A Campo man hit by another vehicle after being involved in a fender bender just moments before may not fully recover, his wife tearfully told NBC 7 Thursday.
"It's like torture because when Jeff is asleep, I can touch him," said Tiffani Hicks. "When he wakes up, he's a completely different person."
On Aug. 16, Hicks said her husband, Jeff, was headed to his construction job around 5:30 a.m. when he got into a fender bender along Interstate 805 and Main Street in Chula Vista.
Jeff got out to exchange information with the driver that hit him. But that's when another car crashed into them, catapulting Jeff in the air.
Hicks said she found out her husband was in the hospital from the news.
"They're hoping for Jeff to come back at 93 percent. But there is no 100 percent back," Hicks told NBC 7.
Hicks told NBC 7, this is the second tragedy the family has faced this year.
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Earlier this year, Hicks' brother was killed in a crash by a driver under the influence.
Now, her husband of 14 years--the fun loving, outgoing man who sent her flowers every Friday--is fighting just to get back his independence, Hicks said.
Police said the driver involved in the initial fender bender had an invalid license. They ruled the crash an accident.
For Hicks, a mother of two children, ages 11 and 12, it's hard to accept. She is now forced to raise her kids, care for her husband and work a job.
"I miss my husband so much," she said. "I really hope he'll wake up and it will just be him. That's what I hope."
Hicks said her 15th wedding anniversary with Jeff is next week, but with her husband still in the hospital, the family will celebrate at home as best they can.
She says she feels for the other drivers involved in Jeff's accident but is urging people on the road to stay alert and aware.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with Jeff's medical bills.
