Head on collision right beside me

[bigfish1965]

On my way home tonite, I was crossing the Glendale bridge over the Welland Canal. The bridge had just come down so lots of traffic. Some guy flies up and tried to pass me directly into oncoming traffic. There was a violent head on collision. The one car shot up in the air...the noise was awful. It was a few seconds before I knew I had not been hit.

I got out, could hear a woman screaming and called 911 on my cell. The dispatcher walked me through a bunch of steps..no one is dead, everyone is conscious, no obviously life-threatening injuries. The car that got nailed was a couple on vacation from New Brunswick. She had been hurt bad by the seat belt and airbags. But no doubt she would have been dead had she not been wearing it. Same for her boyfriend. He had injured his ankle and was trapped in the car.

The dispatcher asked is there was gas or fluids...I said yeah..both cars were demolished, and stuff was everywhere.

I told her we were on the edge of the bridge and to make sure no more boats where coming.

Over the bridges PA system a booming voice asked if I was talking to police. I gave thumbs up. There are a few cameras on the bridge. He was then using the PA to clear the bridge of cars so he could put on the lights and lock down the bridge.

The guy who pulled out was stunned but walked away.

The dispatcher asked if there was a fire, I said no, she said leave everyone where they are, but the guy who was stunned would not sit down. I think he was in shock. Seaway security showed up a few seconds later. We got all the cars off the bridge to make a pathway for emergency vehicles. It was tough for everyone to get out..it is a narrow bridge. but both cars were wedged in and going backwards was the only way out.

All the emergency crew arrived and took car of the woman right away. She looked to have a broken shoulder. Her boyfriends leg was okay and he has a few airbag burns.

I was amazed at the response and the dispatcher. The guys know their stuff. When the first firetruck arrived we had to look around to find the one driver. They managed to convince him to sit down or they would put him on a backboard.

I offered to call anyone for them, but they had no family or friends in the area. The police then called the girls parents to let them know that she was hurt but okay.

I said that it must be hard to do that..he said not at all..its hard when you have to call someone to tell them that it wasn't okay.

I didn't take any pictures. I thought it would have been disrespectful...but I still can't get over how everyone lived given the carnage of the vehicles. Every window int he car that got hit blew out...both cars where half their normal size.

The one care was a VW and the other a GM.

I spoke to the couple before they left..I found a birthday card on the ground, it was hers. I handed it to her before they extricated her from the car. They both were such a nice couple and I hated to see their vacation wrecked by some asshat...but glad they were okay.

I know what charges the police were thinking about and they were headed over to the Seaway office to watch the video tapes. Security said they got the whole thing on tape.

As for the other guy...You nearly killed two people...hope you learn to drive like a responsible person after this.

[timmeh]

That's kinda of scary stuff. Good to hear no serious injuries but sounds like they were lucky. And good on you for helping out.

 

A few years ago I was waiting at a red light and saw a guy blow through it and t-boned a minivan. The impact must have screwed the minivan's tranmission as it spun around in a complete circle, then went into reverse very quickly and backup up onto one of the those stability lines that hold up telephone poles. The minivans front tires were on the ground and the van itself was on a 45 degree angle up on the line. No one hurt badly but the minivan driver was histerical when she was helped out.

[alexcba]

WOW.. glad to hear everyones alright. awesome that you were able to help out and make sure everyone was safe.. i swear 60% of licensed drivers should really not have a license. glad everything worked out and no fatalities.

[Big Cliff]

Glad you are ok and no one was killed Rick, good on you for keeping your cool and helping out.

[bushart]

You know I've been driving for 34 years now and have driven all over Canada and within the last few years ---I'm gettin scared to drive.

 

Too many of the described above out there---I don't know what happened---Is it due to just more drivers?---too distracted?----self imposed busy lifestyle?

 

Glad everyone is ok.

[JohnF]

Good job Rick. It was a truck driver with the same kind of me first attitude who killed our son. You can understand why I'm not at all sympathetic.

[discophish]

I'm so sorry to hear that about your son John. That's terrible.

