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.
