Hey guys and gals hope you had a better summer then I. The pictures are
posted and here's the story. Brief description below from a narrative I have
to write for my lawyer. (personal injury) Photos posted @
http://www.picturetrail.com/. Type Deano1 in the Visit album box on the
left side. My injuries were minor relative to what might have happened. Roof
and windshield tore the dermis and fat layer off the entire top of my left
shoulder down to the muscle fascia... closed w/20 internal stitches and 17
staples. Left pnky still on the wheel trying to steer away from the rail had
the entire top layers torn off, tendon severed and second joint seperated
about 1'2 inch. All sewn back together by a really good orthopedist and I
may or may not regain full use. I think you'll find the pics of the once
nearly perfect XJ-6 as frightening as I do as the surviving owner. You
really do want to see these and contemplate why I'm still here. This all
occurred at 11:00 PM on the 4th of July. I had almost made it home, was in
the hospital thru Saturday. No bone or deep muscle damage. But really put a
crimp in my summer kayaking and general partying and has taken lots of hours
w/ insurance hospitals and lawyers but ......I'M ALIVE!!!! And I've already
bought the next Jag, a 1998 V-8 Vanden Plas..still under full factroy
warrantee!
At about 11:00 PM I entered the 101 Freeway northbound at the Fountaingrove
ramp activated
my left signal and entered the right (slow lane) of the freeway. I
accelerated to 60 mph and held
that speed in the slow lane. I had traveled about 1 mile north and was being
passed in the left lane
by a large truck when I felt an impact to the rear of my vehicle which
caused it to surge forward
and slightly to the left toward the passing truck. I managed to correct the
path of my vehicle to
avoid impact with the truck. Almost immediately I felt another tremendous
impact to the rear of
my vehicle and found myself being propelled forward and to the left. The
truck had passed by this
time and I found myself being pushed across the fast lane at an angle
behind the truck that had previously
been on my right Trying desperately to regain control of my car I tried
steering into the skid I was
in. Nothing I did made any difference and I realized that there was no way I
was going to be able
to avoid impact with the center guardrail. At that point I hit the brakes
but that too made no
difference. Seconds before impact, with the realization that it was
inevitable, I laid over sideways
to my right placing my upper body over the center console and head over
the passenger seat. Then impact.
I may have been unconscious for a moment or two but came to quickly. I am
certified in first aid
and in CPR and I immediately did a self inventory. I realized that my left
little finger was broken
my right hand was bleeding from a number of cuts and that my left shoulder
had sustained major
trauma and was bleeding profusely but I could move the joint without major
pain. Other than
those injuries I appeared to be OK. I concluded that I could get out of the
car through the front
passenger door and so began crawling over the center console just as someone
approached the car
and asked if anyone was in the car. I replied, " Yes. I'm OK and I'm getting
out." An incredulous response of "You're getting out?" as I managed to
get the passenger door open and exit the car. Stood and turned and looked at
the wreckage. I
saw that my Jaguar was wedged under the guard rail which had flattened the
roof of the car to
dash board level over the drivers seat and that a Ford 250 truck was sitting
upside down on top of the
rear of my vehicle. As it riding my trunk drove me under the rail it's front
left tire hit the rail and the thing tipped. I heard a witness who was
standing nearby say to me words to the effect that,
"They hit you in the rear and you seemed to be OK and the they hit you again
and ran you into the
guardrail." I said to her "Thank God there was a witness to this." She said
she was and she
would testify that I had no part in causing the accident.
Naturally the other driver and the 4 passengers in the truck were uninjured
except for some seatbelt bruises with none remembering anything after the
driver heard a passenger yell DON"T move over there's a car there!
And also the KHP report got the ****ing thing all wrong. But my state
certified accident inspector and my lawyer have the pics and Jaguar paint
chips from under the trucks front bumper but it will end up before a judge.
Further expanation will be provided off list for those interested.
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