On June 3, 1990 my life was changed forever when I fell asleep at the wheel only 90 seconds from home. My car crossed the centerline, ran off the road and hit a driveway embankment sending it airborne. Not wearing my seatbelt, I was ejected through the sunroof and paralyzed instantly from the mid-chest down. At the time of my crash, I had been up for over 36 hours. I recall several times throughout the day when I came close to falling asleep while driving, but didn’t. There where times that I did doze off while at a friend’s house and at my grandma’s, so there where warning signs, I just chose to ignore them.

I was taken to Lake Ozark Medical Center in Osage Beach then flown to the University Hospital in Columbia. I spent 4 weeks in intensive care and a total of three months in rehab. There I learned how to live my new life in a wheelchair.

In 1992, I moved from my hometown of Macks Creek to Columbia where I became involved with ThinkFirst Missouri. Since that time I have traveled to hundreds of schools and shared my message with thousands of students of all ages. In 2000, I became involved with the National Sleep Foundation(NSF) which gave me a national platform to deliver my message of drowsy driving prevention out to thousands of people. Since then I have traveled to Washington, DC twice to speak for the National Sleep Foundation. In 2000, I was a guest speaker at the press conference for National Sleep Awareness Week, and in 2002 I spoke at the Summit to Prevent Drowsy Driving. I have been featured in the Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, St. Louis Post Dispatch, A2Z Sleep Publication, Parade Magazine, the T.V. show Extra!, NBC New York, PBS New York Keeping Kids Healthy program, and various local newspapers and media stations. More recently I have had the honor of being featured in the award-winning drowsy driving prevention video titled “Almost Home,” which was produced by The National Road Safety Foundation in New York.

In 1999, I graduated from Columbia College with a BA in Individual Studies and minors in both Psychology and Sociology. In 2001, I went to work for the University Hospital in Columbia as a unit clerk in the Surgical/Burn/Trauma ICU where I saw numerous injuries and deaths from motor vehicle crashes. In 2006, I transferred to the University Ambulance service where I currently work as Transportation Coordinator. I recently launched a public speaking career specializing in drowsy driving awareness and overcoming life’s obstacles.

For more information on how to schedule me as a speaker at your next event, I can be reached at the following:

Cell: 573-881-1164
Voice Mail/Fax: 866-619-2581
Email: russb@quixnet.net