So, I'm out working (selling meat door-to-door) and we're out in the boonies, on some dirt road. I look down the road, and It's raining pretty hard, and the road is very bumpy/ muddy. I look up just in time to see a new Ford Explorer literally flipping through the air... It was shocking, like something straight out of a Jerry Bruckhiemer movie (think Bad Boys 2). For a split second the entire multi-ton SUV was in the air. It flipped once, then rolled upside down into a large drainage ditch on the side of the road. It must have been going at least 50 mph.
My co-worker and I were the only ones who saw the accident, as there were huge fields on either side of the road, and no houses nearby. We rushed up to the vehicle, and I took off my coat and ran up to the driver side door, which was facing the road (just upsde down). I saw an older (55?) woman in there, and when the door wouldn't open, I yelled out, "AREW YOU OK!????" Even though she replied , "NO" I was comforted by the fact that she was concious and coherent. I told her to stay still, and that I would get her out ok.
My co-worker got on his cell phone and dialed 911, and I moved arround to the back of the vehicle where the tailgate had been popped open by the force of the impact. There was probably a foot or two of water and then another foot of mud to step through because of the build up of runnoff over the past two days of rain/snowmelt.... I managed to crawl in through the open tailgate, and I looked up towards the front of the truck. I saw that she was wearing her seatbelt, and that her airbags had gone off. I confirmed that she was the only person in the vehicle, but noticed an animal crate, sitting in a puddle that was forming on the inside of her roof. I grabbed it and passed it out to my partner, and when I looked back up, I noticed that she was On her cell phone, hysterically trying to communicate with who I soon found out was her husband. She passed me the phone, and I reassured him that she would be fine, and that the police were on there way. I gave him the location, and then told him I had to go.
I noticed smoke coming in the front of the vehicle, so I decided that If she felt comfortable getting out, that it would probably be a good Idea to try, just in case there was a fire. I think that the smoke I saw was probably from the airbags going off, but I figured, better safe than sorry... I asked her if she had any pain, or was bleeding, and she said that only her hand hert a little. The water lelvel had risin about 6" in the short time that I had been there, and she asked me what this water was as it started to touch the top of her head. I told her she was in a ditch, and to just stay calm and relax.
She was still hanging upside down, and since she wasn't reporting any major pain, or bleeding, I figured it would be ok to move her. I reached arround her to tilt up the steering wheel, and then cradled my arm/chest arround her shoulder to catch her when I let the seatbelt go, so she wouldnt hit her head on the cieling. I managed to pull her out of the drivers seat, and she was able to crawl with my assistance to the tailgate, where my partener helped me lift her out of the ditch.
About 30 seconds after we got her out, the volunteer firefighters arrived, followed closely by police, an ambulance, and her son. Her husband was 2 hrs awway at the time. I gave my statement to the police, and hung arround to make sure she was going to be ok.
Thank god she was wearing her seatbelt, I have little dobut she would have died if she haddn't been. Fortunately, though, she walked away from the accident with a bruised hand, and a slight burn on her cheek from the airbag... she diddn't even go to the hospital, they treated her in the ambulance, and her son took her home.
It was just a crazy expirence that you never think you will actually be a part of, but then it happens and you are like, woah...
It put a big dent in my work day, as I had to go get a change of clothes, but I still managed to make about $120 profit in sales in the 2 hours I had left in the work day (I usually make that in an entire 8 hrs), It must have been karma!
Cliff Notes
1. I saw an SUV flip throught the air into a ditch on a back, country road
2. I ran up and helped the woman out of her mangled wreck of an explorer
3. Police came
4. + Karma for me
5. Went back to work (profit!)
My co-worker and I were the only ones who saw the accident, as there were huge fields on either side of the road, and no houses nearby. We rushed up to the vehicle, and I took off my coat and ran up to the driver side door, which was facing the road (just upsde down). I saw an older (55?) woman in there, and when the door wouldn't open, I yelled out, "AREW YOU OK!????" Even though she replied , "NO" I was comforted by the fact that she was concious and coherent. I told her to stay still, and that I would get her out ok.
My co-worker got on his cell phone and dialed 911, and I moved arround to the back of the vehicle where the tailgate had been popped open by the force of the impact. There was probably a foot or two of water and then another foot of mud to step through because of the build up of runnoff over the past two days of rain/snowmelt.... I managed to crawl in through the open tailgate, and I looked up towards the front of the truck. I saw that she was wearing her seatbelt, and that her airbags had gone off. I confirmed that she was the only person in the vehicle, but noticed an animal crate, sitting in a puddle that was forming on the inside of her roof. I grabbed it and passed it out to my partner, and when I looked back up, I noticed that she was On her cell phone, hysterically trying to communicate with who I soon found out was her husband. She passed me the phone, and I reassured him that she would be fine, and that the police were on there way. I gave him the location, and then told him I had to go.
I noticed smoke coming in the front of the vehicle, so I decided that If she felt comfortable getting out, that it would probably be a good Idea to try, just in case there was a fire. I think that the smoke I saw was probably from the airbags going off, but I figured, better safe than sorry... I asked her if she had any pain, or was bleeding, and she said that only her hand hert a little. The water lelvel had risin about 6" in the short time that I had been there, and she asked me what this water was as it started to touch the top of her head. I told her she was in a ditch, and to just stay calm and relax.
She was still hanging upside down, and since she wasn't reporting any major pain, or bleeding, I figured it would be ok to move her. I reached arround her to tilt up the steering wheel, and then cradled my arm/chest arround her shoulder to catch her when I let the seatbelt go, so she wouldnt hit her head on the cieling. I managed to pull her out of the drivers seat, and she was able to crawl with my assistance to the tailgate, where my partener helped me lift her out of the ditch.
About 30 seconds after we got her out, the volunteer firefighters arrived, followed closely by police, an ambulance, and her son. Her husband was 2 hrs awway at the time. I gave my statement to the police, and hung arround to make sure she was going to be ok.
Thank god she was wearing her seatbelt, I have little dobut she would have died if she haddn't been. Fortunately, though, she walked away from the accident with a bruised hand, and a slight burn on her cheek from the airbag... she diddn't even go to the hospital, they treated her in the ambulance, and her son took her home.
It was just a crazy expirence that you never think you will actually be a part of, but then it happens and you are like, woah...
It put a big dent in my work day, as I had to go get a change of clothes, but I still managed to make about $120 profit in sales in the 2 hours I had left in the work day (I usually make that in an entire 8 hrs), It must have been karma!
Cliff Notes
1. I saw an SUV flip throught the air into a ditch on a back, country road
2. I ran up and helped the woman out of her mangled wreck of an explorer
3. Police came
4. + Karma for me
5. Went back to work (profit!)
Facebook
Twitter