Page 42 - Michael Erickson News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Good friend to share it with. >> reporter: it started with a fatal car crash, candace was behind the wheel when her brand new salt turn iron slammed into a tree on this texas country road in 2004. >> this one right here. >> this is the tree you hit? >> mm-hmm. >> her boyfriend, michael erickson was in the passenger seat. he was candace's first love. >> i was through the windshield on the hood of the car and then his face was face down in my lap. >> reporter: the father of two young girls, michael was instantly killed. candace still bears the scars of that day, her liver lacerated, nearly all o...

Her boyfriend michael erickson was in the passenger seat. he was candice's first love. >> i was through the windshield on the hood of the car. his face was face down in my lap. >> reporter: the father of two young girls, michael was instantly killed. candice still bears the scars of that day. her liver lacerated nearly all her ribs broken. do you have moments when you think, why did i survive? >> oh yeah. i felt that way the whole ten years. >> reporter: the police report says neither candice nor michael was wearing a seat belt. the air bags did not deploy. after the crash, xanax was found in ...

Right. >> reporter: the kids might be right. do you remember in school when they had to teach you, hey, gabriel, your skin is brown and nicollette is white but you should be the same to each other. do you remember anybody saying that to you? >> no. >> reporter: so if nobody had to teach you that, what happens when you get older? >> they forget. they get older and stuff like that happens to them and they start to forget stuff. >> if i went over to nolan, i wouldn't just go over there and say, since he's black, i don't like him. the color matters nothing to me. >> reporter: >> great piece from "...

Candice pleaded guilty, gm did their own internal investigation of her crash, calling it unusual and noted the airbags should have deployed. >> i'm pulling for my justice. i want vindication. i want them to say -- i want people to know it was the car and it wasn't me. >> reporter: in this courthouse, the same one where she pleaded guilty to criminal negligent homicide, candice anderson finally got her justice. the judge placing the blame squarely on general motors. writing in the court opinion, while miss anderson pled guilty to a crime for which she was not at fault, gm had evidence that woul...

Of course, is still there. the pain is still real. >> reporter: and nothing will bring michael back. for the past ten years, michael's mother rhonda couldn't bring herself to lay a headstone for her son. now she finally has. >> it was like the story of david and goliath where we took a slingshot and threw a rock and a giant and we won. that's how i felt. that it was all worth it and we weren't scared and we stood up and we got what we wanted. >> reporter: vindication. >> right. >> reporter: their fight may be over, but the department of justice investigation into general motors continues. >> t...