Yesterday at 4:50something am my cell phone rang. Thankfully I didnt realize it was that time when I answered or I may have freaked prior to answering. Instead I freaked at my husband after he gave me the news.
"Zach has had an accident but he is OK. HE IS OK! He Is OK. Wake up Seth and take him with you. Go to Zach. He needs you but HE IS OK." I hit the ground running.
See Zach doesn't get his emotional-wreckage-ness from nobody. :( But I kept it together until I seen the truck. Thats where Seth came into play. He had to tell me what to do while I freaked out.
I dont recall such a bear hug like that before. Hope never to get another.
They had ran thru dense fog in North Dakota earlier so Zach had Guthrie(co-driver) belt up in the passenger seat rather than sleep in bunk. He remained sleeping there throughout the night. Til he was rudely awoken.
Zach says a car was coming zipping up behind him. When the car got beside the truck it hit the rumble strip on the road. Then the car careened towards the truck so Zach moved over and hit his rumble strip. Guthrie awoke. Car kept coming over so he moved over a bit more. Trailer tires caught the heavy wet snow in the ditch and whipped them down into the ditch and laid the whole rig over. Car continued on. Tho I am certain the driver could be found at a restroom nearby changing its underwear.
The trailer was full of calves. When the rig dropped the roof ripped open and cattle went running. A van caught up with three of them a mile up the interstate. :(
Daryl was Zach's first phone call. He was in New Mexico fast asleep. Awoke to a very shaken up Zach. He figured out there was an accident but couldn't make much of it til he heard huffing and puffing and Zach screaming a calf was coming at him. Then Daryl knew he was out of the truck and he wasn't severely injured. He knew Zach was talking. Then he knew he was walking. Those screams were music to his ears. Daryl got him calmed down enough to call his boss.
Then came hours of chaos unfolding. The cattle had to be rounded up. A local award winning team ropers were called to help with that. Cattle had to be gotten out of the trailer. A truck arrived to help out with the cattle. Pickups with trailers arrived. Tow trucks. Payloaders. A skid steer. It was intriguing to watch how people stepped up and did what needed to be done. Zach and Guthrie, banged up, hurting, and very shaken, (and still shaking) were not of any help. Numerous phone calls about insurance. Everytime Zach would get the correct person on the phone the patrol officers would come up and need his attention.
As a trucker's wife for 21 years I have dreaded and lost sleep over such phone calls. The past several years as mom to truckers I have lost sleep over such dreaded calls. This call was too close to my worst nightmare. I am soooooo thankful it was not quite my worst nightmare. Everyone walked away with minor injuries. Trucks, trailers, and vans can be replaced.
Many images are branded to my memory. The one that will remain is of Zach and Guthrie. After the semi was stood up in the ditch we all walked down to see the damage. Upon seeing it, Guthrie's door, Zach and Guthrie clasped onto each other in a huge thankful bear hug. Workers paused for a moment as I am sure they heard the cries amongst all the noise of the trucks.
Its frustrating that some irresponsible person caused all this damage yet drives on like a chicken shit. Many dreams laid in that ditch of a hardworking kid. Many dollars will now have to come out of this hardworking kid's pocket because he moved over to help out a car that was struggling. He moved over to help save that person's life. Yet it drives on with nary a care.
One thing good about the dreaded news crews showing up is this irresponsible driver gets to see the wreckage its selfishness left behind. I hope, so hope, that person sees it and feels the pain it has caused to these guys. Emotionally. Physically. Financially.
But yet there are sooo many things to be thankful for. That Guthrie was buckled in the seat sleeping instead of the bunk. That Zach was buckled up too. That the driver of the van was buckled up. That the accident took place close to home for Zach's sake. For Guthrie's. For mine. That someone was with Zach when he had such a harrowing experience. That the truck just went down straight rather than all the other crazy ways it could of possibly happened. And that everyone will be fine!!!
DRIVE SAFE!!! BUCKLE UP!!!
Yesterday at 4:50something am my cell phone rang. Thankfully I didnt realize it was that time when I answered or I may have freaked prior to answering. Instead I freaked at my husband after he gave me the news.
"Zach has had an accident but he is OK. HE IS OK! He Is OK. Wake up Seth and take him with you. Go to Zach. He needs you but HE IS OK." I hit the ground running.
