Email Sandi
August 10, 1997. Approx. 9:30-10:00pm. My sister Deb, her husband Rick, and I were visiting our son and daughter-in-law at their home, just 4 miles from our house. The little farming town of Metolious where the kids live was without power. Somewhere, someone had been involved in an accident and caused the power outage. We had been visiting for only about 5-10 minutes when one of our son's friends drove in the driveway and asked for help. It seems as how her husband's brakes on his log truck had broken loose and the truck and trailor had gone down their driveway on it's own power and hit a power pole (thus the reason for no electricity) and had bent over a young tree and had come to rest on the trunk. She was asking for our help and did we have a chain saw? Our first question was wether or not she had called the power company. She assured us she had. We all piled into the kids car and down the road we went. Upon arriving at the scene I noticed a power line across the driveway aways back from the accident site, but none the less, very dangerous. Deb and I repeated over and over for everyone to stay away from the line. Little did we know the other end of that power line was draped across one of the bunkers of the log truck. I turned my attention to the truck. Rick, and I were leaning against the passenger side front fender of the truck with flashlights while my son Travis, and his friend had the chain saw. The oil pan was actually resting on the trunk of the tree. High centered, would be a good description. Travis was running the chain saw and had gotten it stuck. We straightened up from the leaning aganst the truck and all hell broke loose! The power company had turned the power back on! It hit the truck so hard an intense bright blue light lifted truck and trailor off the ground 4 feet. I was standing 3-4 inches from the fender. I remember only little things. There were bright blue 'snakes' of electricity shooting pass me through the grass. (Which had just been irrigated) I remember thinking they were just going to go around me and not hit me. I also had the sensation of pressure on the outside of my legs and thighs. No pain. Just alot of pressure. I remember fire in the hay field behind me and showers of fire and sparks from the overhead power lines. People were screaming and yelling and running all around me. I don't know how long I was held there but someone ran into me and broke the connection. I'm not sure if I lost conciousness or not. I'll probabley never know. I do know when I finally got my thoughts somewhat straightend out, Rick, who was so close to me we were touching shoulders, was already out in the highway directing my daughter-in-law's car away from the trouble. The repair crew was not there, the fire dept. was not there. The repair crew showed up a few minutes later. We saw the fire truck take a wrong turn and go the opposite direction. Personnel from the power company talked us into going to the E. R. to be checked out. We thought we were fine. We were 'jazzed' literally.like we had been drinking huge pots of double esspresso. (shudder.) If we had only known what was ahead for us in the future,.well.maybe it's a blessed thing we didn't. We took in 7,200 volts of electricity. I understand it's the amps that kill you. I'm not sure, but I do know I never want to go through that again. Travis, his friend, Rick and I have been seriously hurt from all this. The truly sad part is this. I'm told there is a 'safety' feature in our sub-stations. When there is an interruption of service this feature allows the power to be kicked back on 3 times. After that it must be called into another station and manually turned back on. The young man that had called the other station and had the power restored, showed up at the accident site. He had been drinking. I don't mind drinking. But never when you are driving, working or at anytime when responsibility should be foremost in your mind. Look at us. Look at our stories. How many of them involve alcohol? Too, too many. It's taken me a great while to write this. It's been a hard, tough struggle for me. I'm going to be okay. I have bouts of 'woe is me' now and again, but I've found if I just stay active and take an aggressive role in my health care, I'll make it. I didn't use to believe in angels, but I know someone was touching my shoulder that night. Either an angel or the Lord. It doesn't make any difference. I was allowed to continue. Maybe in a somewhat altered state, but I'm here. Thank you, tbi friends, I couldn't possibly pay you back for all the caring and loving I've received. Remember.God helps those who help themselves.
And a little saying I picked up from a dear friend"Get thee behind me!"
Whenever a little dark time interupts my life, I try to 'get it behind me' as quickly as possible.
