I was scheduled to work the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift that night. While driving to work, full speed on the interstate, my route took me into a valley where a bridge traverses the river and railroad tracks. As I started onto the bridge, I hit a patch of "black ice".
I could see that there were several cars at the end of the bridge, that had already hit the same patch of ice and had skidded off the road to the right, so I began to bear left a little. About that time, I realized that an off-duty police officer had stopped his Camaro on the left shoulder (he was legally stopped there, but it would have been safer for him to have pulled up further and to the right).
I had already lost control of my van, and I recall thinking, in that split second of time, that this was going to be a serious smash up, and that I was probably going to die. I remember thinking too, that I hoped no one was in the parked car I was about to hit.
Possibly because of the low back on the Camaro, and the big front on my van, my van - in full view of many people - ramped over the Camaro, then "skated" on the interstate wall, doing a 180 degree turn; ending up in front of, and facing, the Camaro.
The pictures here show my head injuries. My skull was only "superficially fractured". I also broke my right femur; had numerous lacerations, contusions and abrasions; my right cornea was lacerated in several places, requiring 17 stitches to repair it; and my right ear was nearly severed from my head and had to be stitched extensively. I was in surgery for 8 hours and in intensive care for 3 days. It took several months of orthopedic therapy to recover to the point of being able to walk again.
That was nearly 5 years ago, so, at this point in time, the aging process itself is becoming a more dominant force in my life than any final recovery from the accident! My eye is not totally clear, but does have 20/30 vision. I still have a rod between hip and knee in my right leg.
Through the whole ordeal, my wife, Sue was my main support. I don't know what I would have done without her.
my before picture
