MONROE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan lawyer and his sons who survived a car bomb last year say they’ve recovered from their injuries and the emotional toll of the attack, and that they’re trying to move forward even as investigators seek a suspect in the attack.
Erik Chappell and the boys, Grant and Cole, were injured when the bomb exploded while they were riding last September on a road in Monroe, about 35 miles southwest of Detroit. They discussed the case in an interview that aired on television station WXYZ Monday night.
Chappell said the blast initially left him dazed. Grant, riding in the front passenger seat, was 13 at the time and Cole, in the back seat was 11.
“You really didn’t hear the explosion, but you were engulfed in the explosion,” Chappell said.
The boys got out of the car, which became engulfed in flames.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Cole said. “So I just got up because I heard my dad screaming.”
The family lives in the Monroe area near the Michigan-Ohio border. Chappell has said he believes he knows who committed the crime, but hasn’t publicly named that person.
“It’s inexcusable, it’s a cowardly act,” Chappell said.
The bombing is under investigation. Earlier this year, authorities doubled the reward in the case to $20,000 and pleaded with the public for information. The bomb attached to the bottom of Chappell’s Volvo had components from a remote-controlled toy vehicle, the government has said.
A year later, the family says it’s trying to move forward as the investigation continues.
“I think that this has just shown us that people can be both crazy and very nice, because of all the support we got,” Grant said.
