Rural car wreck

[robbyr]

This happened in my neighbor's yard across the farm road while I was in my front yard last Sunday. I heard a loud racket like tires squalling (doesn't appear to be any skid marks) so looked up to see an older model Lincoln Navigator fishtailing out of control across the other lane headed for the neighbors yard. There is a pecan tree on there fencerow and I was hoping he would miss it and just go through fences. Hit it head on. A young fella who happened to be coming down our dirt road saw it too. We both ran over there. He went the driver's side. As I approached I could hear a child. Looked in the back seat and saw a car seat loose and facing the other direction. A child peeked around it at me. He crawled to me and I got him out through the window. Didn't appear to be hurt badly. Others started showing up. First responders and law enforcement. They cut the door off to get the man out. I heard through a couple of sources that he was supposedly doing 105 mph. I guess they can tell that from the computer or the speedometer? Found out the 36 year old man didn't make it. I still see the whole thing in my mind in slow motion. Us country folks who don't go to the big city often aren't used to seeing this stuff. Photos in the first comment if you wanna see the aftermath.

 

[robbyr]

 

[MossRoad]

That's a horrible thing to see. Glad the child made it. If it keeps on your mind, perhaps talk to someone.

 

[robbyr]

I'm good. Just wonder what happened. Distracted? Texting? I think he ran off edge and over corrected. But it doesn't appear he ever slowed down. Maybe a health issue? Head scratcher.

 

[k0ua]

Oh, man, Robby that is a bad one for sure. Friend had something similar happen at his farm with several teens inside. Some made it out, but there was a fire and he couldn't get the driver out. I think it is still pretty vivid in his mind. We will probably never know what happened there in front of you to cause it other than the excessive speed.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm good. Just wonder what happened. Distracted? Texting? I think he ran off edge and over corrected. But it doesn't appear he ever slowed down. Maybe a health issue? Head scratcher.

At 105mph, maybe someone just thinking its fun to drive really fast. Or on the way to a family emergency. Or a custody thing, or a health issue as you mentioned, alcohol, drugs, who. knows?..... the amount of circumstances are endless. Maybe the crash investigators will find something.

My wife and I were coming home from vacation many years ago and pulled up to our house to see crime scene tape on our shrubbery outside our front door, and more tape on a large tree across the street. We asked the neighbor what happened. They said the day before a car came down our street (residential, inner city street) at about 100mph, lost control, hit the tree across the street and broke in half. On guy was dead in the car. A 2nd was dead under their car in their driveway. The 3rd stood up out of the back half of the car, walked across their lawn, collapsed and died. The engine was half a block down the street, and the windshield was on our roof, hence the crime tape.

Neighbors were pretty shook up, as the husband ran outside and saw the 3rd guy die right in front of him.

Verdict was drunk driving.

 

[shovelmike]

I'm good. Just wonder what happened. Distracted? Texting? I think he ran off edge and over corrected. But it doesn't appear he ever slowed down. Maybe a health issue? Head scratcher.

So sorry you had to witness such a terrible thing, I am happy that the child was OK. It's unfortunate that the driver died, but extremely irresponsible driving 105 mph, inexcusable with a child aboard.
Many people get out on country roads and have the idea that there is no speed limit out there. Cause of the accident excessive speed, beyond the driver's ability to maintain control.
This coming from a car fanatic who did a lot of crazy stuff in his younger days, and by God's grace didn't hurt himself or others.

 

[CobyRupert]

Robbyr,
Sorry you had to witness this.
These thing are traumatic, not just for the victims and their relatives, but for the first responders like yourself. It's can be hard to wrap you mind around such senseless events and how fragile things can be. Like Moss says, keep an eye out for its effects & talk to someone if need be. Remember life is for the living.

 

[robbyr]

I'm fine. A classmate of mine retired from EMS a year or two ago but is a volunteer fireman so was at the scene. He was telling me some of the things he's seen. The worst was in the past year where a motorcyclist was hit by someone passing in a no passing zone and flipping him into an 18 wheeler. It takes a special kind of person to be a first responder.

 

[PILOON]

In my late teens we lived close to a 3 lane highway that serviced the Laurentians north of Montreal.
Every Sunday during the summer months traffic was chaos and generally 2-3 deaths usually due to head on collisions when impatience took over.
I still have images of body parts and heads poking thru windshields.
Back then my cousin was the 'go to' local St Johns ambulance guy and we'd get weekly recaps.