Hog Wild

[aristotle]

I witnessed a wee bit of drama Thursday night/Friday morning. Around 12:05am EST I am tooling along I-10 across the West Texas desert. Taking a load from El Paso to the Toyota plant in San Antonio. Minding my own business, traveling about 60mph on a beautiful star-lit night. Very little traffic.

A small car passes me safely and signals to re-enter the right lane just ahead of me. I follow this car for maybe 30 seconds and SUDDENLY something causes the small car to go berserk! The car jerks hard to the left, starts spinning out of control. In the span of less than 5 seconds, the car crosses the sandy median(actually a ravine) becomes airborne... crosses both lanes on the other side of the interstate and slams hard into an outcropping of rock.

I figure the people in this crash are surely dead. I stop immediately on the right shoulder of the road and turn on my 4-way flashers. My mind is trying to process what I just saw happened. I dial 911 and report the crash.

The 911 dispatcher ask several quick questions. Is anyone hurt? (I tell them I don't know yet as I will have to walk across the interstate and look inside the car). The car landed upright with the headlights still running... The dispatcher asks our location. Man, I don't know exactly. (I tell them we are a few miles east of Ozona TX where I had stopped minutes earlier to buy fuel). Dispatcher says police and ambulance are on the way.

The next part was awkward for me. Getting out of the van on foot in the desert by the interstate... goes completely counter to my survival instincts. Never, never would I expose myself to that type of vulnerability. Visions of Michael Jordan's dad and Bill Cosby's son were heavy on my mind. What if I walked up to this car to be greeted by gun-toting ruffians? No way that's possible I tell myself. Everyone in that crash is surely hurt beyond the point of posing a threat to me. What if BAD GUYS drving along stop while I am 500 feet away from my van? I am at the mercy of anyone who comes along. I grit my teeth, leave the safety of my van and walk rapidly toward the crashed car.

As I get near the car, I remember wondering if the automobile might catch fire. I could hear hissing noises. Anyway, as I reached for a door handle, a young man sprang from the car so fast I nearly fell backwards. Apparently, he was okay but quite dazed. He says he is alone and uninjured except for his forearm which took a beating from the steering wheel. I tell the young man we should step away some distance from the crashed car. We walk maybe 100 feet away. He looks to be 18 or 19 years old. I begin asking questions.

The young fellow explains he is an enlisted US Air Force servicemember on temporary leave from duty. He is becoming quite agitated because he wrecked his car. He begins to cry and says he wants to just go home. I try to comfort him as best I could. He is so very young. I explain that police will arrive soon to help. In about 10 or 15 minutes the police do arrive.

First thing the police do is shine a flashlight into the man's eyes and ask him what happened. Bewildered... the young guy says, "Didn't you see it?" ... turns to me for confirmation and I shrug, not knowing what he means. The young guy states in a now loud and excited tone, "I hit an animal. A large animal. It was huge!"

After a minute of searching the roadside, the deputies see the carcass of an animal. The USAF guy hit a feral pig. He nearly lost his life for a pig. Three of four tires on the small car were blown out from impact of crashing. Some of the windows were likewise blown out. The car and the pig were total losses.

At this point, I remember seeing the deputies smile and chuckle. They had seen this scenario play out before. Realizing no one was seriously hurt, it became a more relaxed situation. The USAF guy asked me if I could give him a ride into San Antonio. Oh, no.

I was conflicted. Being under a load, I knew I could not take responsibility for the young man. Besides, the police would need to take his statement and call a tow truck to remove his car. He was in good hands. The police would either call his folks or the Air Base to come get the guy. Moreover, for insurance liability reasons, my carrier does not allow us to transport any passenger without prior approval. I wanted to do more, but felt I couldn't.

Before leaving, I told the USAF guy I have a son about his age. Also, in the military. This was a teachable moment not to be missed. I asked the young man if I may speak to him as if talking to my own child. He nodded. In a firm, but what I hope was a loving voice, I told the young man he must never leave a lane of traffic to avoid hitting an animal. Never. I asked the cops if they needed anything else from me. They said no, and I left the scene.

Thirty minutes and just as many bug bites later, I returned to the safety of my waiting van. Once seated, I realized the shoulder of my shirt was smeared with the young man's snot and tears. Wardrobe change.

By virtue of my conscience still being troubled, I know I failed in some respect. What would I want another man to do for my son?

 

[layoutshooter]

Wild animals are a constant danger on the roads. Many drivers have no idea in the world to do when they encounter one.

