Lucky to Be Alive

By Michele Beach

          When I asked Christopher Bucco how he felt after an unforgettable moment in his life, he responded slowly, “After what happened, I felt very lucky to still be alive. This event kind of made me look at life differently.  I know I got a second chance.” 
          What happened to Christopher Bucco two days after September 11, 2001 was a personal tragedy that has now turned into a lucky incident in his eyes.  It was a nice, autumn day and Chris and his brothers had off from school because the 9/11 attacks.  The ice cream truck came down Chris’s street and like any child, the boys wanted a treat.  Although Chris’s thoughts told him not to get something because he remembers his mom was bringing home lunch, but Chris decided to go get a candy for him and his older brother.
          “I remember I wanted a lollipop and he wanted a ring pop,” Chris said, smiling as he reminisced.  What started out as an innocence day off, quickly took a turn for the worst. 
          While walking back across the street, ten-year-old Christopher was hit by a Fed Ex van that was speeding down his private road.  The ice cream truck had stopped in front of a double parked car and did not have a stop sign out.
          “I couldn’t see too far into the street and I didn’t know what was coming,” he recalled.  Chris flew about fifteen feet into the air and suffered multiple bruises and other injuries including three skull fractures, “I almost choked on my blood, but my neighbor was able to turn me over and help me.”  The impact resulted in four days in the hospital for treatment of Christopher’s injuries and a month off from school. 
          Looking back, Christopher Bucco now considers himself a lucky man.
          “Well, I’m alive!” he said. Celebrating life isn’t the only thing that this now twenty-year-old college student has to be happy about. After the accident, his parents and family lawyer filed a lawsuit against Fed Ex.  The lawsuit ended in Christopher’s favor; his four years at St. Thomas Aquinas College are paid for in full, as well as a stipend of $2,200 a month when he turns 25 years old.  In addition to this sum, at the age of 35 years old he will be receiving over $120,000.  “So all in all, I consider myself lucky after what happened.” 
          Call it good luck or bad luck, what happened to Christopher Bucco is most certainly unforgettable.