Like countless others, I have viewed Facebook postings of the video showing a Kia Soul smashing into the Scott Depot Dairy Queen.
The video shows the vehicle flying through an intersection at high speed and plowing directly into the DQ at 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. I saw no evidence of any attempt by the driver to swerve or to slow.
It looked to be intentional. Looks, in this instance, were exactly correct. Several news outlets reported that the operator, Casey Oxley, told State Police that he did it on purpose. Oxley’s motive has yet to be made known. It appeared to me that Oxley intended to harm or to kill himself.
Miraculously, no one was injured. The Kia came to rest in the inside dining area. The dining area was closed. DQ owners, Veronica and Jeff Diehl, had planned to begin serving customers indoors for the first time since the onset of the Covid pandemic on that very day, Saturday, May 21. That plan was cancelled because Saturday’s high temperatures would have pushed employees beyond measure.
The DQ will remain closed for quite some time. The building has been deemed structurally unsafe and has to be rebuilt.
While Saturday did not go as planned for the Diehls, Oxley’s plan (if he had one) did not go as he expected. He was taken to CAMC Teays Valley. While there, Oxley was uncooperative. He has been charged with five counts of attempted malicious assault, battery on a health care worker, battery on emergency personnel, assault on emergency personnel, felony destruction of property and reckless driving. Oxley is now in the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville. His bond is $100,000 cash only.
While I do not know Oxley’s intent, I am confident that it was not to be housed in the Regional Jail. I suspect that he crashed into the building with the expectation of never seeing another day.
Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is chance — sometimes, someone wins the Powerball Jackpot. That chance is very, very small. Upon reviewing the video of the crash, I would say that Oxley’s chances of survival were small. The chances of his walking away uninjured would have been very, very small. Sometimes, the unlikely happens. Sometimes the most undeserving get a second chance.
I am praying that Oxley will take advantage of the second chance which he has been given.
