The Stidds are stuck in neutral -- both hopeful that their son will walk again and resignedly realistic, watching the mounting bills pile up every month.
Centre County Judge Thomas Kistler could rule as soon as this week whether Aaron Stidd is entitled to sue in excess of $50,000 for each of the two individuals who furnished alcohol to Anthony Torsell, who was convicted of striking Stidd while driving drunk.
Stidd was struck by Torsell's vehicle on Oct. 28, 2006 while crossing South Atherton Street. The incident left him with a traumatic brain injury, taking away his voice and confining him to a wheelchair. Caregivers help his parents feed and dress him.
While Torsell serves his nearly six-year prison sentence, the Stidds pay their bills -- which Aaron's mother Connie Stidd said have doubled or tripled since the accident. On her family's financial status: "We're making do," she said.
"Our life is in neutral. The past is gone, and we're not sure what the future is," Connie Stidd said. "It's not that we've given up hope, but it's been three years."
But they're still moving. They packed their bags Monday and headed to Philadelphia for what Connie hopes will be her son's final surgery for his injuries.
The surgery focuses on Stidd's left leg, which was damaged when Torsell struck him with a tan Buick Skylark three years ago. Torsell, now 23, got behind the wheel with a .242 blood alcohol content (BAC) and drove 50 mph on a rainy night, according to court documents.
Torsell hit Stidd and Richard Smith, then 21, who died as a result of the incident, according to court documents. The Stidds settled with the Torsells for $100,000 in 2007, which attorneys for the furnishers say protects them from being sued again, according to court documents.
Torsell was convicted in 2007 of vehicular homicide and aggravated assault. He's now serving his sentence at the State Correctional Institution at Albion, according to court documents.
"What happened to him wasn't our choice. But after it happened, it was our choice to bring him home and take care of him," Connie Stidd said.
She left her job as a jewelry clerk to help take care of her son. Her husband J., who used to work at state prisons in the area, was already retired but also chose to take care of his son.
"Some people don't know what they had until they don't have it, but I knew what I had. Some people don't have any idea -- I did. I knew that we were blessed," Connie said.
Most days, Connie and J. wake up at about 9:30 a.m., feed Aaron breakfast, take him outside and keep him entertained, she said. Aaron, who was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity, used to receive frequent visits from his fraternity friends, she said.
The visits have dwindled off, she said. The fraternity was disbanded last summer.
"There really is no why," she said of her son's condition. "There is a why, but that doesn't make it any better. I try not to do the why thing. If you do the why thing, you can really go so far to the other end."
