"I saw the wreck on the highway..."

Dear Reader: Please note that the following story does contain some shocking scenes. This is not a joke and I would recommend that you not share this post with young children. I know for a fact that it might be disturbing to young persons and perhaps some adults too. It was disturbing for all of us. I hope there are no other posts with such material and please do not worry, it does not involve any danger or injury to any Wilders.

So we were on our way from Salida Colorado to play a festival in Hotchkiss. Another day, another long-ish drive, through a couple of mountain passes which we knew would be slow for the ol' Chief. We got to a mountain lake and came across an overturned pontoon boat in the road... an officer was on the scene already and directed traffic as only one lane was passable and had to be shared by both traffic directions. That part of the road wasn't steep or even all that curvy, but the boat had nevertheless been overturned due to a too-rapid curve navigation or else someone else's poor driving, and it was a bit of a shock to see upside down and completely smashed. We commented on this as we slowly passed and then settled in to enjoy a beautiful remote canyon drive which went over a dam and overlooked an amazingly deep river gorge. We could only see the river occasionally as we inched and snaked our way up and around the breathtaking canyon. I have learned that Colorado is not only full of the evergreens we all associate with the Mountain State, but also the lovely aspen trees which shake their leaves from side to side to cool themselves. Aspens have the most lovely white bark and silvery backs on the green leaves. I will now forever think of aspens rather than evergreens when I recall Colorado mountain drives.

There's one other thing I will remember when it comes to a scenic Colorado drive. The image is burned in my mind. We had come to nearly the top of the canyon wall drive and had seen a number of weekend motorcyclists going both directions on this same route. It must surely be a thing to see on a bike, though I wouldn't be looking to try it (kinda scary to me). As we went around yet another bend in the road, I looked out the front passenger window at the canyon wall next to me. Then we all saw an overturned motorcycle. Ike commented that it looked like a wreck from a long time ago. What I also observed, though, was a man lying on his stomach, slowly trying to raise his head... I could see his face was covered with blood. I immediately told the guys what I saw -- they did not have the vantage point I did from the front passenger seat. Now, we were on a two-lane mountain road with tons of curves and not many turn-outs, especially what an RV would need. But we knew we had to do something and just calling 911 did not seem to be enough. So Ike found a place to safely turn around within a mile and we went back. The guys were very worried, as was I... but I reminded them that I saw the man moving, so I knew he was conscious. The strange thing was that he wrecked at a place where the shoulder on his side was wide (though rocky) and directly across the road was a very long turn-out overlook spot. We pulled right in there and all of the guys got out and went over to the man. I felt a bit in shock and started to get my shoes on but wasn't sure what to do... none of us have real first aid training. Phil, with his Eagle Scout status, is probably the closest to being qualified. He certainly knows when to not move an injured person when there is a chance of head injury, and he reminded us of this on the way back to the man. So there I was, almost freaking out in the RV while watching the guys approach the injured man. Then I remembered I had a first aid kit in the bathroom, so I got a few items from it that I thought could be helpful. I also grabbed a gallon of water and a couple of clean dishrags. Nate came back to Chief to get my cell phone to call 911. I gave him the water and rags, but just at that time a couple in a truck pulled over too and they had a large first aid kit. They joined the guys and Nate took the water to the man.

Pretty soon a few more travelers stopped because the sight of an RV pulled over and men standing on the other side of the road next to a wrecked motorcycle and bloody rider is certainly more noticeable than just a wrecked bike and leather clad prone person. I was heartened to see so many people stop and other motorbikers too... I got out of the RV, trying to decide what to do. I looked across the road. Ike was kneeling next to the man, who was now sitting up with Phil's arms supporting him from behind. Ike or Phil had gotten the large piece of foam we had strapped to the back of the Chief (for whatever reason -- why did we have it anyway?) and had folded it to use as a supporting cushion for the man. Ike was asking the man questions, did he want us to take him to the hospital, did he want to lie down and where did it hurt, and telling him he would be okay. Phil held on strong as he crouched behind the man to help him stay upright. Nate stood nearby and talked to the other people about the situation. The man's face was completely covered in blood and he was mostly shaking his head slowly and putting his hands up towards his face, or just out in the air. I couldn't even see his nose or mouth, and could barely make out his eyes. One of the other stopped vehicles was carrying at least one child. It was a pickup truck with a back window and the little girl had stuck her head out the window and she had both hands covering her mouth, with a shocked look in her eyes. I could see the horror in her face even though she was some distance from me, and even farther from the poor man. As I looked across the road again, there were quite a few concerned citizens along with the guys, and soon a few more bikers pulled up and parked. I realized there was nothing specific I could do at that point. It was better for me to stay put than to be one more person crowing around the man.

I knew that 911 had been called by that time, and while I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay, I was starting to get worried about our deadline arrival time at the festival. We didn't know exactly how long it would take to finish traversing the canyon, and we had a pretty early performance time. My anxiety began to rise when all the other vehicle travelers left, and only the three recently stopped bikers remained. I approached one of the bikers and just told him our situation -- would he and his friends be able to stay with the man until help arrived? He said yes without hesitating and I motioned to Nate to come over. I told Nate that these guys would stay and we did need to get moving. Ike and Phil were still right there with the man and the other bikers stood close by. It seemed like the man was more at ease with some of his biker brothers there, and I don't know if he said anything as the guys left him to get back on the Chief.

It was real quiet for the next few minutes as we continued on the drive. Then the guys started reviewing the event. All agreed that the man would be okay -- he would be very bruised and his face was very messed up, but he didn't have any spinal injuries since he could move around, and all his extremities were okay. He had been wearing full leathers, but he had NOT been wearing a helmet. Ike said that most Harley riders detest helmets, safety issue or not. It's part of the experience. I shudder still to think of the repercussions of what seems to me such a brazen act. The guys all felt that had we not stopped to help the man, it might have been some time before someone might have noticed him. After all, I was the only one who saw him in our case. I thanked God that he was conscious when we found him, and that he would be okay after some time to heal. And we saw the ambulance heading from the next town towards the wreck within ten minutes of leaving the scene. I guess it all worked out and we did the right thing for sure. But it was a real shocker to understate the story. Phil in particular seemed to be unnerved after the fact and his stomach gave him some trouble for several hours after. I could not have imagined holding on to the man myself but Phil's human concern always seems to be especially focused in emergencies.

We got to the show on time... I write this the day after we finished the festival, and we just witnessed the aftermath of a much more horrible wreck. I did not look as I'm not in front but there were multiple vehicles and possibly some very bad damage to the people involved. And that was on a wide open four lane highway.

Ike said, "I guess you see a lot of bad stuff if you stay on the road long enough."

Sigh.

That is a price I didn't think about paying before we left on this trip.

Please drive safely....