Black Creek resident Stephen Way has a reason he can’t tell you about the tough times he and his family have endured recently.

At the moment he can’t speak.

Way laid his motorcycle down March 11 after the throttle stuck at the I-16 off-ramp at Hwy. 280.

The crash broke a leg and ripped one-third of his top lip off, according to his wife Sheila.

"His mouth is sewn shut," she said. "He’s in pain, but he’s home and doing well as far as walking."

He did so well, she said, doctors let him go home the night of the crash before returning for reconstructive lip surgery Friday. She’s also been able to return to work.

The Ways’ troubles didn’t begin there, however.

Stephen Way also is a survivor of the Imperial Sugar Refinery explosion in Port Wentworth.

He suffered second and third degree burns, a broken leg and a head injury after he was blown through a cinder block wall during the February, 2008 tragedy that claimed 13 lives and injured 42.

"He spent three days in Augusta (at the hospital) and has had skin grafts," she said.

To make matters worse, a few months later their house burned down, Sheila Way said.

"They say it (trouble) comes in threes. The motorcycle accident is the third. I hope this is it," she said.

Way said the support of friends and family they have in the area has helped them weather the storms.

"It’s hard to catch your breath sometimes, but God’s watching over us," she said. "We have to stay strong."