On Aug. 10, 2017, Gordon Crissey got stuck in a traffic jam on U.S. 127 near Trowbridge Road.
Unbeknownst to him, it was because of an accident that killed his son.
A judge on Monday sentenced the woman who caused the crash.
Monique Maxwell will spend six to 15 years in prison for the crash that killed 27-year-old David Crissey.
On Monday, his family described the devastating impact caused by one selfish decision.
Gordon Crissey had just finished eating lunch when he jumped in his car to go meet with a client.
"As I got on the highway, it was closed for a crash," Crissey said.
He watched as emergency vehicles arrived, taking pictures on his phone.
"The photo was taken about the point of impact," he said. "I watched seven firemen carry a body up a hill. I stopped traffic as respect for that person being carried up the hill."
Hours later, Crissey would find out that person was his son.
"I watched them carry my son up the hill. That's something I can never forget. You know what I thought? Today must really suck for somebody. Six hours later, I figured out, that's me," he said.
Authorities say Maxwell was driving south on U.S. 127 when she missed her exit and illegally used a turn lane for emergency vehicles.
She crossed the median, causing David Crissey's vehicle to roll off the highway and into a ditch.
He died at the scene.
Maxwell, who didn't have a driver's license, drove away.
"The impact was so bad, you know we flipped seven times," said David Crissey's fiance, Mildreth Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and her son suffered serious injuries in the crash.
"The doctors told me to pretty much get used to me not being able to walk like a normal person again," she said.
Rodriguez, now dealing with PTSD, has undergone five surgeries since the crash.
Amazingly, the couple's 5-month-old daughter was not hurt.
"This was his first child, you know. And now he's not going to be able to see her grow up," Rodriguez said.
The crash also took a toll on David's mother.
"My wife, David's mother, passed away November 21 from a broken heart. Broken heart, turned into cancer, then eventually ..." Gordon Crissey said.
Spending more than 30 years on the highway as a truck driver, Crissey has just one message for drivers.
"Everybody who has ever thought about using an emergency turn around on the highway, who feels like they're impatient because they can't go to the next exit, please think of my son," he said.
Maxwell apologized to Crissey's family and said she hopes they can one day find it in their hearts to forgive her.
Maxwell pleaded no contest to three felonies, including reckless driving causing death.
