This is the story of an irrevocably injured young man who made headlines in the 1980s, but was then forgotten by the media and most San Antonians. Here is what happened to Patrick Davis since 1984, after his lawyers settled a controversial lawsuit with General Motors and Davis dropped out of the spotlight. The full story was published Dec. 12, 2010, by the San Antonio Express-News. You can read and comment on the article here: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/sunday_focus/article/Years-later-wreck-victim-forgotten-by-most-876500.php
Created by John_Tedesco on Dec 13, 2010
Last updated: 01/25/11 at 12:05 PM
Tags: Lawsuit Patrick Davis Pat Davis San Antonio Lee High School Lee H.S. Lee HS Trans Am General Motors Traumatic Brain Injuries Mission Road Nursing Homes Smokey and the Bandit Burt Reynolds Pat Maloney Maloney Law Firm
With Doehne's permission, an Express-News reporter and photographer visited Davis at Mission Road. Davis still had his dry sense of humor and said he was happy at the facility.
He got a kick out of the media's renewed interest in him, all these years later.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/sunday_focus/article/Years-later-wreck-victim-forgotten-by-most-876500.php
The Catholic Charities visitor who visited Davis in January 2010 did not raise concerns about Doehne's guardianship. But while the visitor said Doehne frequently visited Davis, she also wrote that Doehne visited him once in the past year.
It's unclear if that was a typo or if that number of visits is frequent compared to other legal guardians, who often don't visit at all.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/18511-2010-court-visitor-report.html
Another visitor from Catholic Charities heard concerns about Doehne from a Mission Road employee. The visitor reported that Doehne rarely visited Davis.
In recent interviews, Mission Road, Doehne, and his lawyer denied the claim.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/18509-2007-court-visitor-report.html
Mark Doehne had done much to help Davis. But beginning in 2005, questions were raised about Doehne's role as guardian.
A court-appointed visitor from Catholic Charities checked up on Davis, and an employee at Mission Road complained about Doehne. The employee said Doehne rarely visited, and had to be asked to provide funds for Davis.
Doehne, his lawyer, and representatives of Mission Road said the claims were false. They said the Mission Road employee was probably a low-level aide who meant well but didn't know how much Doehne did for Davis. The employee's name and title is not in the Catholic Charities report.
In a recent interview, the visitor from Catholic Charities said she couldn't specifically remember Davis, but added that whatever was written in her report was there for a reason.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/16016-redacted-2005-court-visitor-report.html
Mission Road was a better home for Davis than the nursing homes where he had lived.
This report by a court-appointed visitor found that Davis was happy and Doehne was doing a good job as a guardian.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/18512-2002-court-visitor-report.html
After moving to Mission Road, Davis was happy. But a case manager at the facility told a court-appointed visitor that Davis might not be the best fit there.
Doehne's lawyer assured the probate court that Mission Road was the best choice for Davis.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/18515-1999-court-visitor-report.html
One of Doehne's first moves as Davis' legal guardian was to move him to Mission Road Developmental Center, where Davis was happier.
http://mrdc.missionroadministries.org/main/
Probate Court Judge Sandee Bryan Marion approves Doehne's request to be legal guardian of Davis.
After many years of visiting and caring for Davis, Mark Doehne, a former classmate and longtime friend, applies to be his legal guardian.
Despite hopes that Davis would live a life of rehab and independence, he mostly lived in nursing homes from 1984-1997. He was rarely challenged and did not live with people his own age.
Davis had no legal guardian. His friend Mark Doehne, a former classmate, often visited. So did Doehne's mother and sister. But the Doehne family did not have the authority to make important decisions for Davis.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/sunday_focus/article/Years-later-wreck-victim-forgotten-by-most-876500.php
In announcing a confidential court settlement for Davis, his lawyers said the terms assured a life of independence for him. "Patrick Davis is going to have his own dwelling, transportation and rehabilitation," said one of Davis' lawyers, Sandy McMath. "He is going to be an independent person." What actually happened is quite different.
Pat Maloney Sr., a flamboyant San Antonio lawyer, was one of the attorneys who represented Davis. The lawsuit was widely covered by the media, partly because Maloney claimed the driver of the Trans Am was influenced by crazy stunts in the movie "Smokey and the Bandit," starring Burt Reynolds as a wise-cracking bootlegger. At one point, Maloney threatened to subpoena Reynolds, which sparked a deluge of fans calling the Bexar County Courthouse asking when the movie star would testify at Davis' trial. Reynolds never did.
Davis and his father, Ellsworth, file a lawsuit against General Motors and other defendants, alleging the Trans Am was unsafe.
http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/18510-davis-lawsuit-against-general-motors.html
Patrick Davis, a popular football player at Lee High School, was riding in a friend's Trans Am after a party when the car careened into a telephone pole. Davis suffered permanent brain damage and was hospitalized for nearly a year.
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