Roadside Emergency

I have published a column at least twice regarding what tools and equipment you should have in your vehicle for emergencies.  One emergency I specifically named is that of a vehicle plunging into deep water either through driving on a flooded highway or through an accident that sends the vehicle into a body of water.

Now I want to revert to that advice, because I have a real-life story about what happened to a family in Utah when that very event happened.  It has a happy ending, so you don’t have to decide whether to read on or not.

On the last day of 2011, a car did go off Highway 89 near Logan, Utah and landed upside down in an icy river. The driver was able to escape, but three children, two nine-year-old girls and a four-year-old boy were trapped inside the upside down car.

An off-duty police officer dove into the river and used his gun to shoot out one of the side windows.  Then he used his pocketknife to cut seat belts and rescue the children. Luckily, all four victims survived the accident.

The Ogden Accident brought to mind my column and also got me thinking about the circumstances that ensued in that accident; specifically how fortunate it was that that cop, armed with a gun and a knife, was one of the first to come upon the scene.

How very different the outcome would have been had there not been anyone armed with those particular tools (weapons) to rescue those kids!

With all the security procedures we are currently subject to at airports, and in some respects at all public locations, what are the chances that anyone will have the proper tools to perform the task that officer Chris Willden did?  I’d answer slim to none.

It just happened that last week I was with a group of men and we needed a knife to cut some plastic.  Not one of us had a pocketknife, and we wound up using a nail clipper to do the job.  A pocketknife used to be standard equipment in every guy’s pocket, but I don’t even know where my Swiss Army knife is anymore.  I took it out of my pocket years ago when I was taking a trip by air, and I never put it back in there.

If ever there was a reminder or a first call for you to purchase one of those emergency survival tools that looks like a pair of pliers, or a car tool that contains a belt cutter, flashlight, hammer and emergency beacon, this is it. You can purchase them online for less than $10.  I only provided one link, but there are several available, and if you have Auto parts stores in your neighborhood, they probably carry one too for less than $20. In fact, I saw one at my local Walmart yesterday morning.