Some of you may have heard the excruciatingly terrible news, but there are many of you I know have not, and I know would want to. Yesterday morning, around 7am, Mike Kunkle and His Father Paul, (Mike Damage) were in a terrible head on collision accident. Mike's father has passed away, and Mike is still in the hospital, and as of the last update ive heard, is in stable condition, but has a broken femur and had emergency surgery yesterday to fix the location of is aorta. This is not a joke. I personally can say that Paul Kunkle was one of the most, if not the most, friendly and respectable men I have ever met. He was a 2nd father to me. His sense of humor could light up a room, and the words angry, or upset, and the name Paul Kunkle, could never be used in the same sentence, because he never was those things. He took the guys of BXW in like a family, and supported us in everyway. It is definite, without Paul Kunkle, BXW would have ended long ago. Paul was a great father, and I know that his bond with his son, is the strongest a father and son could have. His passing, has ultimately devastated me, and many others, and this news is some of the most shocking news I have ever recieved. Mike as far as we know, is doing alright and will live, but please I ask for the condolences from everyone to the Kunkle family, and to keep Mike in your prayers to a strong recovery. If you want to look more into this, here's the article for the story. http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-fatal-crash-011410-cn,0,4820920.story

Thank you,

Dominic.

Absolutely terrible dude.

So sorry to hear this.

i met him at wf9 and he was an awesome man. my prayers are with mike and his family.

Still shocked by this. I'm glad I got to meet Paul recently and he was very respectful. I know this hit the BXW guys real hard.

My condolences go out to the Kunkle family and I know Mike is a tough guy, he will pulled through.

I'm thankful I was able to have dinner with the man. Great man. You were lucky to have such a good dad Mike. I wish you a speedy recovery mike.

RIP Paul Kunkle

When I heard this last night I felt like I had been punched in the chest. I feel sad that I'll never get to meet Paul, it's something I was really looking forward to. I'm glad to hear Mike is at least stable no longer critical though. Any positive news is a good thing. Keep us updated man and tell Mike we're all pulling for him to have a smooth recovery. I'll have the entire Kunkle family in my prayers for sure.

Horrible, horrible news. when I got the text my stomach dropped.

i didn't know Paul, but Mike is a great guy, it's so unfortunate that something like this happens to great people.

Just take this as a reminder about how short and fragile life is, and go the extra mile to tell those who matter to you that you love them.


Good luck mike, get well soon! <3

We'll miss you Papa Bear

I only talked to Paul once, and it was at BXW about Mike and training and how he really wanted to see him succeed with what he wanted to do. I felt awful when I heard this news and I still do. This is so awful, and I wish the best for you Mike. I hope you heel quickly but I know that's the least of your worries right now, I'm very very very sorry.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

i did not know either of them, but i know how it feels to loose someone that close to you. I send my prayers out to the family and friends and i wish a speedy recovery to Mike.

God Bless...

My Prayers are with the Kunkle family...

This is absolutely tragic. I never met Paul, but I know Mike and him were extremely close. I loved to see a father encourage his son like Paul did for Mike, it is definitely a rarity in this world. It's always the good people who this happens to, and it's not at all fair. I'm glad to hear Mike is alright though, and I wish him a speedy recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Kunkle family.

What upsets me most is this happened because of some reckless driving. Not drunk driving, or anything in that nature, but just because of some kid driving way beyond his means. This shouldn't have happened, at all. It's a sickening feeling to come back to your phone and have 8 missed calls. That doesn't ever happen to me, and before I could check them, my girlfriend had called me again with the news. I couldn't believe it, and I still can't. It's surreal.

When I first met Mike, he was really shy, but didn't seem like his life was put together. He was always missing school and things like that. Then within a year, he and his dad bought a beautiful home in Northampton, had just gotten a new puppy, was doing great in school, and had got a part time job. All of that happened within 6 months and they were definitely changing their lives for the better. It was great. 2010 was going to be amazing for them. Now, it's been taken away because of a reckless teen driver. It's pathetic. You want to be angry and sad all at the same time, but you don't know what else to do except pray for Mike and the rest of his family.

