[Leica] We're thankful to be alive in 2008

[h_arche at yahoo.com (H. Ball Arche)]

Good Lord, Adam.
We're very happy, and lucky, you're still with us.

--- Adam Bridge <abridge@gmail.com> wrote:

> My wife and I were involved in a one-car roll-over
> accident just east
> of Barstow, CA on I-40. Jan may have fallen asleep.
> When I saw us
> drifting toward the side of the road I said
> something and she awoke
> with a start, over correct, and we began a series of
> escalating
> swerves that ended up with us hitting the beginning
> of an Armco
> barrier which we sheered off, became airborne, and
> came down having
> turned 360 in the air and some greater amount after
> we hit the ground.
> We came to rest on the passenger side of the car.
> Within moments two
> good samaratins with EMT training were helping us.
> My wife was
> bleeding profusely from a 6 cm cut in the top of her
> head, she was
> hanging from her seat, supported by the seat belt.
> It took about 45
> minutes to get us out - they had to cut off the
> pillars on the drivers
> side and peel it back.
> 
> We were taken to Barstow where we added to an
> already full ER. We were
> treated well, but slowly, since we were not
> experiencing any real
> pain. After four hours we were x-rayed, CAT scanned,
> and finally about
> 2:00 AM released. We had only my small camera bag
> and Jan's shoulder
> bag. Fortunately she had her cell phone and our son
> in DC was able to
> find a room for us for the night. Barstow has no
> taxi service so a
> hospital nurse took us to the Holiday Inn Express.
> They had cut off
> our clothes and we were drenched in blood and (it
> turns out) broken
> eggs etc. All our belongings, cameras (save the
> Leica) were in the car
> that was towed to a junk yard.
> 
> The next day Jan talked a driver at the tow service
> to pick us up so
> we could have clothes and rescue our valuables. Our
> daughter and her
> boyfriend drove down from the Bay Area and we packed
> up the truck with
> our belongings. We found my iPhone by calling
> it...it still worked. My
> M8 still worked although the lens hood on the 35
> sumicron had been
> sheered off. The lenses seem well packed and
> survived. I have not
> tried the 1Ds MkII or looked at the 560 teleyt.
> 
> I have a broken left shoulder socket where some
> event pushed my arm
> hard into the socket.
> 
> Here are photos of the car from the iphone:
> 
>
http://gallery.mac.com/abridge#100015&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=6
> 
> We are blessed to be alive, to have honest people
> who stopped and
> helped, to have kind caregivers and thoughtful
> people all around. I'm
> sure the desk clerk at the Holiday Inn was shocked
> but she rallied and
> found us something to eat and drink and had found an
> easy-access room
> for us.
> 
> There are miracles. I do not know what I have ever
> done to deserve
> this one but I hope to, somehow, pay it back.
> 
> Adam & Jan Bridge
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for
> more information
> 



      
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