Thursday, November 6th 2014, 7:38 pm
A Tulsa man finally got his day in court after being hit by a drunk driver 15 months ago.
The crash left Bradley Wilkerson with a ruptured aorta, broken ribs, collapsed lungs and he lost his left leg. He's also financially ruined, with $750,000 in medical bills.
Thursday, Wilkerson finally got to face the drunk driver and tell him how their chance encounter has turned his life upside-down.
For 30 minutes, he put into words what it meant to have lost his leg. He not only told the judge and the suspect everything he's been through, he showed them.
Wilkerson has looked forward to this day for the past 15 months. It was his one and only chance to tell people what he's endured.
He stood before the judge and told how he's been active and hard working his entire life, and was simply riding his motorcycle when Angel Morales ran over him.
Wilkerson talked about almost dying then learning how to live without his leg and all the pain and humiliation.
10/22/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Man, Lost Leg In Drunk-Driving Accident, Set To Face Driver In Court
Then, Wilkerson removed his prosthetic right there in court and showed Morales what is left of his leg and his many scars.
Afterward, Morales said he was sorry for ruining Wilkerson's life and for the pain he's caused him and his family; but Wilkerson said it was too late.
"It doesn't mean a thing. He can't take back anything he's done to me, whether he's sorry or not doesn't matter to me," he said.
Wilkerson pointed out Morales has never had a driver's license, had already been arrested three times before and had alcohol, pills and pot in his system the night of the crash.
Morales' three children were also in the vehicle.
Morales' attorney asked for leniency, saying he had meningitis as a teenager, lost his father and had substance abuse issues.
He even said Wilkerson may not have lost his leg had he not been on a motorcycle.
"That was the most ridiculous thing I've heard," Wilkerson responded.
The judge is only allowed by law to sentence Morales to five years in prison for what he did to Wilkerson and the judge did just that, and all the other charges added up to another nine years for a total of 14.
Wilkerson said this is now all behind him and he's only looking forward to getting on with his life.
November 6th, 2014
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