As to the young man, what else to do is a tough one. I would have been very temped to drive him somewhere. I have been in a similar position was I was in the Army. I was on my way home for leave just prior to deploying to Japan. My water pump broke. I was in the middle of rural PA. It took 12 hours to get rolling again. 12 hours is a very long time when you are headed home.

I might have given him some cash. Sometimes rules are too strict. There should be some easy way to help people with a ride if needed. I don't know the answer. People should come first. There is no answer.

 

[pjjjjj]

By virtue of my conscience still being troubled, I know I failed in some respect. What would I want another man to do for my son?

Aristotle you were headed to San Antonio, while he wanted a ride to San Antonio.
You knew he was with the USAF and he was in a bad position needing help, while you were under load and knew it was not acceptable to have an unauthorized passenger.
You were probably still concerned about your safety, perhaps even subconsciously, in taking this unknown person aboard, while this unknown person also should have been concerned about taking a ride from an unknown person.

No wonder you are still feeling conflicted.

As a dad, would you have wanted your son to accept a ride with a stranger who just happened to be there when he crashed? Unfortunately the world isn't what it used to be. The police were there, I'm sure they would have helped him make his calls and arrangements. Conflict be gone!

 

[cheri1122]

Aristotle: I think you did all that you could, [and more than many would have], but if you felt there was more to do, I'd have put the ball in the carrier's court - it's their rules that restrict passengers. I'd have asked them whether an emergency exemption was warranted, and abided by the decision.
It's a scary job we do, sometimes - glad it wasn't worse this time.

 

[greg334]

Isn't it some dot rule?

Anywho, if the guy was stranded, yes I would consider it but not with the cops there. We sometimes want to go what is needed but here is the thing I would have worried about is just this sentence;

"He begins to cry and says he wants to just go home."

To me this may be something of a precursor of another issue, just because he seems alright doesn't mean he is alright. Cops and others may also see this come out in some time while he is waiting for a ride or while he is riding with them.

Sometimes mental shock for something at this level may not manifest itself until much later. Because to some, this is nothing, but to others it is has such an impact that it is devastating to them. If he was riding in a vehicle that is under time constraints (under load), then there could be issues that could cause the problem with the load if there was a need to go to a hospital.

As far as strangers, well that's not really important to me. Helping out at an accident is, stop is, calling for help is.

 

[pjjjjj]

Sometimes mental shock for something at this level may not manifest itself until much later.

That is very true. He could potentially have even had some kind of serious internal injury which was not apparent at the time. If Aristotle had given him a ride and something had happened, I wouldn't have wanted to be involved with the potential liability risk.

In any case, for whatever reason, Aristotle was not comfortable in offering a ride, and we should probably learn to listen to our instincts, even if it might make us feel conflicted.

 

[aristotle]

In hindsight, I could have made sure the young man had some money. Or maybe have gotten him a motel room back in Ozona. I suspect he was in an agitated state before the accident. He was certainly agitated after.

My wife reminds me that the young man may have indeed had an injury unseen. For example, the actress Natasha Richardson died after bumping her head in a skiing accident. Richardson told First Responders she was fine. Just a headache. She died an hour or two later.

The USAF guy did pull a working cell phone from his pants pocket. So, I felt better for that. He was wearing a seat belt and that probably saved his life all by itself. It is most distressing to see people go crazy with their cars when an animal steps onto the road. Better to drive straight through the animal than cause mayhem.

The older I get, the more protective I feel toward children and even young adults. In a larger sense, every one of them is our child.

 

[jaminjim]

When I was a little kid a women driving down our road swerved to miss a rabbit. Yep hit a tree and died. Ever since then if a controlled tap of the brake won't do it, it's roadkill.

 

[layoutshooter]

There are many dangers in helping strangers. The big shame is just how much we are ruled and controlled by the fear of liability and lawyers. The more law suits the less people help people, the more likely they are to "leave it to the professional" How sad.

 

[letzrockexpress]

When the cops showed up did you yell "I smell bacon!"?

 

[cheri1122]

There are many dangers in helping strangers. The big shame is just how much we are ruled and controlled by the fear of liability and lawyers. The more law suits the less people help people, the more likely they are to "leave it to the professional" How sad.

Tisn't a fear of liability or lawsuits [greatly exaggerated, IMO] that rules me - it's fear of the all powerful insurance companies that rule us all.

