Twenty-five years ago, a Florida highway became the site of unimaginable tragedy for the Schermock family. Dennielle “Nikki” Schermock, a vibrant 25-year-old mother, was killed instantly when a pickup truck crossed the median and slammed into her small Honda.
The driver of the truck was an individual unlawfully present in the country, and according to Vickie Schermock Lyon, Nikki’s mother, he was driving under the influence of both alcohol and drugs. The impact wasn’t just fatal for Nikki; it irrevocably altered the lives of her two young children, Brieanna, age four, and Brandon, just sixteen months old, who were also in the car.
Brieanna and Brandon were airlifted to a hospital in Orlando, facing life-threatening injuries. Brieanna required emergency brain surgery, while Brandon suffered abrasions and bruises. Vickie recalls a heartbreaking twenty minutes before the crash – a final, ordinary goodbye with her daughter, a memory now laced with unbearable pain.
The frantic call from her son sent Vickie spiraling into a desperate search. She drove aimlessly, consumed by the need to find her children. Upon arriving at the accident scene, she learned they had already been transported to the hospital, and the devastating truth about Nikki slowly began to dawn.
“Where’s Nikki? Where’s Nikki?” Vickie desperately asked, clinging to hope. The confirmation of her daughter’s death brought a wave of collapse. The coroner’s office then requested she identify Nikki’s body, a task that reopened the fresh wound of her loss, forcing her to confront the brutal reality of her daughter’s broken form.
While the driver responsible for Nikki’s death was hospitalized with injuries, the family’s search for justice took a shocking turn. In the dead of night, the driver’s family allegedly removed him from the hospital, and he vanished without a trace, evading any accountability for his actions.
Brandon remembers the unsettling event vividly, explaining how the driver’s family simply “swooped him away,” leaving no record of his whereabouts. Decades later, the family remains haunted by the lack of closure and the impunity enjoyed by the individual who stole their daughter and mother.
Vickie fears the current border policies may allow the driver to return undetected. The pain of loss is compounded by a sense of betrayal and a belief that those in power have failed to protect American families.
A glimmer of hope emerged when former Border Czar Tom Homan pledged to assist in locating the driver. His commitment offered a renewed sense of purpose and a belief that someone finally understood the gravity of their situation.
Sharing their story is agonizing, Vickie admits, but she believes it’s crucial to illuminate the real consequences of an unsecured border. She hopes that by speaking out, she can prevent another family from enduring the same unimaginable suffering.
Despite the trauma, Brieanna embodies resilience. Given a mere 30 percent chance of survival after the accident, she is now 27 years old, preparing for marriage and motherhood, a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit.
The Schermock family’s story serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of border insecurity. It’s a story of loss, resilience, and an unwavering pursuit of justice that continues nearly a quarter-century later.
