BEAUMONT, Texas — Two-and-a-half years ago, a Texas teen survived after being hit by a drunken driver. On Nov. 7, Clyde Thompson was not as fortunate.
Thompson, 19, a Houston native who attended Lamar University, was killed along with classmate Tonysha Smith, 19, in a head-on crash in Beaumont, KBMT reported.
In May 2019, Thompson was attending Aldine Senior High School in Houston when he and a friend were hit by a drunken driver as they walked home after a late-night basketball practice, KHOU reported.
Thompson needed four skull surgeries and spent the summer of 2019 in a hospital, the television station reported. He healed and was able to attend school for his senior year and rejoined his high school basketball team in January 2020, KBMT reported.
“I’m a miracle,” Thompson told KHOU.
According to a news release from the Beaumont Police Department, on Nov. 7 at 2:13 a.m. CST, Thompson was driving a gray Nissan Altima that was hit head-on by a black Chevrolet truck.
Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene, and Smith was taken to an area hospital, where she died from her injuries, according to the news release.
“My twin brother Clyde Thompson (Man Man) was robbed of his life at the age of 19,” Kiarrah Thompson said in a message on a GoFundMe page she created to cover the teen’s funeral expenses. “His life was taken by a drunk driver. Clyde was a dedicated son, brother, college student and athlete. My heart is beyond hurt. Never in one million years did my family and I expect for my brother to fall victim to a drunk driver again.”
The teen’s mother, Tamala Johnson, said losing her son was “unreal.”
”To get killed by the very thing (that) you survived ... it hurts,” Johnson told KHOU.
The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with injuries, KBMT reported. Police said they believe alcohol was a factor in the crash. According to the Beaumont Police Department, charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing.
Clyde Thompson was studying to be a physical therapist, KHOU reported.
“He wanted to be a spokesperson to young kids his age that are going through therapy, that are stuck in ICU and don’t see a way,” Johnson told the television station. “Just go and talk to them and say, ‘Hey you know, I was there.’”
“Lamar University is deeply saddened at the loss of two LU students in a wreck over the weekend. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims during this difficult time,” a spokesperson for the university said in a statement. “Counselors with the Student Health Center are available for students impacted by this tragedy.”