CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 BILL HUTCHENS
B Company, 1st Brigade,
82nd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
It was just after morning formation and I was on my way to an appointment. As I pulled out of the airfield, I found myself behind a very slow driver. We stopped at a red light and, when it turned green, she just sat there. I tapped my horn and she finally began moving. I followed her through a left-hand turn and, because I felt she was driving erratically, passed her. I glanced in my rearview mirror and I saw her come to a complete stop for a blinking yellow caution light.
I continued down the road and stopped at a red light. When I glanced again in my rearview mirror, I saw her quickly approaching. I realized she wasn’t going to stop. I looked down and saw I wasn’t wearing my seat belt. All I could think to do was lean back in my seat and prepare for the impact.
The woman never braked and slammed into me at full speed, causing my air bag to deploy. However, without my seat belt to restrain me, my head hit the air bag and went around its right side and struck the dash next to the stereo. To make matters worse, the previous night I’d tried to remove my truck’s stereo. Unfortunately, the metal rods I’d been using to pry the stereo out were still sticking out of its sides. One of the metal rods scraped the left side of my forehead, temple and ear and caused a nasty gash. Looking back, I realize how lucky I was that I did not lose an eye.
I got out of the truck, my adrenaline pumping so hard I didn’t notice the gash or the blood coming out it. When I went back to check on the lady who hit me, her teenage daughter got out. She immediately began apologizing and told me her mother was taking several prescription drugs.
My truck was totaled. When she rear-ended me, she pushed me into the vehicle ahead. Fortunately, no one was injured and they only suffered some minor damage to their rear bumper. After the police arrived, they filled out the accident reports and ticketed the woman. An emergency medical technician cleaned the blood off the side of my head and asked if I needed an ambulance. I told him I didn’t, but later I had my wife take me to the emergency room. Although I was extremely sore for a few weeks after the accident, I was thankful my injuries were so minor.
From a safety standpoint, there were many things I should have done differently. I should have put my seat belt on immediately after I got into my vehicle. If I’d been wearing it, it would have kept me in the proper position to benefit from my air bag. Instead, I became unrestrained flying object headed for a nasty collision with the dash. When I noticed the woman was a hazard on the road, I should have immediately called and reported her. That might have caused her to be stopped, which would have prevented the accident. Finally, leaving sharp objects protruding from the dash or lying loose inside a vehicle is never a good idea. In a crash, they can cause serious — even deadly — injuries.
I learned from my mistakes so as not to repeat them. Before you get on the road, make sure you’ve done all you can to protect yourself and others riding with you. Most importantly, before you back out, buckle up. You won’t have time to reach for your seat belt when an approaching driver’s grill suddenly fills your rearview mirror.