The Day I Almost Died

I am very passionate about April 28 because of what almost happened to me. As a safety professional I have a very unique understanding of why we need to do more, understand better, and convey to others what the outcomes could be if they fail to realise the hazards before they start any task. 

I wasn’t always in the safety field. I use to drive a tow truck back in the mid-80s, and I sure wasn’t safe. Back then we never heard about Risk Tolerance or Hazzard Assessments. Hell we barley did a pre-trip. We had the contract for the city so we did all the accident and a crap load of recoveries.  We would pull cars and trucks out of ditches, ravines full of toxic waste runoff from the farms, the Fraser River took ma few and all while putting extreme stress on chains and cables that could have snapped any time. And a few of them did. Once you hear that sound going past your head you never forget it.

I was a very young and arrogant man back then. We didn’t believe that we could get hurt. We didn’t even think about it. On one Sunday morning my pager went off and during the phone call I made to the dispatch, I was directed to go to the storage yard and grab a vehicle to tow back to an owner. It was nice day, I remember that. My propane was low so I went and fuel up both side mounted tank. I then drove south down River Rd. from the Alex Fraser Bridge in Delta British Columbia at around 8:30am. My truck, a 1986 Chev 1 ton with a Holmes 480 split boom was looking good that day, with a fresh wash and detail. Damn I loved that truck.

My turn was coming up, gearing down with a line of cars behind me. Yes I feel like the leader of the pack. My music was cranked right up, Siting back in my set, smoking a cigarette. I was Stylin and Profilin.  There's my turn, hit the blinkers, no cars ahead so why slow down.  I just took the turn and that when it happened. Before I knew it I was rolling in a circle, my backend was up and over the top, and then I say the road coming right at my face. But it wasn’t over, another twisting roll after the cab was getting crushed, and then I finally came to a stop. I was upside down now, hanging from my seat belt, fading in and out. I don’t mind telling you, but after a few seconds I say some light. I thought that was it. I'm going home.

 Sirens, I can hear sirens. I'm alive, I'm sure scared though, but all will be well because the ones we see all the time while cleaning up accidents are coming for me this time. I think every fireman and cop working that morning raced down to Tilbury Industry Park because one of the tow guy was in a lot of trouble. After cleaning out the remainder of the front windshield, a fireman climbed in and collard me up before I was to be extracted and boarded. I can't even feel my body. They took me away but at least I recognized the medic sitting beside me from other MVAs we worked together. "Relax Mike" I could hear him say "Going to take some vitals"

When I was in the hospital I learned that during my left hand turn a van was racing up the wrong side of the road in the oncoming lane because he was too impatient and was trying to pass the row of over 10 cars behind me. They estimated his speed at over 160 km/h. Just missing by 6 inches the fully charged propane tank I just filled. When he T-boned my driver side and due to my turn, it sent me into a corner to corner cartwheel two time. He bounced off me so hard that he flew into the Fraser River far enough that all was to be seen of the van was a foot of roof above the waterline. They had to bring in a boat to rescue him and yes wouldn’t you know it, he was fine. Sitting on the roof of that van watching as they extracted me and loaded the ambulance. It turns out he had a blood alcohol level of 1.2 on a Sunday morning.

After a few hours in the hospital I regained my body back, the feeling had returned and I was able to walk. After they dressed the cuts and collard my neck with a disposable, I went down to the tow yard. I had to see my truck. I had to see how close I came to dying that day. My poor truck was twisted so bad that the boom was hanging in pieces and the back box assembly was facing the passenger side. The cab was crushed down a foot and the doors when popped almost right off. I do consider myself so very luck though. Two weeks prior I purchased a top chest of a tool box, loaded it with Snap-On and that usually sat right beside me in the passenger seat. An 80 lb box of loss medal in the cab. How stupid was that.

 I did a Hazzard Assessment a few years ago on this entire morning and when I was done I had over 15 pages of data on a single event. The things we do when we are young, ill-informed, a total lack of supervision and with such a Risk Tolerance,   would go beyond the tip of the Hierarchy Hazard Triangle. Someday I am surprised I am still alive. However at the end of that day, I wouldn't change a thing because it has given me a very unique look at safety in the workplace through the eyes that almost died.