Wednesday morning, I had a long chat with an old friend.
It was a bit of a difficult conversation. As hard as we tried to slip into a familiar patter (I even struggled to make fun of his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs), the focus of our chat remains one no parents should ever have to deal with. Mostly, I just wanted to reach through the phone and give him a hug.
Mike Davidson is a retired teacher now living with his wife Lisa in Kamloops, after a long career in 100 Mile House. Their lives (along with daughter Lydia and a vast array of other friends and family) changed inexorably on .
Their son Reid, a much-loved 24-year-old soccer player and Vancouver Island University grad with the world at his feet, was killed in a crash when his compact car was struck on the Nanaimo Parkway by a minivan being driven the wrong way by a man The man was in 2024 with criminal negligence causing death, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop after an accident. Mike said police told him they had recommended charges of impaired driving causing death.
A pre-trial conference was set for April 25 of this year in Victoria but the man . Meaning he never had to face the Davidsons, whose son was killed because of one person's astonishingly stupid, selfish actions.
"All along, there was that expectation (of getting to face him) and to not have that, it鈥檚 a strange feeling," said Mike, admitting perhaps in the end it is for the best, since "I really don't know what I might have done if I saw him in a courtroom."
A very measured, classy response, given the list of those willing to offer up some potential justice of their own was likely many miles long.
The Davidsons very much wanted to see the man, who had a lengthy rap sheet, see up close the damage he had wrought. Hear the victim impact statements, look the family members in the eye and face his punishment.
"This guy, he's been front and centre in our thoughts," said Mike. "Even though you don't want it to take over your day-to-day life, it's impossible. Now, this little piece is over with. We can just focus on all the lives Reid touched."
has continued unabated since the tragedy, a true measure of the impact Reid had on so many others.
have been established at VIU and elsewhere around the province. Reid's number 13 was retired at VIU and soccer tourneys and golf tournaments are being held annually to perpetuate his memory. The is set for July 13 at Fairwinds Golf Club in Nanoose Bay.
There are RD13 forever sites on and , where people take pictures in locations around the world with Reid's soccer card.
Mike and Lisa recently attended a Mothers Against Drunk Driving conference in Toronto.
"You're surrounded by people affected in the same way," Mike said. "So there's no real awkward conversations. That very much helps with the healing."
He remains committed to not letting himself be consumed by anger, continuing to honour Reid's amazing legacy and speaking out against impaired driving.
"There's no secret formula," he said. "There鈥檚 never, ever going to be closure. You just wake up every day and focus on the positives. I think one of our big fears is having this whole legal process kind of come to a crashing halt and it鈥檚 over with, in a lot of people鈥檚 minds. That they'll be forgetting about Reid."
Tell you what, my friend. I think I can confidently speak on behalf of everyone and say that's never going to happen.
PQB News/VI Free Daily editor Philip Wolf welcomes your questions, comments and local story ideas. He can be reached at 250-905-0029 or via email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca.
