His two sons were critically injured, but survived. Nearly thirty-six years later, the memories of the accident and the loss of his loved ones still bring Biden to tears. But the tragedy has also led Senator Biden to redouble his efforts to help middle class America, while at the same time remaining a dedicated family man.
The Heartbreaking Accident
On December 18, 1972, the then-29-year-old Biden’s wife, Neilia, and three children were Christmas shopping in Delaware when their car was hit by a tractor trailer truck. Neilia and their 18-month-old daughter, Naomi, were killed. Biden’s young sons, Beau and Hunter, were seriously injured.
Despite reports to the contrary, the driver of the truck had not been drinking and was cleared of any wrongdoing in the accident.
The Aftermath of the Tragedy
Biden considered resigning his seat on the Senate to care for his injured sons. However, Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield convinced him to move forward with his senatorial career and Biden was sworn in at his sons’ hospital bedside.
In deep mourning for his family, Biden entered the Senate on shaky ground while trying to adjust to life as a single father. Biden began commuting on the train 90 minutes each way from his home in Delaware to Washington, D.C., which he continues to do today. His sister and her family moved into Biden’s house to help care for the boys, but Biden came home every night to tuck his children into bed. He also instructed his aides to interrupt him on the Senate floor if any issues with his sons arose.
Biden was a single parent for five years after the car crash. In 1977, Biden married teacher Tracy Jill Jacobs, and they have been happily married for over 30 years. The couple has a daughter, Ashley, who was born in 1981.
Biden’s and His Family Today
When he initially entered the Senate after the accident, Biden’s staffers took bets on how long he would last, so profoundly did the tragedy affect his work. However, in the ensuing years, Biden has amassed an unparalleled resume. Biden chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, and is an active member of various influential Senate committees. Biden has supported major legislation to protect families; for instance, he wrote the groundbreaking Violence Against Women Act to protect abused women and punish batterers. Biden has run for president twice, and is running as vice president on the 2008 Democratic ticket with Illinois Senator Barack Obama.
Biden’s unwavering dedication to his family has paid off. Beau became Delaware’s Attorney General and is scheduled for service in Iraq. Hunter is an attorney in Washington, DC, and Ashley is a social worker.
Even though it’s been three-and-a-half decades since the crash that killed his wife and daughter, the memories of that time still clearly rattle Biden and he rarely discusses it. However, during the U.S. vice-presidential debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin on October 2, 2008, Palin implied she is more in touch with the American people because she is a mother. Biden, fighting tears, responded, "The notion that somehow, because I’m a man, I don’t know what it’s like to raise two kids alone, [that] I don’t know what it’s like to have a child you’re not sure is going to — is going to make it — I understand.’’
Instead of letting the tragic loss of his wife and daughter throw his family into a tailspin, Joe Biden soldiered on as a dedicated father and senator who remains in touch with the struggles of the middle class. To this day, Biden continues to champion causes near and dear to the American family.
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