See Zach doesn't get his emotional-wreckage-ness from nobody. :( But I kept it together until I seen the truck. Thats where Seth came into play. He had to tell me what to do while I freaked out.
I dont recall such a bear hug like that before. Hope never to get another.
They had ran thru dense fog in North Dakota earlier so Zach had Guthrie(co-driver) belt up in the passenger seat rather than sleep in bunk. He remained sleeping there throughout the night. Til he was rudely awoken.
Zach says a car was coming zipping up behind him. When the car got beside the truck it hit the rumble strip on the road. Then the car careened towards the truck so Zach moved over and hit his rumble strip. Guthrie awoke. Car kept coming over so he moved over a bit more. Trailer tires caught the heavy wet snow in the ditch and whipped them down into the ditch and laid the whole rig over. Car continued on. Tho I am certain the driver could be found at a restroom nearby changing its underwear.
The trailer was full of calves. When the rig dropped the roof ripped open and cattle went running. A van caught up with three of them a mile up the interstate. :(
Daryl was Zach's first phone call. He was in New Mexico fast asleep. Awoke to a very shaken up Zach. He figured out there was an accident but couldn't make much of it til he heard huffing and puffing and Zach screaming a calf was coming at him. Then Daryl knew he was out of the truck and he wasn't severely injured. He knew Zach was talking. Then he knew he was walking. Those screams were music to his ears. Daryl got him calmed down enough to call his boss.
Then came hours of chaos unfolding. The cattle had to be rounded up. A local award winning team ropers were called to help with that. Cattle had to be gotten out of the trailer. A truck arrived to help out with the cattle. Pickups with trailers arrived. Tow trucks. Payloaders. A skid steer. It was intriguing to watch how people stepped up and did what needed to be done. Zach and Guthrie, banged up, hurting, and very shaken, (and still shaking) were not of any help. Numerous phone calls about insurance. Everytime Zach would get the correct person on the phone the patrol officers would come up and need his attention.
As a trucker's wife for 21 years I have dreaded and lost sleep over such phone calls. The past several years as mom to truckers I have lost sleep over such dreaded calls. This call was too close to my worst nightmare. I am soooooo thankful it was not quite my worst nightmare. Everyone walked away with minor injuries. Trucks, trailers, and vans can be replaced.
Many images are branded to my memory. The one that will remain is of Zach and Guthrie. After the semi was stood up in the ditch we all walked down to see the damage. Upon seeing it, Guthrie's door, Zach and Guthrie clasped onto each other in a huge thankful bear hug. Workers paused for a moment as I am sure they heard the cries amongst all the noise of the trucks.
Its frustrating that some irresponsible person caused all this damage yet drives on like a chicken shit. Many dreams laid in that ditch of a hardworking kid. Many dollars will now have to come out of this hardworking kid's pocket because he moved over to help out a car that was struggling. He moved over to help save that person's life. Yet it drives on with nary a care.
One thing good about the dreaded news crews showing up is this irresponsible driver gets to see the wreckage its selfishness left behind. I hope, so hope, that person sees it and feels the pain it has caused to these guys. Emotionally. Physically. Financially.
But yet there are sooo many things to be thankful for. That Guthrie was buckled in the seat sleeping instead of the bunk. That Zach was buckled up too. That the driver of the van was buckled up. That the accident took place close to home for Zach's sake. For Guthrie's. For mine. That someone was with Zach when he had such a harrowing experience. That the truck just went down straight rather than all the other crazy ways it could of possibly happened. And that everyone will be fine!!!
DRIVE SAFE!!! BUCKLE UP!!!
5 comments:
So glad everyone was okay .... and I hope you never get one of those awful phone calls ever again.
I am so glad everyone is ok! Just the other day I was driving on the interstate when it was snowing and there was a car zigging and zagging through rush hour traffic. It made me think that too many people are selfish on the road and drive like jerks. I am thankful your boy is ok.
Golly! I'm so sorry about the wreck, and so thankful your son and his co-driver are okay! When Evan was driving he said the passenger car was the worst driver in the world...they never cared and expected the truck to do the right thing.
So sorry!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
So glad everyone is safe. I hope the financial nightmare is minamal
What an awful thing to happen. I had tears running down my face as I read it. I can't imagine how you felt. I'm so glad it turned out all right, except for the damage to the truck.
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