The family of 70-year-old Michael Sales is grieving a devastating loss after the Council Bluffs resident was killed in a horrific car crash involving a drunk driver, echoing a painful family history that has now repeated itself across generations.
According to NBC affiliate WOWT, Sales was driving home from work in September 2024 when his vehicle was rear-ended at high speed by another car, causing a fiery crash that claimed his life. Prosecutors say the driver, Rachel Bickerstaff, was traveling at an astonishing 139 miles per hour just seconds before the collision occurred.
The crash not only took Sales’ life but also killed Bickerstaff’s three young children who were inside her vehicle — a five-year-old, a newborn, and an 18-month-old — according to ABC. None of the children were properly restrained, and authorities later confirmed Bickerstaff was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
During the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, June 18, Sales’ daughter, Laura Sales, delivered a heart-wrenching statement in court, shedding light on the cruel cycle that has haunted their family.
“His own mother—my grandmother-was — was killed by a drunk driver when he was just 2 years old,” she shared, as reported by WOWT. “He grew up an only child on a farm outside of Crescent, Iowa.”
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Laura described her father as a devoted family man, emphasizing how deeply his presence impacted her life. “He read to me every night when I was a little girl, he held my hand when I was scared, and would play with me until I fell asleep,” she said. “He never missed a game, a recital, or a single moment that mattered.”
Rachel Bickerstaff, who faced multiple charges including vehicular homicide and child endangerment, was sentenced to a staggering 140 to 180 years in prison. Her driver’s license was revoked for 15 years. Under the terms of her sentencing, she will be eligible for parole only after serving 70 years behind bars, KETV reported.
The devastating crash and sentencing have stirred fresh discussions about the consequences of impaired driving and the innocent lives it continues to claim. For the Sales family, the loss is a haunting echo of past grief, made even more painful by the knowledge that history has repeated itself in the most tragic way possible.
“We thought the pain of losing a loved one this way was part of our family’s past,” Laura said. “We never imagined we’d be living it again.”