Treebore
First Post
My family and I have been travelling/moving cross country from CA to OH for 9 days now.
Yesterday, at about 12:30 CST, I was driving us down I-70 (edit: This is 80 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri) when a car, about 15 car lengths ahead of us, suddenly went out of control in the East bound lane. It "flew" through the median and did a head on collision with a "U-Haul" style truck that was white in color. Seeing vehicles collapse like eggshells, and knowing people are inside, is a very impressive and unsettling sight to see. As if that wasn't enough the truck was pushed by the impact into a vehicle in the next lane. That vehicle then went into the ditch and rolled end over end three times. According to my wife the female driver flew out her driver side window during the first roll. My sons said she spun like a doll in the air before hitting the blacktop.
I brought the car to a stop and tried calling 911 on my cell phone, with no luck. My wife, despite her very serious heart condition, went into "EMT" (Emergency Medical Technician) and jumped out of the car to go help. Once I realized I wasn't going to get 911 I followed her.
The car that jumped the median was so crushed I couldn't see a human being on the driver side. The passenger side was so crushed that even though I could see the elderly woman I couldn't do anything. So I moved onto the van/truck since it was on fire and I could see someone in the drivers seat. The passenger had been thrown from the vehicle and he was struggling to stand and get back to the truck to help his friend. My wife made him move away from the burning vehicle and to lay down.
I looked at the burning vehicle and the driver inside. I noticed his legs were pinned under the steering column. I also noticed the flames around his feet. So did he.
I was about to watch a real life nightmare occur. Some people rushed up with fire extinguishers and started spraying down the front of the car engine. I yelled at them that the driver was inside and on fire (his pant legs had caught on fire in the last few seconds and he was screaming). The people with fire extinguishers changed their tactics and started hitting the fire around the driver, keeping him from burning. Two guys were standing there. I looked at them and said the driver needs to be gotten out now, the fire extinguishers aren't putting out the fire, only keeping it away from the driver until they run out. The big guy led the way into the truck. I realized that I wasn't strong enough, or had enough stamina to help with the extraction (I am a 100% disabled Veteran for good reasons), so I picked up an expended fire extinguisher and went to the line of traffic pointing at the extinguisher in my hand yelling that more were needed. Several drivers answered my call and handed me extinguishers which I handed off to others who were better able to run them up to the burning vehicles (the car which crossed the median was now burning).
After getting as many extinguishers as it looked like I was going to get I carried the last one back. I saw that the van was burning badly now, but that the driver was out. So I went to the last car which had the trapped passenger. My extinguisher was able to put the fire completely out. The passenger wasn't going to burn to death.
I went to find my wife, worried that she may have a heart attack. I found her holding the hand of the woman that had flew out of the vehicle that had rolled end over end. My wife was also pushing down on the womans hip bone to keep her from rolling/moving since her injuries were unknown, but probably very extensive.
Fortunately, two doctors, a med student, and a paramedic were there, looking over and doing evaluations. Plus my wife used to be an EMT for several years. I found out that the driver of the car that had crossed the median was probably dead and everyone else was alive but had some life threatening injuries.
I also heard how the big guy who had charged into the burning van had gone "Hulk" and literally ripped out a seat to make enough room to pull the driver out. Our combined efforts not only got the driver out, but with minimal burns, the worst of which were probably just second degree. However, his broken femurs were serious enough that a tourniquet was put on one leg to keep him from internally bleeding out.
The woman my wife was holding had strange fluids coming out of her mouth and other gashes in her body. She definitely had broken ribs and two serious blows to her skull, one up front to the right of her forehead and the other on the back right around where the skull and spine meet.
The woman was complaining about being hot. Some guys walked by carrying a case of water bottles. They gave us 4. I asked my wife if it would be OK for us to pour water on the womans legs and arms as well as on the pavement to see if it would help the woman (Betty)feel better. She told me and the other woman that was helping my wife comfort Betty that she thought it would be fine. So the woman and I poured water on the Betty's arms and legs and Betty thanked us for making her feel so much better.
Betty's 4 passengers had all been wearing seat belts. They were all fine, except for one of the children because the doctor was concerned she may have an internal abdominal injury. Other than that they all appeared fine, just shaken up by how their mother/grandmother looked.
About this time the police, fire truck and ambulance finally showed up, a good 20 minutes after the accident occurred. They moved in and took over care, put out the truck fire and grass fire that was burning several feet away from the truck driver and his friend.
The police took down our contact info as well as our eyewitness accounts of the accident. They then thanked us for taking care of everyone until their arrival and told us it was time to get in our cars and leave so they could get the traffic cleared up.
They also told us to realize we were also "shook up" and to be careful as we drove. I soon found out they were right. We stopped at a rest area about 15 miles down the road. We got out of the car and sat in the shade of a tree. My wife, kids, and I talked about what we all saw and did.
I am still sorting out my thoughts.
If any of you know about this accident, and of links to news about it, I would appreciate help finding them. My wife and I would like to know what happened to Betty and the others.
I have to finish driving to Ohio today, so I may not get back until tomorrow.
Update/edit:
For those who followed this I thought you would like to know all but the driver of the car that started this accident lived AND with injuries that should completely heal with time and therapy. Scarring will remain, though. Plus the widows pain of losing her husband.
