Ever see your life review fly by prior to dis aster? I totalled my Firehawk .

[Rich Weese]

I know how folks say sometimes they see their life in review when something traumatic is happening. I'm now a convert to those thoughts.
I flew to TX to sue a couple people and then drive my baby, a Hi performance 1994 Pontiac Firehawk back from TX to FL. ist day went fine. Yesterday was a very bad day. Just past Pensacola , in a slight drizzle, a car drifted into my lane and forced me off to the shoulder. It was slick, and in trying to return to I-10, i must've corrected too quickly and began fishtailing. It probably went back and forth, right to left, 4 or 5 times and then I knew the next one would go full circle or start rolling over on the Interstate. Scary, and this is when I saw my life in review.
The car didn't roll, but went full circle and then off the shoulder and down an embankment. Going sideways, I went driver door first into a concrete culvert with a large concrete drainage pipe protruding. It ripped into the lower part of the door and took everything under the car apart. Exhaust system with headers, separated the tranny from motor and ripped into the gas tank.
The car was swung around one more time and ended up against the bank on other side of ditch. I was trapped with driver door against me and smell of gas below. Passers by came down quickly and cut the belt loose and got me out the other door. State trooper and Tow truck told me I was very lucky to walk away.
My Firehawk is dead, but it could've really been my swan song. Car could've rolled(glass t-tops), been smashed by other traffic while spinning on I-10, gas catching fire, etc. I'm really sore, had some Dr. input today on concussion, little nauseous, but glad to be here still.
Sometimes, it is things like this that make you think about direction in life. I've been doing that today. I think of how quick life can change or be gone in a split second. I see the article on the USC tailback that dropped a 272 pound barbell on his throat. Now , a great athlete has a couple tubes in his throat, not able to speak- all in a couple seconds.
We should all take a glance at our lives once in awhile, decide if we're where we want to be and change directions as necessary. It makes you think about the things we spend our time on, and what we place value on. I suggest you take an inventory of your life, as I am doing, before you have an experience like I did to force your hand.
Glad to be back with BP. Thanks to those that have sent concerns and well wishes. Rich, back in FL, thankfully.

[Nick J.]

Rich, I spent 7yrs as a tow truck driver that worked for a company that all we did were police calls. We did Mesa police, MCSO, Tempe police and DPS. We did all their calls from motor assist(changing someones tire) to DUI's, routine arrests and the dreaded fatalities.

In 7 years I did 32 fatalities and I remember every single one. Many times I sat their and had to wait for them to pull the deceased out of the vehicle, other times they would be laid out in the street still. I've seen children spread out on the US60 at the 101SB interchange from being ejected during a rollover.

The worst one was a fellow co-worker/tow driver that I just had lunch with prior to him receiving the DPS call that he took that ultimately ended his life when another motorist slammed into him while he was cleaning. Unfortunately I was the one who got the second DPS call and had to see him dead on the highway. That could have easily been me if I were next up while we were eating, however I was 2nd up and he was 1st up.

I'm very glad you survived and I completely believe you when you say you see your life flash before you. I always wondered what their life was like the split second before they were killed in an accident. At one, we were cleaning a rollover that the driver was ejected EB US60 at Sossaman in east mesa and the drivers cell phone was still in the car and it was ringing. That made me feel for the family as they obviously didn't know yet, here I was cleaning up the mess while they were calling to check in on him having no clue he was already passed.

I don't mean to hijack with old war stories but it always hits home when vehicle accidents happen to people I know.

Again, I'm glad the car is dead but you're still walking to tell the story.