He was feeling really good and looking forward to another Gun Show where he is a vendor and buys and sells guns and ammo. He was loaded up and left for a community near Albany, Oregon early morning June 12th. I was pretty nervous about this trip since he had been so sick but he was determined to go so he left at 6:30AM.
His destination is approx 3 hours away and he always calls me along the way to let me know that he is okay.His first call always comes from Reedsport about 45 minutes away. I was up and having coffee at around 8AM and wondering why I hadn't heard from him when I got a call from the Reedsport Sheriffs Department and the voice on the other end said "hello, is this Patti Koosed?" I answered puzzled as to who would be calling this early. "This is officer Gardner with the Reedsport Sheriffs Dept., don't be alarmed but your husband has been in a pretty bad accident and he is pretty banged up. He hit some trees and he must have been on his was to a gun show because there are guns and ammo everywhere!" He then gave me directions on how to get to the Lower Upmqua ER where they had taken him.
All the way there I kept thinking of how he would have to replace his bumper and probably a fender since he hit some trees. Then I saw the area where the wreck had happened. It was only about 3 miles this side of Reedsport. There was a large warning sign that said WRECK AHEAD and it was all blocked off with orange cones but the truck was not there. About 5 minutes before I saw the wreck site, Alan called me and said he was okay. I had no idea what was to come.
When I arrived at the hospital the police met me in the parking lot and told me my husband needed to go buy a lottery ticket. I ask why and they ask me if I had seen photos of the accident. Of course I had not seen them, I just got there. They told me to go inside and see the photos on the paramedics phone and then I would understand.
When I went inside he was sitting on a gurney in the ER with a very large gash on the side and under his right eye. It had not been stitched up yet and he had burises all over and scrapes and cuts and then I saw the photos.....my heart skipped a few beats as I realized how close he came to death. That is when I broke down The police and paramedics both said they did not expect any one to be alive when they arrived on the scene. He was trapped under his steering wheel and his head was between the window frame of the truck and one of the trees he hit!
Bless the paramedics, police and firemen who cut him out. It took an hour to cut him out and they had to cut very near his head but he was awake and alert and I am pretty sure he was in shock. He said he turned off the ignition put the truck in park and handed the keys to the paramedic.
He walked out of the ER about 2 hours later and we went to the Mast Brothers wrecking yard to see the truck. When I turned the corner and walked around the gate and saw the truck I almost fainted. I know now what the police and paramedics thought when they came upon this accident. It is a miracle he is alive and I thank God for his Mercy.
This is a shot of Alan's head trapped between the truck door and the tree.
Totaled truck, and I was worried about a fender and a bumper!
This is the first thing we saw as we entered the wrecking yard. His beautiful red Dodge Ram Dually .
The entire truck was crumpled except fot the area under the steering wheel where Alan was
You can see it would have been right under the airbag
We are so blessed that he did not have anyone with him. They would not have survived.
Alan's nickname is Rooster so this was his license plate.
I did a collage with this picture.
We had this truck for 15 years. It had over 410,000.00 miles on it.
Many memories with this truck over the years and it will be missed.
Since it was a Dually, Alan named it Tom as in the song hang down you head Tom Dooley.
R.I.P. Tom
Thank you God for your mercy on my husband.
4 comments:
Read your article, Patti. What a horrific crash site! Your husband has one amazing angel watching over him. So glad he came out of it okay. TFS.
Gayle.
What a story! If you were writing a script for a Hollywood thriller it couldn't be more riveting. Your Alan is so blessed to be alive and well. The photos of the wreck would never suggest that anyone could have survived.
Marie.
Oh my goodness...sending up a praise for his safety.
Deb
I was there. I was the second person to get to the truck and the first person to speak to him. I stayed with him talking to him until emergency response arrived. I went to work that day with him on my mind. After work I called the hospital in Reedsport trying to reach him. I wanted to shake his hand and wish him a speedy recovery. Sadly they would not tell me whether he was or was not there and I never got the chance. I'm so glad he made it through.
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