He had left home and was on his way to pick up a workmate before driving to Winton where he worked as an apprentice joiner.
It was while he was travelling on the Lorneville-Dacre highway that Louis Paballo Morton (24) failed to stop at a compulsory stop sign, crashing into Mr Tucker’s car, causing both cars to spin around.
"I went to check on Louis — he was crying and all that stuff."
Mr Tucker said Morton could not get out of his car and was being helped by people who had stopped after seeing the crash.
"I told him ‘we’ll be all right mate. We’re both still here, that’s the main thing’."
Both men were treated at hospital and discharged but it was not until his foot became really sore that Mr Tucker found out the extent of his injuries.
It was only after doctors were encouraged by Mr Tucker’s mother, Mel Shuttleworth, that he received an X-ray, then a CT scan, which revealed an L1 wedge compression fracture.
A specialist said he would need to go home and lie down, and he was referred to a fracture clinic the next week.
Until then, Mr Tucker had been working 55 to 60 hours a week but as a result of his injury, he had to stop work for three months.
He had to put his apprenticeship on hold for a year but had returned to work, mainly on kitchen design. He now worked 35 hours a week.
Mr Tucker loved playing sport and going to the gym — now he could stand for only a few hours before the pain forced him to sit down.
He could not lift anything heavier than a milk bottle, had constant aching and pain and was receiving acupuncture and physiotherapy to help in his recovery.
He did not know how long it would be before he could return to the life he had.
After the accident, Mr Tucker had to borrow $3000 from his sister to buy a new car, as Morton did not have insurance.
Driving had become traumatic for him, especially when approaching intersections.
Last month, Morton appeared before community magistrate Simon Heale for sentencing after pleading guilty to a charge of careless driving causing injury.
Representing himself, Morton, the son of Invercargill mayoral and council candidate Tom Morton, pleaded to be discharged without conviction, giving the reason of wanting to travel freely as his family lived overseas.
He told the court he did not attend the restorative justice appointment made for him because he needed to drive his girlfriend to Auckland that day.
He said a conviction would be the worst, as he would be unable to see his family and he did not have a steady career path. He added he had not realised at all the level of harm he had caused Mr Tucker.
"Financially I’m from a very humble family. I don’t have much money to be paying the Government in terms of restoration."
At sentencing, police sought $5000 in reparation to go some way to reimburse Mr Tucker for the loss of vehicle and wages lost.
In his sentencing, Mr Heale acknowledged that for Mr Tucker, the impacts of the crash were likely to be ongoing for a significant period of time.
"That’s one of the things I need to reflect in relation to the sentence I impose today."
He convicted Morton but said he could not award the $5000 sought as Morton had no income and was not employed.
He ordered an emotional harm reparation amount of $700 be paid and disqualified Morton from driving for nine months.
What annoyed Mr Tucker most at the time of sentencing was the way Morton conducted himself.
Morton was more worried about what would happen to himself, rather than being remorseful for what he had done, he said.
Mr Tucker was upset that more money was not awarded, especially when Morton left the country four days after sentencing to go travelling for three months.
"Where is the justice?"
As of yesterday, none of the $700 reparation had been paid.
