Big Bang

On Friday, November 21, while heading to work, I was involved in an auto collision. I was headed downtown past Utah State University, on cruise-control, at 40 mph, when a woman came off the USU campus, at the old library location and nailed me...or T-Boned me. She was attempting to cross the the highway to head east. A witness told the police that I did not have a chance. She reported that the driver did not stop at the stop sign...just accelerated out across the four lane highway and hit me broadside. The driver admitted that she did not look in my direction. Why not? Who knows, but you would think that she would have been extra careful, since she had a four month old baby with her. Remarkably, neither of them was hurt. But she was given a citation. Apparently that campus exit has been the site of many accidents and at least one death. USU ought to make it a right turn only exit.

When Jeff Miller, the auto-repair man, called to report on the condition of my Charger R/T...he said "You were hit really hard Tony...the impact even wrinkled the roof." The front right quadrant and right door were destroyed. He thought it was probably repairable.

I did not see the accident unfold. Most people say that such accidents happen in slow-motion...but I did not see anything until the BANG. After that I don't recall much. I was wearing my seat belt and the air bag deployed, so when I came around the car was full of smoke and two women were at my door asking if I was OK. I was not sure. I could not breathe and there was blood dripping off my fingers. Nate later suggested that the air-bag gasses probably contributed to my breathing problem. The blood looked worse than it was. The skin had been peeled back on the back of my hands...still don't know how.

I was trying to get out of the car when the police arrived...it was more difficult than I expected...things weren't responding normally. The police asked me to stay in the car until the paramedics arrived. I could hear conversation about my age and my difficulty breathing. I was telling them that I thought I was OK. They convinced me that it would be best under the circumstances if I was transported to the emergency room for observation. It was probably a good move, but it was a most uncomfortable ride. I was on a board with a neck brace, and I swear the ambulance had no shocks...and one paramedic was trying to stick an IV in my arm...which is never easy at the best of times. I was impressed that he did it.

Prior to that another police officer had talked with me. It was James Gale, a pilot and friend of Andy's. Kathie and I had been to James' home with Andy and Missy a few weeks before. He drove a six cylinder police version of the Charger. Mine was an R/T with a HEMI engine. So like boys with their toys, I said to James..."My Charger will go faster than your Charger James." He thought that was pretty funny. But last Friday, after determining that I was OK, or that I thought I was OK, James poked his head in the car and said "My Charger will go faster than your Charger Tony." Now that's funny.

The best part about the emergency room experience was the warm blanket. For some reason I was chilled. Kathie arrived, Steve and Dan came...and I was wheeled off to the x-ray room by a young tech who knew Steve. They took all sorts of chest images and at one point this young lady said "You know...you have really long lungs"...I responded..."You know... I have never had a girl tell me that before." She laughed and said...."I'm glad to see that you still have a sense of humor...It is obvious where your son gets his from."

Steve asked how I was feeling. It was hard to describe. I felt like I had had the stuffing knocked out of me. I just hurt all over. Steve suggested that it might be like the day after a really hard workout. That was appropriate. The doctor suggested it would only get worse, before it got better. He prescribed some pain pills. He was right.

Then George Knapp showed up. George is a friend from California, whom I met in Sydney in 1965. He and his wife Bonnie dropped in on us last year. George called last week to say that he would be in Logan on the following Friday and we had planned to get together. So When George arrived at the office, our receptionist Beth, informed him that I was in the Emergency Room. George stayed with us until I was released and then followed us home where we had a good chat...mainly about his experiences campaigning for Prop 8 in California.

Then I slept...and slept some more.