 

I had a similar experience where our bound was occupied by an oncoming passer. We were lucky to have lost control on the hwy and missing everything down a hill off the road. It's not something that I like to remember.

 

I'm glad everyone was okay Rick.

[Rattletrap2]

Rick,

Sounds like things turned out okay....all things considered. We know it could have been so much worse. Some people can be so stupid when it comes to operating a vehicle!

Glad you were ok and the young couple will recover (well physically anyway, mentally make take a whole lot longer).

 

When we first moved here, our oldest Daughter was going to work on a sunny April Saturday morning and as she drove down highway 10, a complete idiot did not like the fact that she was doing the speed limit and chose to pass on the gravel shoulder at approx. 90 to 100 kph! He lost control of his mini van and bounced off my daughters rear quarter panel before going broadside in to a roll. He had a male passenger beside him in a seatbelt, but the three girls in the back were not strapped in. As the van rolled over and over, the three girls were ejected.

 

The injuries were very, very serious to the driver and the three girls. Many air ambulances were involved and the highway was shut down all day till about 3 pm.The case is still before the courts almost three years later. Unfortunately, my Daughter still has trouble getting past what she saw that morning. One of the girls landed a few feet in front of her car when the dust settled. NOW, the lawyers are even attempting to sue her! They "shotgun" everyone involved in the hopes of making a hit! It is disgusting!

 

My point of all of this, is that the driver made a stupid choice and it affected a lot of people. Those poor girls will never fully recover from the head injuries. Neither will he ever fully recover.

Very sad when there was absolutely no need for this to ever happen. Road and weather conditions can cause accidents, these drivers (your guy on the bridge and the driver of the van in my daughters case) chose to be stupid.

[hammercarp]

I'm glad you're okay. The QEW has been just murderous the past couple of weeks. There has been accidents on the skyway brigde and one happened about 100 yards up to my right.

The accidents on the bridge are inexcusable. There are no on or off ramps, no curves just 4 straight lanes on either side. The accidents happen because jerks know there is no OPP presence on the bridge. So they tearass all over the place switching lanes without signalling and all the rest of the hyper aggressive crap.

Edited July 9, 2010 by hammercarp

[ctranter]

I'm glad you're okay. The QEW has been just murderous the past couple of weeks. There has been accidents on the sky brigde and one happened about 100 yards up to my right.

The accidents on the brigde are inexcusable. There are no on or off ramps, no curves just 4 straight lanes on either side. The accidents happen because jerks know there is no OPP presence on the bridge. So they tearass all over the place switching lanes without signalling and all the rest of the hyper aggressive crap.

 

I see this happen all the time. There are sections of the QEW between Grimsby and St Catherines where people regularly push speeds of 130-140. Last week when I was coming home from school I got tailgated in the middle lane at 130. Also, exactly like hammercarp said, Ive seen people rip up before the skyway, often weaving between lanes. I have also been driving over the skyway in a minivan weighted with an entire family and almost been blown off course with a hard gust of wind. I tend to be against police speedtraps, mostly because its only a cash grab in my part of Toronto, but I would be in favor of more police presence on the QE for sure.

[Fish4Eyes]

That guy is facing dangerous driving 8 points, no doubt. He deserves jail time!

[mbosh1980]

Rick, good on you. It sounds like you stayed cool and did everything right.

John F you hit the nail right on the head with the "me first" attitude. We need a fundamental shift in our approach to driving. Sad state of affairs on the roads.

[ccmtcanada]

Wow Rick. Pretty scary stuff...but you handled yourself perfectly given the situation and helped to try and restore calm to chaos. Hoping that couple makes a full recovery....

[TJQ]

keeping your cool..... good on ya!

[Big Cliff]

I see this happen all the time. There are sections of the QEW between Grimsby and St Catherines where people regularly push speeds of 130-140. Last week when I was coming home from school I got tailgated in the middle lane at 130. Also, exactly like hammercarp said, Ive seen people rip up before the skyway, often weaving between lanes. I have also been driving over the skyway in a minivan weighted with an entire family and almost been blown off course with a hard gust of wind. I tend to be against police speedtraps, mostly because its only a cash grab in my part of Toronto, but I would be in favor of more police presence on the QE for sure.

