# Diane's Court Impact Statement

**Context:** The following text is the impact statement Diane gave to the court, regarding the hearing of the man who operated the vehicle that killed Bob.

## Statement

> Your Honor,
> My name is Diane. I am here today to speak for my husband, Bob — because he can't.
>
> On March 20, 2024, Bob was riding carefully and responsibly when another driver made the choice to turn left directly in front of him. He had no time to avoid the collision. This was not an unavoidable accident. It was a preventable tragedy, caused by someone ignoring the basic rules of safety. That one decision ended my husband's life, and with it, ended the life we built together.
>
> Bob wasn't just my husband. He was my best friend, my business partner, and my collaborator in everything. From the moment we woke up to share coffee, through the long hours of our workday, until we went to bed each night, we were together. We raised our children — Kyle, Joe, Laura, and Jacob — with love, guidance, and unwavering support, and we poured that same care into our grandchildren, sharing joy and laughter and trying to be a positive influence in their lives.
>
> Together, Bob and I built "Bob & Diane's – The Back Bar," a live music venue that became a heartbeat for our community. It gave upcoming musicians a place to be seen and heard when no one else would give them a stage. With its closing, thousands of musicians lost that home. We also dedicated countless hours to fundraising — hosting an annual car show to support local food banks, homeless shelters, and animal shelters. Without Bob, those charities lost more than money. They lost time, care, and presence that can't easily be replaced.
>
> Bob was the heart of everything we built. He was a guiding light — for me, for our family, for everyone whose life he touched. When that heart stopped beating, the roles he filled, the strength he carried, and the soul he poured into our work simply couldn't be replaced. His funeral was attended by hundreds of people, all gathered to honor a man who had touched so many lives. That alone says everything about who he was.
>
> I did not just lose a husband. Kyle, Joe, Laura, and Jacob lost their father. Our grandchildren lost their grandfather. And I lost my partner, my confidant, the person I shared every single day with. My daily rhythm — my mornings, my work, my nights — is permanently different now. The silence in the spaces where Bob should be is deafening.
>
> This didn't have to happen. If the driver had been paying attention to the basic responsibility of sharing the road safely, my husband would still be alive. I would still have my partner, our business, and the future we planned together. Instead, I am standing here trying to explain to a courtroom what it means to lose the person who was my whole world.
>
> I cannot imagine what it must be like to live with the fact of taking someone else's life. I hope that reality weighs heavily — not out of cruelty, but as a reminder of the irreversible cost of one careless decision.
>
> No ruling today can bring Bob back, or make this loss any lighter. But I hope the court's decision reflects the gravity of what was taken — from me, from our children and grandchildren, and from a community that will never be the same. And I hope the driver never forgets that one preventable choice cost a man his life, and shattered mine.
>
> Thank you, Your Honor.