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| John A. Harney's Jeep Accident |
On 23 January 1995 I slid on ice heading going to work. It was 06:30, so
it was kind of dark; I was on Route 3 North heading out of Massachusetts into New
Hampshire. Around Exit 33, AT mile marker 86, rounding a curve just over a bridge, I slid
into the left guard rail. I bounced off and hit a truck I was passing at the time, then
bounced back into the guard rail. I bounced off it again, hit the poor truck again, then
went into the guard rail for a third time at such an angle that it could no longer keep me
in the roadway. I vaulted ass-over-teakettle over the left guard rail, and landed upside
down pointing SOUTH in the wooded ravine between the north and south bound lanes of Route
3.
Since it was really quite dark, I wasn't exactly sure where I was, or what my orientation
was. I just knew that "things weren't quite right." I tried to shut off the car,
but a) it was already off; and b) the dashboard, and the key, weren't where they should
be. I tried to undo my seatbelt, but couldn't quite reach the release. I managed to open
the door, but only about 1 inch. Since the windows on the doors are plastic, I managed to
push hard and flex it about 4 inches, and hollered, HELP!! I heard scrambling noises, and
two voices saying, We're coming, just hang on! The people behind me had seen the whole
thing, and were immediately on the scene.
I was still uncertain about what was exactly wrong with me. The two people were outside
the car now, trying to open a door; any door. My door was pinned against the side of the
ravine, and the passenger door was pinned against a tree. Flustered, they yelled, "We
can't get a door open!" My sense of humor wasn't impaired by my position, so I said,
"It's a soft top. Feel free to come right in." RRRRiiiiiiipppppppp They tore a
large hole in the top and climbed in; lifted me towards my seat, unbuckled the seatbelt,
and I fell to the ground. I was free!!
They were making sure I was OK, but I mentioned the truck I had hit. They said he was hung
up on the guard rail, but was unhurt. I grabbed my cell phone (Nice job, Sony), found my
glasses that the car had landed on, and called my wife. I told her I was in an accident
but wasn't bleeding. I then called my friend Greg from Burlington, and he started up the
road through my traffic to get me. The FIRST PEOPLE on the scene were the Mass Dept of
Public Works. They had my initials spraypainted on the guardrail (since I had to pay for
the damaged ones) BEFORE the police showed up! Then the police showed up, and took
statements. Next was the ambulance. The police officer hollered over his PA "Talk to
the man in the leather jacket!" (That's me) The ambulance people couldn't get around
me fast enough to look for the dead guy in the car. They asked me if anybody was still in
there, and I said no. They looked around at the cop, and he said again, "Check out
the guy in the leather jacket!" over the PA. They couldn't believe I had been in the
Jeep, and was walking. They gave me a quick exam, couldn't find anything wrong, and said
it was up to me if I wanted to go to the hospital. I asked their honest opinion, and they
said I should sign their release form, and thank my lucky stars that I was still walking.
Next came the tow truck to haul my car over the railing, and take it to the salvage yard.
My injuries were bruises. Major bruises. All from the seatbelts; on my ear, across my
chest, across my legs. And sand in my teeth. Lots of sand. As I said, I owe my life to the
seatbelts and the rollbars in the Jeep. It's quite clear that I would have been a lifeless
lump at the bottom (well, top) of my car, with a broken neck, had I flipped without them.
If anybody needs a seatbelt testimonial, check out these pictures.
These pictures were all taken from the salvage yard. I had to pay them IN CASH for the
tow; $300. That included them keeping the car. What a racket. I at least got to fetch all
my personal possessions from the car, which is what I was doing when the pictures were
taken. I'm sure you'll notice the nice new tires; they were only 3 weeks old.
Major Structural Damage
This was the major damage. It crushed the dashboard so I couldn't turn off
the lights or reach the keys. Thanks to Denny Michaud of the CVS Samaritan Van for cutting
power from the battery. This wound was caused by hitting the tree.
Convertible Top Problems?
Er, the top's a bit of a mess. Various parts of back seats, doors, and
other things are hanging out of it. That's me on the right fetching stuff out of the car.
A Bit Skewed, Wouldn't You Say?
Sorry for the glare in this picture. As you can see, the whole thing is a
bit wracked. Flipping one of these will do that.
Precious Bodily Fluids
The car leaked oil, battery juice, steering and brake fluids, transmission
fluids, and a few others I didn't know it had.
Not Too Bad For A RollOver!
Notice the bent window frame that I managed to push out and yell,
"HELP" from. At least I didn't have glass to contend with! Youch.
Nice Hole In The Door!
The hole in the door is from a branch on the tree. If you pass the tree
today (at Marker 86!) you'll see the stubby broken branch that poked this right through
the metal. Good thing I was alone.
I Have Survived!
I think this sums it up. Taken the same day as the accident, I am
amazingly undamaged for such an event. Except for the loss of the car, it's really hard to
be too upset about such a survival. | |
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