Risk Management Magazine

While holding onto a rock to stabilize myself, I felt the ground beneath my feet begin to give way. At this point, any movement made my grip weaker. Eventually, I couldn’t hold on any longer and fell. I slid backward for 40 yards down an extremely steep ridge. Luckily, I hit a tree and flipped onto my stomach, still sliding down at a rapid pace.

When the over-tensioned binder released, all of the energy propelled the cheater bar like a catapult. On the way up, the bar struck the Soldier under the chin, breaking his jaw in three places. The force of the blow was so great that it lifted him off his feet and threw him from the trailer to the ground.

For some reason, those points put the fear of God in me to the extent that I still remember them to this day. I promised myself I would not become another statistic.