I am not a stunt man ...

Now that I know what it is like to roll a car down a ravine I never have to experience that again.

I am not a stunt man.

I may do crazy stuff like parasail, marathon, martial arts, and the like, but I am not a stunt man.


It has been over 23 years since I was involved in an accident. Actually, I should clarify that. It has been over 23 years since I hit anything. Coincidentally, I have had my driver’s license for just over 23 years. I have been bumped into a few times, as in rear ended twice at the same intersection in two weeks in 1999. And, I was the middle car in a three car rear-ender on 99 in 1983 when I was 16, but I will swear until my dying day that I was hit and pushed (when you are 16 they assume you did it and give you the ticket pretty much no matter what). The rear-enders I was in ever really led to any serious bodily harm, so I have been very lucky. I have also always been a pretty careful driver, so that has to do with some of it.

Middle of last week I was driving down this windy road in Brier and saw a car up against a tree in some bushes. This is not the first accident I have seen the aftermath of on that road either. It is a windy, go slow and you’ll be okay, but you need to be careful anyway sort of road. I don’t always take that road, but it is the most convenient route to the park and ride.

So, Friday morning I take the windy road. I am in good shape on time to catch my bus. I had noticed the roads had a lot of frost. There wasn’t much traffic given the holidays. As I started down the road I came upon the site of the previously mentioned accident and noted that the area was sanded. Still, I slowed down. I came down to the bottom curve and slowed down to turn and everything was fine. However, as I came out of the turn I felt the vehicle give a little slide. It was too late immediately. The vehicle spun. I admit I was much more concerned about oncoming traffic in the first instant than anything else. Then I saw the hillside. I could not have been going more than 10-15 miles per hour, but with that patch of frost/ice it really didn’t matter, that was too fast. I saw the drop off and can picture the image, it was a long way down. I braced myself for the airbags. I remember my head hitting the roof and my neck cracking 5 times. I remember the jerking motion and the lurch to a stop.

I resisted getting a cell phone for several years. I am glad I have one now. I called for help. I called my folks. I called work. I was lucky.

But, I was more lucky for other reasons. It appears I traveled a good 35 feet. The van landed on its wheels. The van landed in a huge blackberry bush. The structural damages do not appear to be severe; I do need a new driver’s side mirror, and I will need to do some work on the roof. I walked away.

My dad got there. The police responded, although they drove past once not seeing me down the ravine (the responding officer said it just looked like a parked car on the side of the driveway). The wrecker winched out the van and it appeared it had a chance to still be drivable. Unfortunately, the oil pan was damaged and so the oil was leaking. The oil pan is a solvable problem. It appears I will be still driving the minivan when I get it back later in the week. The front end never hit anything so the airbag never deployed. No other fluids were leaking. The seatbelt held (the officer said he knew I had been wearing it since my left shoulder hurt). No wheels blew out. No axles seem to be broken. The kids weren’t in the car. Dasher was at my folks and not in the back. My father was able to come to the scene as it was close to my folks’ house and my father’s work. The vehicle was not additionally damaged by the winching. I missed the tree in front of me by maybe a foot or two. I landed upright. I did not hit any oncoming traffic. No one else got hurt.

(I went back to the scene the next afternoon to take pictures and show my mother where it happened. It was a farther drop than I remembered. I had hoped it would seem like less and not like more.)

I was able to unbuckle, open my own door, and walk away.

I have always said you have to shoot and kill a Toyota. Case closed.

While we were getting the police report written there were a number of people who almost joined me down the ravine. The officer set some flares and it slowed some people down, but they were still sliding while going slow. I got to watch them sand the road while they towed the van away.