The Night God, Logan & Dodge saved my life.

By Jill Bradley 

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My account of March 2, 2003, a day I won’t soon forget.

For as long as I can remember, I have been afraid of being in an auto accident.  When I started hauling horses, some 15 years ago that fear turned into an obsession with safety.  That over cautiousness along with modern technology and a few angels saved not only my life but also the life of my treasured horse, Ryon.

The day started like many other days for me.  “I was away from home competing in a horse show”.  I usually go to the shows by myself or meet up with my trainer and the rest of the “show team” , however, this weekend it was just Ryon (my horse ) & I.

It was the last day of a three day show which was being held in Hurricane Utah.  It had been raining and snowing for two days but on this day the sun was shinning and everything was looking good.  Ryon and I had finally become a team, and that partnership was very apparent at this show.  I often tell new horse owners not to get discouraged with their new horses “because it takes almost a year for you and your new horse to bond”, it had been a year for Ryon and I, the practicing had paid off -we couldn’t loose, no matter what the class - we came out victorious.

The show had come to an end and we had indeed won the all-around title.  This show was a two part series with the next show being in April.  The all-around winner for both shows would take home a trophy saddle for their efforts.  With the points I had accumulated from this show I was in a good position for winning the saddle.  After picking up my all-around prize, I said my good-byes and headed off to my trailer to pack up and start for home.

Ryon was in a great mood, he loves to compete and knows when he has done well.  While I was packing up “HIS” things he was busy raiding my pockets for treats.  Horse trailer cleaned out (can’t have my horse ride in a dirty trailer), feeder loaded with hay, it was time to load Ryon,.  Once he is loaded and safely tied, I check around the trailer to makes sure I haven’t forgotten anything.  I had one stop to make and than I would call home to tell Dan I was on my way.

Before I got on I-15 to start for home I stopped in a gas station to fill up my gas tank as well as get some munchies for the road.  Checked my tires, looked in on Ryon, checked the time, called the husband. 

Dan was making chicken dinner  and we estimated what  time I would be home.  Once I was on the 15 there was really nothing out of the ordinary to report.  Dan and I had discussed the Nascar race that was in Las Vegas that weekend and we had anticipated that I would hit some traffic in that  area.  For that  reason I was in no hurry to get home, I stayed in the slow  lane, ate my candy  and listened to the radio.

At the Valley Of Fire exit I phoned home to let Dan know where I was.  We have been doing this for so long that we have worked out a pretty good system.  Most of the time I travel alone between California & Las Vegas.  If I stop along the way (potty break), I call home and tell Dan exactly were I am or if he doesn’t answer I leave the time and a message on the machine.  I also call and let him know when I’m back in the truck.  This way if something  did happen he would know where I was last.  When I hung up the phone, I noticed my cell battery was almost dead so I thought to my self “I better turn it off just in case”.  Good thing I did.

It was now approaching night fall when I reached the Apex exit.  I noticed that the traffic had come to a stop ahead of me, the highway patrol was there directing traffic from the race.  My lane was slowing until we had come to a complete stop.  Stopped ahead of me was a double tractor trailer, I had stopped about two car lengths behind the big rig.  Growing up my dad would always haul me around to the shows.  He was a very slow and careful driver when hauling the horses.  One of the things he drilled into my head was “you stop far enough back so that you can see their side mirrors, if you can’t see them, they can’t see you” I’m glad I listened.

Whenever I am stuck in traffic, I watch out of my side mirrors to make sure the people behind me have noticed that I’m there and I’m stopped.  I can’t imagine that you can’t see me, I drive a big truck pulling a big trailer, but you can never be to sure.  The Orange big rig behind me was coming to a stop and was about  two car lengths back, I would guess he was going around 20 mph, then from nowhere came my nightmare come true, a big white semi truck and trailer were coming up fast with no hesitation.  I heard it first, the white semi rear-ended the orange  flatbed behind me at very high rate of speed, never touching his breaks, the driver of the white truck died on impact.  (The white semi would start a chain reaction that would put me and Ryon in the center of harms way)....This sent the Orange Semi/flatbed behind me carrying tons of raw steel into my horse trailer. The horse trailer was shoved into the bed of my dually and all three of us hooked together to form one long heavy line of destruction.  We were shoved forward 30 feet or so and pushed the stopped double rig another 100 feet.  The driver of that truck said “he was standing on the brakes and couldn’t believe that we were still pushing him”.

It was the strangest thing, I saw him coming, heard the hit, felt the initial hit, felt us being pushed forward at a high rate of speed, felt the second hit from the three of us rear ending the stopped semi and than felt the pull from being pulled backwards.  I will never  forget that  feeling of going backwards, I asked the trooper  about  it, he stated that when you are hit that hard gravity  pulls you back.

Once the truck had stopped moving and I was able to comprehend what had just happened, I pushed my door open enough for me to get out and check on Ryon.

It was like a scene out of a movie, smoke, dust, gas fumes, a man asking me if I was alright, all I could think about was Ryon.  The impact had popped my drop down windows open on my Horse Trailer; peeking out of his window was Ryon.  He had a bloody nose and a small laceration on his cheek.  His eyes were alert but not frightened; thank goodness he was a seasoned show horse.  He just stood there like a trooper.  I of course was in a defensive state of mind (my child had been hurt), I immediately approached the flatbed driver that rear ended me and in a very threatening voice asked him “what the hell where you thinking?  And proceeded that with “ if you hurt my horse, I’m going to hurt you”. He looked up at me with a blank look on his face.

