In the early morning hours of July 17th, a truck came crashing through Tim and Holly Stamper's dining room in Kenosha County while the couple was asleep inside.
The driver, a 23-year-old man, got out of his truck after the crash and walked up to the homeowners to ask if anyone inside was hurt. He then returned to his vehicle, where he sustained an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. No injuries were reported to the Stampers.
Holly described the moment of impact.
"An explosion — I mean it just kaboom, loud, really loud," she said. "I thought it was a tree coming down or maybe an airplane — and then to see that truck in my kitchen, I'm like — what happened."
Even in the middle of their own devastation — the Stampers say their hearts go out to the young man and his family.
"I just want to stress to his mother — my love for her," Holly said. "He wanted to know that we were okay. He was worried about us. He's got a place above — he does."
But the Stampers are also facing an unimaginable situation of their own.
Tim, who is battling stage four kidney cancer, says the road ahead will be long. The couple is currently displaced and living in a hotel in Illinois as they wait for contractors to rebuild — a process expected to take over a year.
"It's disheartening," Holly said. "To see that this happened it just breaks my heart."
If you or someone you know is struggling — the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day.
