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Below is an eye-opening account of a traffic accident, that could have been far worse than it was. Alicia had just flown home with her new Papillon, Albe, and had left her parent's house to finish the trip to her home. Alicia posted this account in 4 parts on the Pap-L list, April 18, 2003. It is printed here with her kind permission.
I Learned A Safety Rule (The case for wearing seatbelts and using hard-sided crates while driving) Alicia Graybill
Hello: I just wanted to let everybody know that Albe, my new Papillon pup, is safe at home today. I originally went to pick him up last weekend from his breeder in Seattle and on the way home to Fairbury last Monday, we were in a car accident. I thought others might be interested in our story so, here goes: I was driving home to Fairbury, Nebraska, from visiting my parents in Lincoln. I had flown to Seattle, WA, over the weekend to pick up my new Papillon pup Albe (Firerose's Alberich). As a result, I had 3 dogs in the car with me. Lacey, my Australian shepherd, is a spayed 4 year old blue merle. Sadzi, my current Aussie foster, is a spayed 1 year old red tri. Albe is a 6 month old black and white Papillon. Albe and Sadzi were in soft-sided crates. Lacey was "riding shotgun" in her usual position with her head in my lap, wrapped slightly around the on-the-floor transmission shift, her body in the passenger side bucket seat. We were entering the town of Cortland. As I usually do, I hit my brakes to slow down from the highway speed limit of 65 to the in-town limit of 45. Lacey, as she usually does, sensed the decrease in speed and sat up. I dropped my eyes down to check my speed (I'm almost paranoid about traffic tickets) and, when I looked up, I could see nothing but the side of a very large red pickup. I must have done several things at once, almost without thinking. First, my foot was already on the brake so I just stepped down as hard as I could. Second, I braced myself with my left arm and leg against the steering wheel and door for the impact. Third, I threw my right arm out to hold Lacey back because I knew she wasn't restrained. The next few seconds are, at the same time, a blur and a series of vivid snapshots. I remember seeing my little car slam into the side of the truck (I'm not sure where we hit exactly). I remember watching the hood of my car fold in half like a piece of foil. I remember being thrown forward and hitting my had very hard on what I thought was the roof of the car but which turned out to be the windshield. I vaguely remember being sprayed by my almost-full cup of pop I bought just before I left Lincoln. I had a sensation of whirling through the air as my car was spun around by the impact. I also remember seeing Lacey's expression. To be honest, I never want to see that look in her eyes again. Her eyes, which are bi-colored--blue and brown, were so wide and bulged, I thought they were going to leave her head. She had her ears pinned back as if listening very hard could reveal what was happening to her. She had been panting but now her lips were pulled back in a "rictus of terror" that exposed all her teeth. She made no sound but it was obvious to me that she wanted to get out and get away. Somehow, as the car settled onto the paved side-street, I managed to grab Lacey's leash. I passed out for a second or two, not much more than that. When I came to, I saw the last of the steam escape the car's radiator and I clutched Lacey's leash like a security blanket in my right hand. Peole were appearing out of nowhere it seemed (though probably from the church on the corner where the accident took place). I didn't realize that I had been injured. I thought only of Lacey at first. My next thought was that the police would need to see my license, registration and insurance card so I looked for and found those items. I popped my seat belt at that point in time thinking that I would have to get out. It was then that I realized the radio was still playing so I shut off the ignition. A woman approached the car and asked me if I was all right. I said I thought so but I wasn't sure. It was at that moment I remembered Albe and Sadzi. I tried to twist around to see about the two dogs in the cargo area but could only note that Albe's crate was wedged down between the broken passenger seat and the folded rear seat. I couldn't reach him to pull his crate out. I couldn't see Sadzi's crate at all. None of the dogs were making a sound. I started searchin for my cell phone because I knew I'd need a ride to get me and my dogs to Fairbury so I could get to work Tuesday morning. I couldn't find it. The woman asked me what I needed and I said I needed to call my parents to let them know to come get the dogs and me. A very nice man dialled the number for me on his phone and let me talk to my mom. I told her we'd been in a "doozy" of an accident and that somebody needed to come down and get the dogs right away. Another person asked me if I was all right and I said I was fine, just worried about my dogs. So they (I'm not sure who) asked me how many dogs and where were they. They pulled Sadzi in her crate out first then Albe. They transported them to a safe place away from the road then the woman came back to get Lacey. While Lacey wanted out of the car desperately, she didn't want to go out the back door at first. Instead, she wanted to go out through my door, which I had opened to talk to my rescuers. It was at that point that I realized I had a cut on my leg and that the front bucket seats--particularly the passenger's--had broken loose. I managed to shove the passenger's seat over a bit and the woman got hold of Lacey's leash. I told Lacey "It's okay. Get in the back and go with her" about a half-dozen times before Lacey was able to obey. After a few more minutes, the rescue people helped me out of the car. Though I was a little unsteady, I was able to walk to a spot on the curb and have a seat. They asked me the usual questions about medical conditions, medications, etc., got my name, address and other info. At one point, I'm not sure when, I heard somebody speculate about what happened. "Was she speeding?" "I don't think so. If she'd'a' been speeding, she wouldn't be here. Just look at the car." The truck had been flipped over and spun around by the force of the impact. It was lying on the passenger side with the roof facing me. He was on the ground on a back-board but I couldn't tell if he was all right or not. Somebody brought me a cup of water, gave me a hug and a quick update on my dogs. "They're a little shaken up but we gave them some water." The wife of the preacher at the church asked to pray with and for me. I'm not Christian but figured it couldn't hurt and said "Ok." I hope it made her feel better. The ambulance arrived then and the other driver and I were loaded in to be transported back to a hospital in Lincoln. I ended up with a big knot on the top of my head, a gash on my left shin, upholstery burns on my left elbow and knee where I braced myself, lots of bruising from my seat belt, cuts and bruises on my right hand and a very sore right shoulder where I slammed into the steering wheel. No broken bones or serious injuries for me. In fact, the only serious physical injury was to Albe, my Papillon, who received a broken front leg from the accident. So why am I posting this? Because this whole incident scared me to death and made me realize how lucky I am to be alive. And also because it points out some "safety rules" that we all often pay lip service to but may not really apply.
Albe's going to recover just fine, we think. Sadzi is already fine and I'm getting better every day. Lacey, however, has suffered a serious setback thanks to this accident. We are going to try to get our lives back to normal and maybe, just maybe, time will heal her wounds. Physically, she is fine but I've seen some behavioral changes that worry me a bit. Whatever the problem, we'll work through them.
Alicia Graybill Mom to Lacey (Blue Merle Australian Shepherd rescue girl)
Note: Firerose's Alberich (Albe) was in a veterinary teaching hospital for close to a week while he was stablized and waiting for surgery on his leg. He didn't have to have a cast, but had a plate installed to keep the leg stable. According to Alicia, the x-rays showed the break was lined up perfectly, and he has healed well. His training has begun for the showring and obedience. His leg is still very short on coat as it was shaved. Alicia and Albe, and the Aussies - were so very lucky to not have incurred worse injuries from the accident. I don't know what his hospitalization ran; but the insurance company of driver of the truck paid for all Albe's bills. Please be very careful with these precious little lives - they depend on us, their owners - to keep them safe. Helen | ||||||||||
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All photographs on this site are copyrighted to the photographer, even if they do not contain a copyright logo. All articles contained herein are used with permission of the authors. Website © Firerose Papillons, 1999 - 2007, all rights reserved. | ||||||||||
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