 

[layoutshooter]

Tisn't a fear of liability or lawsuits [greatly exaggerated, IMO] that rules me - it's fear of the all powerful insurance companies that rule us all.

It all falls under the same tree. I don't know how exaggerated the law suit thing is, the ambulance company had to carry a minimum of 1 million on every crew member. Even though we were a volunteer company we were not covered under good samaritan laws and it was a very gray area how well we were covered when not on duty just because we were State certified EMT's.

Law suits are just one of the many reasons that many companies have dropped first aid/rescue crews in plants as well.

 

[aristotle]

When I was a little kid a women driving down our road swerved to miss a rabbit. Yep hit a tree and died. Ever since then if a controlled tap of the brake won't do it, it's roadkill.

It is not lost on me that had the small car not passed me seconds before the crash, I would have been in line to strike the animal.

Concerns about insurance and liabilty never entered my mind until the young man asked for a ride. The real struggle for me was the 10 or 15 second interval where I had to make a decision to abandon my van on foot at night in a remote area. Anyone who could have seen that struggle might think me a coward. I did not want to get out. I am highly risk averse.

 

[layoutshooter]

It is not lost on me that had the small car not passed me seconds before the crash, I would have been in line to strike the animal.

Concerns about insurance and liabilty never entered my mind until the young man asked for a ride. The real struggle for me was the 10 or 15 second interval where I had to make a decision to abandon my van on foot at night in a remote area. Anyone who could have seen that struggle might think me a coward. I did not want to get out. I am highly risk averse.

That is not being a coward. The risks are real. A lack of training comes into play as well. Things are NOT easy. Don't beat yourself up.

 

[aristotle]

That is not being a coward. The risks are real. A lack of training comes into play as well. Things are NOT easy. Don't beat yourself up.

Too bad we are not allowed to do concealed carry. That might make things a little more even. The cops show up full of bravado. Of course, they're packing heat. It seems our government does not trust truckdrivers to do the right thing. I think anyone cleared to haul HazMat should be good enough to carry personal protection.

 

[layoutshooter]

Too bad we are not allowed to do concealed carry. That might make things a little more even. The cops show up full of bravado. Of course, they're packing heat. It seems our government does not trust truckdrivers to do the right thing. I think anyone cleared to haul HazMat should be good enough to carry personal protection.

ANY native born American can carry, Constitution says so.

 

[aristotle]

ANY native born American can carry, Constitution says so.

I will have to look up the regs. I have always been under the impression drivers of commercial vehicles may not carry firearms while driving a commercial vehicle. Then there is the whole debate about whether a cargo van is actually a commercial vehicle. I will call OOIDA and get some guidance on this. Moreover, I think most, if not all carriers, forbid drivers from carrying firearms while driving. Except for certain government loads or other high value/high risk loads where armed drivers or armed escorts are permitted.

 

[layoutshooter]

I will have to look up the regs. I have always been under the impression drivers of commercial vehicles may not carry firearms while driving a commercial vehicle. Then there is the whole debate about whether a cargo van is actually a commercial vehicle. I will call OOIDA and get some guidance on this. Moreover, I think most, if not all carriers, forbid drivers from carrying firearms while driving. Except for certain government loads or other high value/high risk loads where armed drivers or armed escorts are permitted.

There is NO DOT reg. We do have to deal with unconstitutional laws that some states have in place. I have NO idea about carrier regs. Don't think about going to Canada, they don't trust anyone with any form of protection up there.

 

[aristotle]

Can't afford to be wrong on the carrying of firearms in a truck. Such a mistake would be career-ending. Crossing state lines with a firearm gets tricky. Sometimes there are city-county-municipal ordinances to deal with. It's a hodgepodge subject to change at the whims of local jurisdictions. Carrying seems more fraught with risk than not carrying.

 

[layoutshooter]

Can't afford to be wrong on the carrying of firearms in a truck. Such a mistake would be career-ending. Crossing state lines with a firearm gets tricky. Sometimes there are city-county-municipal ordinances to deal with. It's a hodgepodge subject to change at the whims of local jurisdictions. Carrying seems more fraught with risk than not carrying.

That is why I don't carry on the truck, it is not worth the trouble. If things get much worse out there that may change. I know for a fact that DOT has no regs outlawing carrying a gun, as to the rest, it is a REAL mess. Our freedom is NOT a priority in many states or local areas. Many areas WANT you to be a victim. I have had shippers ask me why we were NOT armed since what we were carrying was so valuable in one form or another. I blamed it on Canada!!