Thanks.
Yesterday, at about 12:30 CST, I was driving us down I-70 (edit: This is 80 miles east of Kansas City, Missouri) when a car, about 15 car lengths ahead of us, suddenly went out of control in the East bound lane. It "flew" through the median and did a head on collision with a "U-Haul" style truck that was white in color. Seeing vehicles collapse like eggshells, and knowing people are inside, is a very impressive and unsettling sight to see. As if that wasn't enough the truck was pushed by the impact into a vehicle in the next lane. That vehicle then went into the ditch and rolled end over end three times. According to my wife the female driver flew out her driver side window during the first roll. My sons said she spun like a doll in the air before hitting the blacktop.
I brought the car to a stop and tried calling 911 on my cell phone, with no luck. My wife, despite her very serious heart condition, went into "EMT" (Emergency Medical Technician) and jumped out of the car to go help. Once I realized I wasn't going to get 911 I followed her.
The car that jumped the median was so crushed I couldn't see a human being on the driver side. The passenger side was so crushed that even though I could see the elderly woman I couldn't do anything. So I moved onto the van/truck since it was on fire and I could see someone in the drivers seat. The passenger had been thrown from the vehicle and he was struggling to stand and get back to the truck to help his friend. My wife made him move away from the burning vehicle and to lay down.
I looked at the burning vehicle and the driver inside. I noticed his legs were pinned under the steering column. I also noticed the flames around his feet. So did he.
I was about to watch a real life nightmare occur. Some people rushed up with fire extinguishers and started spraying down the front of the car engine. I yelled at them that the driver was inside and on fire (his pant legs had caught on fire in the last few seconds and he was screaming). The people with fire extinguishers changed their tactics and started hitting the fire around the driver, keeping him from burning. Two guys were standing there. I looked at them and said the driver needs to be gotten out now, the fire extinguishers aren't putting out the fire, only keeping it away from the driver until they run out. The big guy led the way into the truck. I realized that I wasn't strong enough, or had enough stamina to help with the extraction (I am a 100% disabled Veteran for good reasons), so I picked up an expended fire extinguisher and went to the line of traffic pointing at the extinguisher in my hand yelling that more were needed. Several drivers answered my call and handed me extinguishers which I handed off to others who were better able to run them up to the burning vehicles (the car which crossed the median was now burning).
After getting as many extinguishers as it looked like I was going to get I carried the last one back. I saw that the van was burning badly now, but that the driver was out. So I went to the last car which had the trapped passenger. My extinguisher was able to put the fire completely out. The passenger wasn't going to burn to death.
I went to find my wife, worried that she may have a heart attack. I found her holding the hand of the woman that had flew out of the vehicle that had rolled end over end. My wife was also pushing down on the womans hip bone to keep her from rolling/moving since her injuries were unknown, but probably very extensive.
Fortunately, two doctors, a med student, and a paramedic were there, looking over and doing evaluations. Plus my wife used to be an EMT for several years. I found out that the driver of the car that had crossed the median was probably dead and everyone else was alive but had some life threatening injuries.
I also heard how the big guy who had charged into the burning van had gone "Hulk" and literally ripped out a seat to make enough room to pull the driver out. Our combined efforts not only got the driver out, but with minimal burns, the worst of which were probably just second degree. However, his broken femurs were serious enough that a tourniquet was put on one leg to keep him from internally bleeding out.
The woman my wife was holding had strange fluids coming out of her mouth and other gashes in her body. She definitely had broken ribs and two serious blows to her skull, one up front to the right of her forehead and the other on the back right around where the skull and spine meet.
The woman was complaining about being hot. Some guys walked by carrying a case of water bottles. They gave us 4. I asked my wife if it would be OK for us to pour water on the womans legs and arms as well as on the pavement to see if it would help the woman (Betty)feel better. She told me and the other woman that was helping my wife comfort Betty that she thought it would be fine. So the woman and I poured water on the Betty's arms and legs and Betty thanked us for making her feel so much better.
Betty's 4 passengers had all been wearing seat belts. They were all fine, except for one of the children because the doctor was concerned she may have an internal abdominal injury. Other than that they all appeared fine, just shaken up by how their mother/grandmother looked.
About this time the police, fire truck and ambulance finally showed up, a good 20 minutes after the accident occurred. They moved in and took over care, put out the truck fire and grass fire that was burning several feet away from the truck driver and his friend.
The police took down our contact info as well as our eyewitness accounts of the accident. They then thanked us for taking care of everyone until their arrival and told us it was time to get in our cars and leave so they could get the traffic cleared up.
They also told us to realize we were also "shook up" and to be careful as we drove. I soon found out they were right. We stopped at a rest area about 15 miles down the road. We got out of the car and sat in the shade of a tree. My wife, kids, and I talked about what we all saw and did.
I am still sorting out my thoughts.
If any of you know about this accident, and of links to news about it, I would appreciate help finding them. My wife and I would like to know what happened to Betty and the others.
I have to finish driving to Ohio today, so I may not get back until tomorrow.
Update/edit:
For those who followed this I thought you would like to know all but the driver of the car that started this accident lived AND with injuries that should completely heal with time and therapy. Scarring will remain, though. Plus the widows pain of losing her husband.
Thanks.
Last edited:
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