By Chuck Corder

Leave it to a lawyer to concoct a way for his own family to sue him for emotional distress.

Marcus Michles — one partnership half of the Pensacola personal injury law firm of Michles & Booth — nearly brought a lawsuit upon himself following his Demolition Derby debut last year at Five Flags Speedway.

Michles’ 16-year-old daughter Madison and her younger brother Cameron, 14, knew the chances dear ol’ dad would get tossed around by the competition were high.

Watching their father engage in what they pictured as harmless fun would be perfect payback for all the times he banished them to their rooms or swiped their smart phones as forms of punishment.

The reality, though, was much harsher than they imagined and left them scarred.

“The kids were reduced to tears,� said Marcus Michles, whose practice has been open for 12 years in Pensacola and also has offices in Fort Walton Beach and Crestview. “They’re not used to seeing dad get crushed by cars.�

That’s why when Michles — a former U.S. Army captain who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and has jumped out of planes — takes another crack at the annual Demolition Derby winner-take-all title on Friday, his family will be miles from the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

Admission is a special $5 for fans of all ages this week. Kids 6 and under still get in free like every Friday night of racing.

The Modifieds of Mayhem return to Pensacola’s high banks for their second 50 lapper of the summer while Super Stocks, Sportsman and Bombers highlight a jam-packed schedule that culminates with the Demo Derby.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday with racing slated for approximately 8.

Michles nearly won the Demo Derby last year. But, the novice settled for third when his 1970 Chevy Impala failed to get unhooked from a rival car.

He admits the shock of engulfing flames and crumpling steel was a bit too much for his family to absorb, as they pensively watched from the grandstands and the Turn No. 1 party deck.

“Looking back, obviously, I didn’t prepare them sufficiently enough,� Michles recalled. “The car was on fire and we were all just bashing each other up. It’s not natural for the kids to see that.

“More importantly, it was the look on my wife’s face, as if to say, ‘You idiot! What are you thinking?!’ �

Leave it to a lawyer’s wife to be the voice of reason.

Cindy Michles, Marcus’ wife of 17 years, and their children won’t make the same mistake again.

They will heed Marcus Michles’ wishes and find something else to do this Friday night. Part of that do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do parenting philosophy.

“When they’re old enough to understand it’s all OK, I hope they’ll come back to the track,� Marcus Michles said of his children.

For the rest of the fans that will flood the bleachers and pits come Friday, the Demo Derby has become one of the hottest tickets on the Five Flags’ schedule.

When track officials decided to rekindle the Demo Derby a few years ago, the night became an instant hit.

Since it returned in 2011 after nearly a 30-year hiatus, the Demo Derby attracts such big crowds that it rivals the droves of fans that come to the track to watch the Super Late Models battle it out during the Deep South Crane Rentals Blizzard Series shows.

Michles had never driven a racecar much less competed in a Demo Derby before last year.

“I’ve been coming out there to Five Flags for years, but driving is one thing I’ve avoided,� he said. “My family knows if I got the bug, I’d be all in. So, I was a pure novice last year.�

Still, as a former rugby player on both the U.S. military national team and a Pensacola club team in the early-1990s, Michles loves contact sports.

When Ryan Maxwell, Michles & Booth lead maintenance man, approached his boss with the idea of entering the Demo Derby, Michles’ interest was piqued.

Something to cross off his bucket list and also a perfect conduit to spread his law firm’s “don’t text and drive� message.

“We’re always looking for ways to re-enforce the message and get the word out there,� Michles said. “Just don’t do it.�

Gone is last year’s Impala. It has been replaced this year by a 1970 Ford LTD.

Michles stayed mostly out of the behind-the-scenes work in the shop. He only had two requests.

“Last year, my kill switch was outta reach, so I asked them to put that closer to me,� Michles said. “And, I needed the shifter to be more stable. I smashed my knuckles on the dash pretty good.�

It wasn’t the only pain Michles suffered.

“I considered myself a pretty active guy. I go to the gym regularly,� he said. “But I was sore for a week. You take some serious licks.�

Injuries aside, Michles plans on continuing to compete in the Demo Derby. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, of course.

“I’m hoping it will be a yearly venture until my wife threatens to divorce me,� Michles said.

Leave it to a lawyer.