Justice for dead motorcyclist - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Justice for dead motorcyclist

By: Jillian Wilson

jwilson@cbs4qc.com

Vanzie Jackson was killed when a drunk driver slammed into him on his motorcycle on 53^rd street over Memorial Day weekend.

Jackson grew up loving, riding, and even working with Harley Davidson motorcycles.

And his friends and family never imagined he would be riding one when he died.

"The loss has been tremendous. Not only did we lose a brother, a beloved family member, a lot of people here in the quad city area knew van and they lost a great friend," says Joanna Taylor, Vanzie's sister.

But even while the family cried over the loss of their brother, when they talked about Vanzie, the spirit of their late brother shined through.

"Van was just van, everybody loved him, he was always smiling, he could say some things and hurt your feelings and you'd still laugh, he was just van," says Vanzie's sister, Monica Armstrong.

The family says they are learning to live without him one day at a time.

And when it comes to Adam Sotomayer, the man whose drunk driving caused his death,

Jackson's family says they forgive him.

"It's not in my heart to hold a grudge against him; I forgive him, deeply in my heart. I'm a Christian and I can say that I forgive him," says Armstrong.

Vanzie's sisters say there's also something to be learned from this terrible tragedy.

"If there's any lesson to take away from this I would say to everybody please start looking out for motorcyclists, one, and call somebody if you can't make it home, if you don't think you are good behind the wheel," says Armstrong.

 Although she didn't want to go on camera, Adam Sotomayer's mother tells us she felt blessed knowing the Jackson family forgives her son.