There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed.
Napoleon Bonaparte
August 1, 1986
Every year it seems I re-tell the story. Of how a couple of 20-somethings on their way to do a dope deal, traveling drunk and high at over a hundred miles an hour, in a Honda CRX hit me head-on, corner to corner.
Bear with me, even after 36 years this is still a painful memory and the damage causes me physical pain even today.
Earlier in the day, I borrowed my girlfriend’s AMC Eagle. I needed some parts for my truck. That might have saved my life. My truck was a Dodge D50, a very small and lightweight truck. It wouldn’t have survived the crash.
The plan was to attend a meeting in the next town, I stopped to pick up a disabled friend, and the three of us, my dog, my passenger, and me.
About a mile out of Salmon Arm. I noticed a red Honda coming towards me very fast, it hit the corner of a tent trailer being towed ahead of me. I slammed on the brakes and headed as far off the road as I could without rolling the Eagle. It didn’t matter he had a radar lock on. The red 1400 KG missile was going to hit us, no matter what I did.
You never forget the sound of the impact, metal twisting, glass exploding, then the silence.
I woke a few seconds later. My dog was on the highway, I checked my passenger, alive and not bleeding anywhere. I was alive and not bleeding. I climbed out of the car with great difficulty, the steering wheel was in the way. I did what I was trained to do in the Navy, assess the situation, and take action.
When I finally got out, I realized my leg was broken badly. I sat against the car. I could see the Honda, blood was dripping out the door facing me. Immediately I started to get onlookers working. Two to stop traffic, one to collect my dog, and another to pick up all the cash on the highway. And one to check on the other car. He thought they were dead. The engine was in the back seat of the Honda.
I gave my girlfriend’s phone number to the dog collector and told him to call her to come to get the dog, I also made sure that she told her I was alright. I took all the cash collected on the highway about 4000 dollars.. No, I didn’t keep it, I gave it to the RCMP when they arrived.
The EMTs arrived, and they tried to tend to me first, I told them no. Others were hurt a lot worse. They did that. When they got to me, one of them tried to cut into my brand $175 sneakers. I yelled stop! He looked at me and said “You need to calm down you are going to go into Shock”
This was the only time I got anxious. “DON’T CUT THE RUNNERS. CUT THE LACES, THAT FOOT ISN’T EVEN DAMAGED. YOU CUT THE RUNNERS AND I WILL GO INTO SHOCK”
He backed off and cut laces only. I was good with that. I relaxed till we were transported to the hospital. The driver of the red car survived, his injuries and mine were too severe to be treated at Salmon Arm Hospital. They put the drunk asshole and me into the same ambulance for the trip down to Vernon Hospital.
He woke and asked what happened. I said “You hit me head on” I could smell the alcohol as he chuckled about that. I am glad at that moment that I didn’t have a ballpoint pen to jab into his throat. I probably wouldn’t have, but the thought was there.
It would be three days before I would have surgery, I didn’t feel much pain for those days, I was spared. The real pain came after the surgeon had been digging around my knee joint for 12 hours.
I will tell more of the story Tomorrow. I am tired out right now.
Go ahead and headbang, I am.
