thing.

Please help me get the word out about our search for this hit-and-run driver. Someone needs to pay for this accident.

And please help me get the word out to the public of Fort Lauderdale that those pedicabs owned by Elite Bicycle company should NOT be ridden. As a matter of fact, they should be removed from the streets and Mr. Green's shoddy permits REVOKED. They should not ever have been issued in the first place.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Sorry it's so long. I"ll post a separate blog on Friday regarding the Crimestoppers reward. Please keep an eye out for bulletins.

~Julie Perry (a.k.a. Mary Jo Buttafucco ;-))

P.S. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Suki (her b-day was Valentine's Day).