You were doing 130 in a 100 zone and got tailgated? Really??? Sounds like a PERFECT place for a speed trap to me!

Edited July 9, 2010 by Big Cliff

[ctranter]

You were doing 130 in a 100 zone and got tailgated? Really??? Sounds like a PERFECT place for a speed trap to me!

 

Which was exactly my point. I don't go those speeds unless pressured, and even then feel uncomfortable. The problem is tolerance along that corridor by the OPP.

[JohnF]

Which was exactly my point. I don't go those speeds unless pressured, and even then feel uncomfortable. The problem is tolerance along that corridor by the OPP.

 

I drive that stretch of highway a lot and am always impressed, if that's the right word, by how fast traffic moves and how easy it is to get caught up in the rush.

 

JF

[Big Cliff]

Not me, I go 110, keep to the right as much as I can and if anyone wants to pass me they have two lanes to do it in, they can go for it!

 

It is really hard to pressure an old man, I want to get to Heaven but I'm not in any hurry to get anywhere at my age. Heck, I even had an OPP cruser stuck behind me for about 30 km the other day because I was doing 85 in an 80 zone and he just couldn't get past me, every time there was a clear stretch of Hwy., there were cars coming. Actually I kind of thought at one point he was using me as rolling camo LOL.

[JohnF]

Not me, I go 110, keep to the right as much as I can and if anyone wants to pass me they have two lanes to do it in, they can go for it!

 

It is really hard to pressure an old man,

 

I guess that's the difference between you and me. You reached our age with maturity. I just got older.

 

JF

[TC1OZ]

haha, I thought I was going to have to watch the news to see what all that commotion was. Me and my wife saw all the lights on the bridge from the skyway...

[fishing n autograph]

That guy is facing dangerous driving 8 points, no doubt. He deserves jail time!

That would be careless driving. Dangerous driving is a criminal charge which is hard to stick...if had really hurt someone I'd rather go with criminal negligence causing bodily harm. Easier to prove...

[fishing n autograph]

I see this happen all the time. There are sections of the QEW between Grimsby and St Catherines where people regularly push speeds of 130-140. Last week when I was coming home from school I got tailgated in the middle lane at 130. Also, exactly like hammercarp said, Ive seen people rip up before the skyway, often weaving between lanes. I have also been driving over the skyway in a minivan weighted with an entire family and almost been blown off course with a hard gust of wind. I tend to be against police speedtraps, mostly because its only a cash grab in my part of Toronto, but I would be in favor of more police presence on the QE for sure.

 

So you want police there but no enforcement??? Hmmm something wrong there....considering I'm now in the traffic unit

[bigfish1965]

So you want police there but no enforcement??? Hmmm something wrong there....considering I'm now in the traffic unit

 

The QEW there seems to have an unwritten code of conduct that 99% of drivers follow. Left lane, 130, center 120, right lave 110 or less (assuming weather is good, dry road). It just seems that everyone came to this consensus somehow (speed is, after all, relative). And its fine cause everyone is doing the same speed with safe distances.

BUT..then along comes asshat and screws it all up. By and large the OPP down here are on the hunt for asshats and leave everyone else alone.

[ctranter]

So you want police there but no enforcement??? Hmmm something wrong there....considering I'm now in the traffic unit

 

That's not what I was saying at all. I was saying that the problem is tolerance on behalf of the OPP with people pushing 130 regularity and not being pulled over.

 

The QEW there seems to have an unwritten code of conduct that 99% of drivers follow. Left lane, 130, center 120, right lave 110 or less (assuming weather is good, dry road). It just seems that everyone came to this consensus somehow (speed is, after all, relative). And its fine cause everyone is doing the same speed with safe distances.

BUT..then along comes asshat and screws it all up. By and large the OPP down here are on the hunt for asshats and leave everyone else alone.

 

This.

[smally21]

well managed rick. there is really little bystanders can do other than initiate the ems response and keep everyone cool. nice call about clearing the way for incoming vehicles. accurate info for first responders is vital!