Gone

Joshua Sharpe: This Father’s Day marks the 13th anniversary of the death of a Woodstock teen killed in a car accident. The man accused of causing the crash was believed to be in the United States illegally. There has been no trial in the case.

Dustin Inman was a 16-year-old Etowah High School student who spent his days, like many other Cherokee County boys his age, fishing, hunting and passing time with friends and family.

If he were alive today, he would be 29 years old, but Dustin’s life was cut short when he and his parents, Billy and Kathy Inman, were in a car accident in Gilmer County on June 16, 2000.

The Inmans were on their way to visit family in Hiawassee when they stopped at a red light in east Ellijay and a car barreled into them from behind.

Dustin died on the scene, and his mother was critically injured.

Billy received a concussion and recovered, but he said Thursday the wounds cut in his family’s lives will never heal.

Kathy sustained severe brain injuries in the crash and now uses a wheelchair.

Billy said her injuries have subjected her to changes in her brain’s activity, chronic headaches, seizures and numerous surgeries.

“People don’t realize we’re still dealing with this 13 years later,” he said.

Besides having to adjust to the new realities of their lives, the Inmans have spent the last 13 years searching for Gonzalo Harrell-Gonzalez, the man the Inmans hold responsible for their son’s death, and have led a passionate fight for immigration reform.