Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex Blair
Rob
'This has to be you....
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Yes, that was (and luckily still is) me. I looked to the right and there was a locomotive heading down the tracks. It was cloudy out, the short train was mostly silver, and somehow it had not caught my attention until then. I locked on my brakes but was pretty sure I was either going to stop on the tracks or else hit the side of the train. So I gunned it and hoped for the best. Here was the result:
You can see where my car caught air and bent the bottom corner of the train crossing sign. Not sure where the ride went from there, I think I may have spun in the air once before the car hit the ground and headed down the ditch. I was quite happy to walk away from the car, and noticed my tools laying all over the road. I picked them all up and brought them near the car. Some ladies pulled up and I wanted them to just call the RCMP and not 911, since it was not an emergency in my books. I went to meet the train crew who were relieved that it was not a fatality. I then went and disconnected the negative terminal on my battery, knowing the rescue guys would cut them. The first volunteer fireman showed up and wanted me to sit and he would hold my neck in case of spinal injury. I did not want to, since I thought it was pointless at that time, but he seemed like a nice fellow so I did. When the ambulance showed up they were going to put on a neck brace and put me on a board. I told them they were blowing this way out of proportion, and if they insisted I would refuse treatment. So they gave me a quick checkout in the amb and released me. During this time one of the fireman snuck down and cut the positive battery cable, for what reason I do not know.
A policemen from CNR had driven out all the way from Winnipeg and was also relieved it was not another fatality. He had been to 59 fatality's in the 10 years he had worked there. He was actually quite a nice guy, but had to do his job and wrote me a ticket. He also said to me that he felt I made the right decision since I was still alive.
I had called my friend Dirk who was heading to Wpg and he came and got me and drove me home. Before leaving, he held the cables onto the battery and I recovered my Johny Cash CD from the player. I also had called my wife to tell her that I was fine but that the car had been written off by a train.
By the time I got home I was stiff to the point of not being able to get out of the truck. Chest strain from the seat belt, a twisted ankle, and for most of the week, a very stiff neck. But not a scratch on me.
I'll miss that car, it was a 2007 Honda Accord EXL with navigation system. But it is just a car, and I have more. Unfortunately my clean driving abstract will go down the toilet.
I apologized to the train crew for putting them through that, especially the two guys in the locomotive. I also felt bad for the passengers: they were still there 2 hours later when I left. I think they were removing some part of my car from the front of the train.
Funny thing is, I wasn't in a hurry, wasn't speeding, just for some reason I did not see the train. I guess when it is your time, it's your time. I looked at the ditches after the crash, and had I gone into the right one, I would have struck a solid cement culvert. The left side may have worked out better, but it was pretty steep, and there were railway ties there. Anyway, I made a decision, and I'm still here. A little sore still, but getting better every day.
Am I more aware of railway crossings now? You want to believe it.