I was afraid to look into the trailer to see what kind of bodily damage Ryon had sustained.  From the time it took me to turn on the flash light until I raised my arm to shine it in the trailer seemed like eternity.  I couldn’t believe what I saw.......There was Ryon with a Semi Truck in the horse trailer (it had stopped at his back foot) engine parts, trailer parts, unknown parts all around him and he didn’t have a scratch on him.  The padded divider was still pinned in place and rather than breaking it had bowed around him.  It had sustained a huge impact because it was in a “U” shape but still intact. 

My mind went into “this is what I have to do to save Ryon mode”.  The troopers were asking me questions but until I had taken care of him they would have to wait.  I grabbed my cell phone and remembered I only had a small amount of battery left.  I called home  and probably gave my husband the worst call of his life.  The cell phone was breaking up and there was a lot of noise around me.  I wasn’t sure if Dan could hear me or not, I could barely hear him.  The call went something like this “DAN CAN YOU HEAR ME? I’VE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, I NEED A TRUCK AND A TRAILER NOW!, CALL LESLIE, IT’S REALLY BAD, THE GUY THAT HIT US IS DEAD, HURRY!! The phone went dead, we lost our connection. Dan called back to ask what Leslie (Dr. Schur) needed - I stated “SHE NEEDS TO SEDATE RYON SO THEY CAN CUT HIM OUT OF THE TRAILER”. This time the cell phone battery went dead.  I knew Dan would know about where I was because we had just spoken a few miles back at the Valley Of Fire.  Now, I had to get into my trailer and find my emergency kit to sedate Ryon.  By this time the fire trucks, ambulance and police had arrived.  They had huge lights and load machines, Ryon was staying calm but I wouldn’t take a chance of him freaking out.  When I opened the tack room door on the trailer everything was everywhere!.  On top of the mess waiting for me was my Emergency Kit.  I knew I only had enough sedation for about 45 minutes.  Ryon is good with needles and stood there patiently while my hands were shaking like a leaf as I was trying to give him his shot.  A dear friend had given me this kit for a Christmas present, I told her than it was the best present I had ever received but hoped I would never have to use it.  I’m sooo glad I had it with me.

After sedating Ryon my cavalry arrived.  Dr. Leslie Schur and her wonderfully calm husband Darrell where the first to show up.  Before Leslie looked at Ryon she came up and gave me a big hug.  Leslie, you will never know how much that hug and your friendship means to me, thank you for rushing to my aid.  I couldn’t leave Darrell out so I hugged him too!!.  I went over with Dr. Schur what I had sedated Ryon with and at that time I knew Ryon would be in good hands.  I don’t think you can find a better couple to handle your horse for you.  Within minutes of their arrival my husband Dan (what a great sight that was to see him) and a very good friend, Mike Palmira pulled up with Mike’s truck and trailer.  Mike is the other anchor to this story, within minutes of Dan’s call,  Mike was hooked up and ready to go.  We feel very fortunate to be able to call Mike and Deb Palmira our friends.

By this time the troopers had convinced me I needed sit down and give my statement as to what happened.  I was in the trooper’s truck watching the scene unfold before me.  The firefighters were busy trying to get the man in the white truck out and see if anybody else was in there with him, the driver of the orange flatbed was hauled off in an ambulance.   I started to experience numbness in my hands and I was getting nauseous so I too was hauled away by ambulance.  Before leaving the scene I heard Dan say he would follow us to the hospital, of course I couldn’t let that happen, Ryon was still stuck in the horse trailer.  I asked Dan to stay with Ryon until he was safely in his stall. 

It took about four hours before the fireman used the jaws of life to cut Ryon out of the trailer.  With Dr. Schur in the trailer comforting him, the men began to cut away at the side of my trailer, once cut open, Ryon walked on out. Ryon was taken to Desert Pines Clinic for observation.  He was lame in left hind leg, and possibly broke his tail.

After this whole ordeal was over, I realized how lucky I was.  My “steel” Logan horse trailer stood up to the impact of two semi trucks, the trailer actually stopped the orange big rig at its front tires.  Rather than breaking, it actually bent to take the impact.  Because of that it saved my horses life.  My Dodge dually also held up like a champ.  I was sandwiched between a stopped double rig in front of me and two big rigs behind me, plus my steel trailer and the truck took the hit.  My seat and head rest didn’t break, the airbag deployed, but most of all the frame of the truck stood up to the blow, it could have very easily folded up and trapped my legs , or worse yet, folded up like an accordion and killed me.  I am not a religious person, but on that evening I defiantly had someone looking out for me. If it wasn’t for God, Logan and Dodge I wouldn’t be here typing this story.

I have to say that I did apologize to the driver of the orange truck.  He took the biggest hit and if he wouldn’t have been between me and the truck that caused the accident, not even God, Logan or Dodge could have saved us. 

It boils down to this: I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I would like to think that the following things are what turned this story into a happy ending: I remained calm , my horse remained calm, I had a great  truck & trailer,  I stopped far enough back to allow  a buffer zone between me and the truck ahead of me, I had an emergency kit and knew how to use it.  I have great friends that were there within minutes. I have a wonderful husband who also remained calm and stepped in to take over the situation so I could get the medical attention I needed, the highway patrol where there within seconds, and we fortunate to have a off duty CHP as an eye witness. 

I would like to thank all the fireman, highway patrol, rescue and ambulance personnel who helped out on the scene.  This was a very scary night but your calm, courteous professionalism made it so much easier.  I would like to give special thanks to the men that cut my horse out of my trailer, to trooper Brett Bogden for taking care of me and to Trooper Carolyn White for stopping by the hospital and letting me know that Ryon was OK.  You all went above and beyond the call of duty and we are forever grateful.

Ryon and I are recovering, I still experience migraines due to my head trauma and Ryon is still lame.  We didn’t make it back to the show to win the saddle but that’s okay, there will be plenty of shows in our future.  This time I will be driving a bigger Dodge and a bigger Logan just in case I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time again.