Cris and I went to Vernal and Duchesne for Thanksgiving. We had so much fun! Maren and Jesslyn came out from Provo, and we just visited and played around. On the Sunday after, we got up and left Vernal around 7 a.m. to drive home. Cris started to drive, and we knew the mountains were stormy, so I suggested to him that I drive and let him sleep, so he wouldn't be tired when we hit the snow.
I started driving just outside of Vernal and was doing fine. In between Dinosaur and Rangely, I started feeling sleepy. Cris was sound asleep, so I thought I better just let him go until we got to Rangely. I was so sleepy, but I knew that it wasn't much farther, so decided to keep going. It was a relief to finally hit Rangely, because I knew I was too tired to be driving. But, I was staying on the road, so I thought I was doing fine. As we left town, I thought, "I'd better find a place to pull over".
The next thing I knew, I was on the other side of the road, slamming into -- of all things -- a fish mailbox.
We kept going and I took out a "Point of Interest" sign.
We were on a bank, and I could see the edge of the hill where it dropped off, and -- Cris and I disagree about this -- I remember trying to turn the wheel, and Cris was trying to turn the wheel (we were both WIDE awake by now!). I finally slammed on the brakes and we ended up perpendicular to the road, with a totaled car.
Thankfully, we were not hurt, and no one was coming the other way. That was the most terrifying part for me. What if a tanker had been coming? Or a family in a car? It made me a little hysterical to think about it. A man was following us, and stopped to check on us. He called the police, and a patrolman was there in just a few minutes.
I was totally humiliated. He asked if I had been drinking, or if I'd been taking drugs. And -- no kidding -- there was a brand new empty beer can at my feet in the grass. He asked if it was mine. I was glad to tell him "no!" and glad that he believed me. Then he "invited" us to ride to the police station in his squad car, and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
We stayed there until Kelly Dastrup, along with our nephews Braden and Bryson, came to our rescue. They pulled the van onto Kelly's trailer (which was no small feat!) and hauled us back to Vernal.
We spent a good deal of the day trying to figure out where to rent a car to get us home, and had no luck. Thankfully, Leisa and Dean generously lent us their Expedition, so we were able to drive home on Monday.
The poor little van sat at Dastrups house for over a month. We listed it twice at ksl.com before getting it sold. (Another long story!). But a little family finally came out from north of Salt Lake and took it home. They had a white van just like it that had been rear ended, and our van was damaged on the front, so between the two cars, they could get one that worked!
So... now I am driving the Jeep, and Cris is driving the Sable. We've been looking at cars, but aren't too anxious to take on a car payment until we feel a little more comfortable with the economy and Ball's job situation.
What is the moral of this sad tale? I'm sure there are many, but the main one -- for me, anyway -- is this: NEVER DRIVE TIRED! When I called my dad after the crash, he told me that it is a rule of thumb with truckers that if you ever feel tired when you are driving, and tell yourself that you'll pull over when your reach "X" location, then you should pull over NOW instead.
He told me that he saw many times over the years truckers who had rolled rigs only a hundred yards or so from where they were going to stop. People let their guard down and relax when they think they are almost there-- and then they fall asleep.
I'm sure that is what happened to me. I was consciously looking for a place to stop when I fell asleep. It was morning, so I didn't think I could possibly be too tired to be driving. I mean, who falls asleep at 8 a.m.? (okay, ME!) So-- learn from my mistakes, and don't drive tired! I know I learned my lesson and I won't do that again!
2 comments:
It could have been so much worse. I think your guardian angel was watching you that day. I'm glad you got the van sold!
I liked see the pictures you took at the accident. It made me understand what happened a little more clearly. I, too, think you had angels helping you that day. I am glad everyone, including Sophie, made it through unhurt.
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