Local Musician Hit By Highway Debris Makes Desperate Plea To Find Vehicle Responsible
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A young, local musician is lucky to be alive after he was hit by debris on the highway.
On Tuesday, Holden Amory will arrive at Delray Medical Center to undergo 10 hours of facial reconstructive surgery.
The one thing that won't need to be operated on is Holden's sense of humor and positive outlook despite what happened to him.
At a news conference Monday, Amory saw the metal piece of road debris that tore up his face for the first time since his accident in April.
"Did that hit me in the face?" he asked.
He didn't recognize it. But the aspiring musician didn't waste time before finding the ability to joke about it.
"This thing hitting me in the face is definitely my first smash hit," he said.
That's what everyone learned about Amory. Even though he suffered a broken jaw and significant injuries to his nose, orbital bone and cheekbones, he sees the silver lining in this unthinkable accident.
It was an accident where a 20-pound piece of a brake drum pierced the windshield of his convertible on I-95 in Boca Raton and hit him.
"If this beautiful piece of metal had hit me an inch higher I would have lost my vision," he said. "I could have been brain dead."
Amory's attorney, Jack Scarola, believes the piece came from a large truck and hopes someone remembers driving on I-95 southbound near Palmetto Park Road around 11 a.m. on Friday, April 29, and seeing the piece of metal come off a truck.
"Someone out there has information that can be helpful to us," Scarola said.
Both Amory's mom, Emily, and a woman who stopped to help Amory on I-95 that day said they're happy he's alive and staying positive about what happened.
"I was just so thankful that his life was spared," Emily said.
"He is my hero in this whole thing," said Tarsheka Barton. "I don't know how he did it."
Amory doesn't remember the accident and he says he isn't bothered in the slightest by the damage to his face.
"I don't feel like it's all that bad," he said. "Maybe I'm in denial."
He admits he's wondered why his car out of all the cars on the road that morning. He said he's come to this conclusion.
"They knew that I could handle and be in good spirits about it," he said.
A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol told CBS4 News that someone did provide a tag number of the possible vehicle that the metal piece came from. However, investigators say that they are not sure at this point if the item came from the truck or was kicked up by the truck.
If you have any information that can help investigators, please contact FHP at (305) 470-2500.