Mike is a tank, a warrior. He's a courageous young man who, despite his life-threatening injuries, still tried to do what was best in a unexpected horrifying situation. I've never really had something like this happen to me before, at least not in a long while or that I can remember, but life is a sick cruel joke, and I'm not sure if I can trust it anymore. I'm definitely not going to take it for granted any longer, as you have no idea what tomorrow will bring.

Keep fighting, Mike. We all love you.

Never Forget. Never Surrender.

I am sorry for your loss.

Much like everyone else, when I heard this news my heart dropped. Blade told me Paul Kunkle had passed, I thought he was was joking and told him to stop because I had just showed James Kindrall Paul Kunkle giving Damage a lariat only a few hours early. Then I heard it was real and was in total shock. I was in even more shock when I heard Damage was involved and in criticial condition and that this all was because of wreckless driving. My Mom was in an accident in November with a 19 year old careless driver. Luckily she was okay though. Much like Hybird said, you feel angry and sad at the same time. I'm still in shock over this all. I might of only seen Paul Kunkle once, that was when he drove Damage & DMac to an EWA show that got canceled. We all agreed with the snow it wasn't worth the risk, including Paul Kunkle who agreed he would rather everyone be safe then try to run. I know Mike & his father were very close, I hope if I ever have kids someday I will be that close to my son and give him a lariat when need be. Mike, you will pull through this. We are all praying for you buddy.

Hybrid pretty much took the words out of my mouth. I only knew them for about a year or so but, it felt like I had known them for years. I'll always remember Paul telling me that he respects me for taking in the BXW guys and showing them things and encouraging them that they have potential to be great but, thats besdides the point.

What angers me is that of all the days I didn't check Mcall on my phone this was the one. Mike is in stable condition and this is great news. When his cousin "shorty" was telling me that at the scene he was walking around with A BROKEN FUCKING FEMUR and aorta problems trying to help his dad out of the car. I..I just broke down crying but it was both of sadness and happiness because it showed me that Mike is made of solid IRON.

I love Mike and everyone from BXW with all my heart and the I wish the Kunkle family most sincerest condolences.


..Im wondering when I'm going to wake up.

Every time I see this i get a little depressed, its weird. I only had one conversation with the guy. I don't even remember what it was about, tbh, prolly some bullshit. He was really cool. When he drove mike and dmac to JWA II, he met my mom. They conversed, she said he was a good man. When I told her about this today she gasped and had almost the same reaction as me. As everyone else said, the bond between mike and his father was obvious. Mike got busted opened with a chair, and there his father was with a sky box view taking pictures. I remember mike telling me when he told his dad about the possibility of a JWA III, he said "time and date and where there". The guy was one of the coolest dads I've ever seen,tbh. Wish he would be around for JWA III, and I wish the best for the Kunkle family. Mike, I hope you get better man. I can see taking a loss like this is never easy for anybody. I could go on and on. I really hope your injuries arent very serious, either. Wish you a speedy recovery, and hope to see you with everybody else at JWA III man<3

This sounds really damn sucky. I don't know anyone obviously involved, but I feel bad for everyone in every tragedy I hear about. Best condolences to the family in their lost and hope Damage pulls through without any life-changing injuries.

Terrible. Truly. I know how it feels to lose a great father, and it truly, truly hurts. Condolences.

I really wish all of this was a work, I thought it was at first, didn't want to believe it. It was weird because a few hours earlier, myself, Joe, TJ & Tim (James Kindrall) were talking about Paul Kunkle. It's surreal to think about it, one minute you're here and the next you're gone. I don't think I've been this upset in a long time and is very depressing and heart breaking.

I hope Mike makes a full recovery, I know he will, just from what I've seen and heard he's one tough guy. As for Paul, I met him once at a show back in December, he was a cool guy and I wish I could've gotten the privilege to get to know him more. This really makes you think about life, and that you should cherish everyone in your life... My condolences to the entire Kunkle family, and may Paul Kunkle's soul rest in peace.