How I changed so many precious lives forever!

My best friend Matt Bowen,
our family's and Mine will never be the same!

"You Think You Know...But You Have No Idea...
IN MEMORY OF MY BEST FRIEND MATT
R.I.P-Matthew Curtis Bowen (1984-2003)


  • First & foremost, I would like to take the time to thank you for checking out my accident page. Below is my testimony of how one night changed my whole life. How one horrible night changed my hopes, my dreams, and my life forever. If you haven’t already notice that Drinking & Driving in today’s world is a big problem when most people are in denial when teenagers get behind of the wheel after drinking. I have dedicated my time to try and spread my testimony to help others not make the same mistake not only what my friends and I did but what so many others still do today.

 


 


 


 


When I was 19 I thought I had it all, did good in school, getting a scholarship to play football, and had a best friend who would do anything for me. I was part of that 70% of people that don't think that it will happen to them. Until one night that changed my life forever. One night changed my hopes, my dreams, and my whole life. On January 12, 2003 I did something I'm ashamed of. I lost my best friend in a car accident, and sad to say that I was the driver of that horrible night. Not being familiar with a 2002 745 BMW we lost control. I was ejected from the car 60 feet putting me in a coma with three broken ribs, lacerations to my kidneys, spleen, and liver with severe brain damage and having my parents wonder if I was going to make it or not. With the grace of God I started to come out of the coma, not knowing were I was or knowing who these people are around me, and why I was in this room with all these machines attached to me by a chord.

I don't remember anything of that night of January 12th. Being hospitalized for a little over a month and doing over two months of rehabilitation of physical, occupational, cognitive, and speech therapy I had to learn everything all over again. After being released from rehab I was finally allowed to go home with my lovely family and see my friends. But something wasn’t right, one thing was different, I was wondering where my best friend Matt was or why he hasn’t come to see me. My parents didn’t know how to tell me, and the doctors wanted to wait the longest before they told me. My dad, mom, sister, and brother finally sat me down quietly on my bed and said, "Ryan, there were three of you guys, not two, Matt didn't make it." I exploded into tears not knowing how to react....enraged, puzzle, or just think why should I live anymore. I pray every day for Matt’s family. What do you say the parents who lost their son? More importantly, what do you say to them knowing that I was the cause of why their son and my best friend Matt isn't here today?

I realize there were a lot of people who hated me. I even hated myself for the mistake I made...For what we all did (DRINK %26 DRIVE), but not for whom I am. Good people are capable of doing bad things and allow stupidity to overcome rational thoughts. I blindly followed the wrong crowd. I'll live with knowing that I was the reason my best friend, Matt isn't here today, but I'm still a decent human being with ambitions, feelings and a vision for my future. All convicts are evil low-life’s who deserve what they get. I believed in tough-treatment; feed them only bread and water. Forget about educational programs, medical care, and certainly no TV or air conditioning, but what a difference time makes! That's what I thought before I was sentenced to Orange County's Men's Correctional Facility on December 21, 2004 for the mistake I made. Now that I'm one of, "them" who served a County YEAR in an Orange County Jail, I knew that this wasn’t the place for me. Admittedly, I carried my preconceived notions to jail. My first impressions confirmed all my fears. I was terrified practically of everyone; inmates and staff alike. Being told when to go to bed, having a siren wake you up, and having the deputy’s saying, “line up for chow!” for when it’s time to eat wasn’t a place for me. I actually learned a lot from my jail sentence. Without the loving support of my true friends and family, life is meaningless.



My jail sentence hurt my family and friends even more than it did me. Not being able have my driver’s license for about four years is a lot harder than you think. Although, someone once told me that, "What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.” I've not only grown and matured a lot from this horrible ordeal, but what a life learning experience as well. What a life altering incident that I have gone through. I thought it was all torture going through what I had to do due to the fact of my mistake I choose but my dreadful journey was just starting.

With my desire, dedication, determination and discipline along with my attitude, patients, passion, and independence will give me everything I need to be successful in life’s chaotic obstacles in which I’m still going through to this day. All I can do now is pick up the rest of the pieces to get my life to some how back to normal. Having people look at me different is hard. Having people look at me and thinking, "oh that's the guy who killed his best friend, how could he?" but they have no idea what I’ve been through. Have they learned from my mistake? No! They're the ones who are still drinking and driving! I share my story to help other live their lives in a more positive and meaningful way, instead of allowing poor judgments to destroy their life as it did mine. Even with endless talent and exceptional intellect, when we're unethical, we can lose everything we've work hard to achieve. I'm proof that it could happen to the best of us.

I want to thank all those who took the time to read my story. 
Please don't make the same mistake I made. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.
It only takes minutes to change your life and all those around you.

A couple articles on my story.
ARTICLE #1 IN OC REGISTER

ARTICLE #2 IN OC REGISTER