Over the course of 18 years, I’ve worked with a lot of people at The Vicksburg Post. Some were good, some were horrible, and some I don’t even remember.

We’ve had a total of 10 people, including myself, work full-time in the sports department since I’ve been here. In a business as volatile as ours, that counts as consistency. One of them is going through a rough time right now.

Cory Gunkel arrived here in June 2014. He was young, eager to learn and excited to begin his career. He had a great sense of humor, never balked at an assignment, and took everything with a cheery attitude — even if it meant suffering for hours at some godforsaken ballfield on a 95-degree day while waiting for two minutes of a coach’s time.

Cory left here in March 2015 to cover the University of Tennessee for a Rivals.com web site. I was sad to see him go, but happy for his opportunity.

Last week, Cory was driving through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when his smile was shattered — literally. A drunk driver, heading the wrong way on the interstate with no lights on, hit Cory head on. Cory tried to swerve, but still took a pretty full impact. The front end of his car was nearly sheared off.

The other guy died at the scene. Thankfully, Cory survived but has spent the last week in the hospital in Tuscaloosa. He has a broken jaw, ankle and arm. There’s a blockage in his intestine caused by swelling from where the seat belt crushed into his body. The bruises and aches are probably uncountable. He won’t be able to walk for a month, and a full recovery will take far longer.

But, thank God, Cory is alive. I haven’t spoken to him, but I have no doubt he’s smiling and finding whatever humor and grace he can in the situation. He’s just that kind of guy.

Cory’s upbeat, likable personality is evident, too, in the response to his accident. A GoFundMe page was set up to help him cover his insurance deductible and out of pocket expenses. Its goal was a modest $2,000 and in less than a week people have donated nearly double that.

If you want to help Cory, the account is open for a while longer at gofundme.com/23gducya. If you’d rather just send your thoughts and prayers, that’s fine too.

Get well, Cory. You’re one of the good ones.

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Ernest Bowker is a sports writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com.