A Raleigh couple’s 40th wedding anniversary took an unexpected and crushing turn Thursday after authorities said a man stole and crashed two vehicles.
A family member said Kathy and Bob Phillips were on their way to the YMCA for a cycling class when the suspect crashed a stolen pickup truck into their vehicle along Morgan Street in Raleigh.
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A touching photo shared with WRAL shows the couple during an emotional moment after Kathy was moved out of the emergency department. Both Kathy and Bob are recovering in the ICU at WakeMed. Their injuries include broken ribs, brain bleeds and damaged arteries.
The family member said Bob and Kathy are stable and in good spirits as of Friday morning.
Troopers said the incident began during Thursday morning’s commute, when a driver crashed a stolen vehicle into another car at Ten-Ten Road and Old Stage Road. The driver then jumped into a witness’ pickup truck and fled the scene before crashing a second time around 10 miles north of the first scene.
Around 8 a.m., a silver Lexus sedan was at the first crash scene with rear-end damage, and a black SUV was off the side of the road. When another driver stopped to help, troopers said the driver jumped into the good Samaritan’s pickup truck and drove away.
WRAL News spoke to the man whose truck was stolen. He said the vehicle was totaled. He said he left the truck running but took the keys with him, and the man who stole it was still able to drive away without the key.
Robert Jerry Bradley faces charges of driving while impaired, felony hit-and-run, reckless driving, failure to wear a seat belt and failure to stop for a red light.
Bradley remains in the hospital with injuries he sustained in the crashes and was not able to appear in court Friday.
Raleigh police and the Wake County Sheriff’s Office are investigating.
Bob's passion showed through his life's work
The couple's commitment to each other also one carried out by Bob through his profession. He spent years growing Common Cause NC, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering voters and upholding democracy.
"I'll say Bob Phillips is truly gifted is his ability to reach across the aisle and build strong relationships with parties and people, and so it didn't surprise me when this accident happened, that Republicans and Democrats, who don't agree on much, reached out immediately to offer their well wishes to the entire Phillips family," said Sailor Jones, State Director of Common Cause NC.
While the two didn't get the anniversary they hoped for, they did recently return from weeks of travel around Central and South America. It was a trip Jones said could have saved their lives.
"They would want me to share that they are some of not only the most loving couple in their 40th anniversary, but the fittest couple you'll ever meet, often hiking through the Americas in their retirement," Jones said. "I believe that is a part of this miracle of them being able to walk away from such a horrific accident."
