Why did I crash my Truck in 2000?

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Almost 2 years to the day before I lost my son Bobby, Jason, Justin, and Pat in a plane accident, I was involved in a serious car accident.  I remember parts of that night really well and then there are parts that I can’t remember at all.

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 It started out as a normal evening of softball.  I have been playing with a group of guys for over 20 years.  One of those guys is my brother-in-law, Bob Williams.  Bob W., as I call him since I am Bob C., lives on the way to the ballpark so I often pick him up on my way.  He called the house that night to check if I was going to pick him up and I stated I would.  I was eating a salad that I had made with lots of green onions, finished it and took off to pickup Bob W. 

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 We played the game and as is the custom on this team, the teammate who made the last out at the previous game buys the beer to be consumed after the next game.  I don’t recall either of us making the last out that night!  Thankfully the buyers always purchase some soft drinks for myself and the under age sons that play on the team as well.  As we always do after game, we stood around harassing each other about our play and enjoyed each others company. 

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 It was getting close to 10:30pm when Bob W. and I left.  I dropped him off at his house and decided to go the back way home. It was an awesome night because there in the distance was some lightning.  I am sure I was not speeding since I traveled a city road that is posted at 35mph, but I do recall checking out the lightning show around the local single A baseball field. 

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 Not long after that, it happened.  I entered an intersection looked left and saw lights and braced for the impact.  The next thing I remember was waking up in an ambulance.  I was on a back board with a neck collar on, blood running down into my eyes and my shoulder and back hurting.  I started asking questions of the attendant, “What happen?” 

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 He told me that I was involved in a car accident.  I asked if anyone else was involved and learned that a mother and son where in the other car.  He would not tell me much else.  He asked what happened and I told him “I don’t remember.” 

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 He then asked if I remembered getting out of my pickup, and again I stated, “No.” 

 Next he asked, “Do you remember walking around in the bushes?”

“No,” I stated. 

 

 “Well,” he said, “you did and we found you passed out in the bushes.”

 

 By now I was worried about the other folks so someone gave me the news that the lady might have a broken leg but the son was ok.  They also let me know that I was bleeding from my head due to the fact that I broke my front windshield on the passenger side with it!  I did have my seat belt on but the impact was on the driver side door, which must have broken the seat belt harness and sent me flying towards the passenger side windshield.  On the way to the windshield I cut my left leg just below my left knee.  It was about a 4” long cut which required medical attention.

 

The next thing that happened was the police officer stepped into the ambulance and asked some questions.  “Sir, do you know what happened.”

 

 “No, Officer I don’t.”

 

 “Where were you coming from?” he then asked.

 

 “A softball game,” I answered.

 

 “Have you been drinking?”

 

 “No,” I responded.

 

 “I need to smell your breath,” he stated.

 

 “Okay, but I had a salad for dinner with lots of onions!” I warned him.

 

 He leaned over and took a breath.  Then I heard him tell someone, that he didn’t smell any alcohol on my breath.  Poor guy…..I mean, I added a bunch of onions to my salad that night!  The next thing I overheard was someone asking if my family had been contacted and what the number was.  I spoke out loud and told them the number since I didn’t want them to move me to get my wallet out.  My whole body was hurting by then. 

 The officer spoke to Jeannie and explained to her that she needed to meet us at the hospital. Both Bobby and Danielle had lots of questions, but she left them home and took off to find me.  I felt every bump on the 7 blocks we traveled to the ER.  I was in so much pain at the time that I just closed my eyes and prayed. 

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 I didn’t realize how close I was to losing my life until Jeannie went and saw my pickup the next day.  When trying to get my stuff that was in the cab she spoke with the tow truck operator.  He came out and asked if I was still alive.  When Jeannie opened the passenger door, she got her first look at the passenger side of the windshield.  You not only could see where my head hit, pushing an impression of my head in the glass, but caught in the cracks in the glass were some of my hairs, and I don’t have many to give! 

 

 The insurance company totaled out my truck, and the accident was recorded as being my fault for running a red light.  To this day I don’t know if it was my fault or not. There are some things that where noted in the police report that just don’t match up with the damage of the vehicles.  For instance the report stated that I hit the other vehicle, but the damage shows that they must have hit me in the driver side door.

 

 Now you may be asking why this is such an important story for me.  You see, after we lost the boys and Pat one question kept being raised in my wife’s mind.  She agonized over the possibility that the boys and Pat might had suffered due to the condition of the aircraft.  Holding Jeannie in my arms I was reminded of what happed to me.  I said, “Jeannie, I now know why my accident occurred.”

 

 She questioned, “What are you talking about”

 

 I stated, “I now know that my accident occurred to explain to you the answer to your questions.  I that our guys did not have any pain!  Jeannie, I can remember driving.  I remember seeing lights coming towards me and preparing for an impact.  But the next thing I remember is waking up inside that ambulance on a backboard with a neck collar on and in great pain.  Our boys and Pat did not feel any pain.   They went into a cloud and then woke up in the arms of the Lord, based on there profession of faith.”

 

 This might have been the first time I realized that God had been preparing us for this tragedy of losing our guys for many years beforehand.  I don’t say this just to comfort my wife, Jeannie, it’s the truth; its how I know what happened in their last seconds on this earth.  If God had chosen to allow my accident to take me home, I would not have had the chance to explain it to Jennie, Barbara, and Janet.   So while it may sound odd, I guess I am thankful for that painful (and expensive) automobile accident.  Because of it, I have a firsthand experience that has allowed me to give some comforting assurance to the wife and mothers of our guys.