MILWAUKEE — New beginnings are right around the corner for Andre Richards.
On Tuesday, he showed TMJ4's Mariam Mackar the new truck that will be housing his food truck business Gumbo Valley — a truck he’s calling a new vessel to restart his passion.
"It's definitely bigger, more space, a lot more room to include more items to my menu," Richards explained.
"Is it exciting for you to start this next chapter?" Mackar asked Richards.
"Yes, yes. Very much so. I think about it all the time."
It was in February that Mackar met Andre at the scene of the devastating crash where a driver under the influence ran into his old truck with him inside of it.
Since our reporting that night, the community has stepped in to provide thousands of dollars in donations to help him get back on his feet.
"It makes me feel proud that I can continue to do this," Richards told TMJ4.
However, months after the crash, he says he’s still going to physical therapy for his injuries, and the person behind the wheel was only given a ticket.
The driver involved in Richards' crash made her first court appearance Tuesday afternoon where she pleaded no contest to both her citations.
She now has her license revoked and owes the city a $1,011 ticket.
We asked her if she had anything to say about that night but she told us she had no comment.
"If you had to say something to that person today what would it be?" Mackar asked Richards.
"Don’t drink and drive. Don’t drink and drive," he replied.
Andre's not sure if a ticket is a strong enough consequence for what happened to him, but he says there's a reason he’s still here doing what he loves.
"That's my passion, I love it and that's what I’m here to share to the world."
Richards is looking for a business that can help vinyl wrap his new truck with their logo in order to get his business back up and running. Anyone able to assist can contact mariam.mackar@tmj4.com.
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