From tragedy to teaching

Danielle MacMurchy, Tracy Press, September 19, 2007

Bruce Murakmi (left) and Ken Ucci address West High students at an assembly Tuesday afternoon.
Photo by Glenn Moore/Tracy Press

Bruce Murakami and Ken Ucci both lost loved ones to speeding teenager drivers, and today, they promoted safe teen driving at West High School.

West High School students and teachers showed off souped-up trucks, Vipers, Corvettes, motorcycles and other speedy rides at an on-campus car show and assembly Tuesday with a message to drive smart and safely.

The show’s rap music that blasted through the campus failed to drown out the sting of 17-year-old Michael Ucci’s death.

"It’s a constant reminder when I’m on the road," said senior Noel Moul, who found that the ache didn’t dissipate with the new school year. "That’s why we’re here."

Nearly eight months have passed since the chilly night of Jan. 27, when the West High junior was killed after his longtime friend, Bret Clifton, crashed into a traffic light-pole in front of West High. Bret lost both legs after the accident; the other two passengers, Justin Baker and Mike’s sister, Marie, were also injured.

Friends and family of the crash victims — and the community that’s come to know them — found out they’re not alone in their grief.

Bruce Murakami took the stage for two assemblies after the car show to share his story of heartache and forgiveness to the gymnasium filled with students. Justin Cabezas — the man who killed Murakami’s wife, Cindy, and their 11-year-old daughter, Chelsea, in a car accident nine years ago — stood with Murakami to tell the students that a deadly accident could happen to any one of them.

Cabezas, now 28, was drag racing down a Tampa, Fla., street when he lost control of his car and slammed into the Murakamis’ minivan.

West High students listen at an assembly this afternoon.
Photo by Glenn Moore / Tracy Press

Murakami spent three years and thousands of dollars on attorneys to see justice served and Cabezas put behind bars. After Cabezas was charged with vehicular homicide, though, Murakami had a change of heart.

He pled with the judge to show the young man mercy and instead have him serve house arrest and speak at schools across the country with Safe Teen Driver, the organization Murakami founded to awaken teens to the consequences of reckless driving.

"If I didn’t forgive him, I’d be the third victim in this tragedy," Murakami said.

Ken Ucci felt a similar tug a month after Michael’s death when he spotted Murakami and Cabezas talking about Safe Teen Driver on TV.

"I was trying to make sense of what had happened," Ucci said. "We’ve got to let our kids out here know what’s happening across the country."

Five months ago, Ucci teamed with Clifton to start a local chapter of Murakami’s campaign, Get Real Behind the Wheel. Ucci’s heartache has pushed him to speak at local venues like the Altamont Motorsports Park, organize fundraisers and host the car show before the assembly.

West High senior Mahboob Karimi stood proudly next to his parents’ Viper at the show and warned his classmates to watch their speed.

"Every time I want to go fast, I think of those guys," said Karimi, who lost two friends to car accidents and racked up six speeding tickets in five months before he said he learned his lesson.

West High senior Masi Quraishi lifted his trunk to expose three speeding tickets and two receipts from an impound yard, a reminder of the decisions he’s made behind the wheel of his Honda SI. Below the receipts hangs a sign that reads, "Wall of Shame. Drive Real."

"I’ve always liked to go fast," Masi said. "It’s a sense of pride."

Since the accident in January, he’s kept his need for speed off the streets and on the track at Altamont Motorsports Park. But he says for some teens, no number of assemblies or tragedies will keep them safe on the roads.

Clifton and Ucci will take their message to national airways Thursday when they fly to New York City for an interview on the "Montel Williams Show," which will air sometime late next week.

"If we could just reach out to one person, the hard work to get this message out there is worth it," Bret’s mother, Nancy Clifton, said before the assembly. "I don’t want anyone else to get that terrible phone call."