A turbulent father-son relationship shatters completely when the son is killed by a distracted driver, and the father is left to confront his own profound guilt and the man who caused his son's needless death.

This episode is the fourth in our five part series, “A World Beyond Revenge” featuring five powerful stories of people on both sides of tragic incidents of unimaginable harm who found healing through the groundbreaking process of Restorative Justice. 

Today’s episode featured Andy O’Dell. You can email Andy at [email protected]. 

Andy is from Greater Manchester. Since his Restorative Justice meeting, Andy has been a passionate advocate against distracted driving alongside his wife Chelle. They are actively looking for projects to help spread awareness of Restorative Justice and safer driving in the North West of England. Some helpful links behind his cause: 

https://why-me.org/ https://www.brake.org.uk/ https://www.nwairambulance.org.uk/

Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits, Forrest Chiras

Content/Trigger Warnings: child behavior challenges, distracted driving, fatal vehicle accident, child death, feelings of hate and revenge, divorce, domestic violence, explicit language

Thank you to our series collaborators, Why Me? & Yoana Tchoukleva: 

Why Me? are a national charity in the UK, promoting access to Restorative Justice for people affected by crime or conflict. They also support people who have been through the Restorative Justice process to share their stories. If you want to find out more about Restorative Justice, visit their website www.why-me.org. If you want help accessing Restorative Justice in the UK, you can contact them via [email protected]. 

LinkedIn: Why me? UK

Instagram: @whymeuk

Facebook: @WhymeUK

Threads: @whymeuk

Bluesky: @whymeuk.bsky.social

Yoana Tchoukleva is an attorney, RJ practitioner, & lecturer at Berkeley Law. She is also a Senior Program Manager at Impact Justice. You can email her at [email protected]. You can reach out to her on Instagram @yoana.tch and on Facebook @""Yoana Tchoukleva"", and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ioanatchoukleva/. Please consider donating to Atunse Justice League.  

LINK TO OUR LISTENER SURVEY! 

We’ve come up with a short audience survey, which you can find linked in our show notes and in the bio of our Instagram page @actuallyhappening. We’d love to hear your opinions and feedback, and we’d really appreciate your point of view. Link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfxV-6qeNAOuIAbBnuSJpoyqE3tlvusxb069dZCUC1RWeLfEg/viewform

Social Media:

Instagram: @actuallyhappening

Twitter: @TIAHPodcast

Website: thisisactuallyhappening.com

Website for Andrew Waits: andrdewwaits.com

Contacts for Forrest Chiras: On Instagram & Spotify @Stegoforrest

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Transcripts: Full transcripts of each episode are now available on the website, thisisactuallyhappening.com

Intro Music: ""Illabye"" – Tipper

Music Bed: Uncertain Outcomes

Services

If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:

National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988 

National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

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