Impact letter for consideration at Elliot Dess's sentencing

I miss Zack immensely. At Clutch Couriers we all do. He was our friend, confidant, and when he was taken from us, ¼ of our crew.
For years he was always there on time with a friendly greeting or bad pun. Now when the time comes for the bad joke that would break the tension I try weakly to fill the role but it's not the same.
Beyond being kind and funny, Zack's presence as a reassuring veteran on the crew is sorely missed. By always giving an encouraging or helpful word to the rookies, Zack filled an important role in maintaining our company's high standard of service, and relieved pressure on me as a business owner by being so reliable and generous with his knowledge and good humor.
He could have easily chosen to see his other crew members as competition, but he wasn't that way. These kind of people don't come along every day, and they are impossible to replace, in your work and in your life.
As much as losing Zack is hard, it's how he died that really gets to me. I am aware of the dangers of the job, and we all take risks, but I can't think about a world where people are left for dead on the side of the road and just go about my business. The brutality of it is paralyzing.
I have been a bike messenger for 18 years both in New York City and Santa Cruz, but this really shook me. It took me a while not to think that some drivers were out to get me. This is my job, and I had to soldier on, we all did, but I know we had to lean on each other hard to get the job done.
Part of what helped was the memory of Zack and what a great person he was. I have met so many amazing people and heard so many stories about how Zack has touched their lives, and I can see in their eyes what an impact he made.
I can only imagine the loss his family feels. I am honored to have met them, and I can see Zack in all of their quirky kindnesses.
I know that this was an tragic accident and maybe some day it can be reconciled or even forgiven, but the act itself, the senseless loss of our friend Zachary, can never be fixed.

Rick Graves/Clutch Couriers

Richard Graves
Clutch Couriers
831-466-0560
http://www.clutchcouriers.com/