A Rookie Driver Comes Across His First Accident Scene

In 1980, I was a newbie, only a few weeks into my first semi-trucking job with Harry H. Long Moving, Storage and Express out of Milwaukee when I came across my first accident scene. I had to deliver a load to a small town in northwest Wisconsin early and was on a very rural two lane highway at about 3am in the morning. Coming around a shallow curve I saw an object in the center of my lane which turned out to be a large truck tire and wheel which had evidently fallen off a semi. It was very dark but I saw it in time to go around and as I came back into my lane saw the taillights of a car sitting past the ditch quite away off the highway. 

I pulled off on the shoulder, activating my 4-ways and got out to check. Before exiting the cab I called out on the CB radio but got no response. I remember the sickening feeling in my stomach as I ran through the the weeds and brush to the car which was a Chevy Caprice. I could hear the engine idling but saw no one in the vehicle. Approaching and looking in the side window there was an older woman laying across the seat and I hollered, asking if she was OK and opened the door.

Her voice was weak and she responded that her back hurt and she couldn't move. I thought to myself "what do I do now?"  

Seeing the transmission lever still in Drive, the car was wedged up against a stump or something preventing it from moving, I put it in Park, left the heater on, and told her to stay still while I get some help. Running back up to the highway, I went to the truck wheel and tire, moving it to the shoulder so no one else would run into it. There were no houses that I could see in the area, I ran back to the truck and tried the CB again with no luck. Finally after a few minutes I saw the headlights of a car approaching and got out to wave it down. There was a woman inside and I asked her to go to the nearest phone and call for help. She agreed and left the scene. That was way back in the days before cell phones and it was a lonely feeling wondering if she actually went to a farmhouse to phone or just blew me off. 

I stayed at the truck, still trying to get a response on the CB. Finally, I could hear sirens off in the distance and the police and ambulance showed up. I reported my contact info and story to the Sherriff's deputy who checked my truck over to make sure the tire and wheel had not come off my rig. He then sent me on my way and I never did find out the status of the woman in the Caprice. Pretty eye opening and scary stuff for a rookie truck driver. 

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