06/06/06.... and how was your day?

Jim Warman · June 7, 2006

One year ago last Friday, a motorist had a siezure and drove through the front of our parts department. No one in the building was hurt and the driver miraculously suffered few minor injuries in the incident.

Today, an Escape came flying through the front wall of our shop, destroying two toolboxes, knocking a SuperDuty off a single post inground hoist and into a near new H3 Hummer.

A youngster (about 17) working in the shop through our local high schools RAP program was air lifted to Edmonton with serious but non-life threatening injuries and another apprentice suffered a twisted ankle jumping out of the way.

It appears that police suspect illegal substances played a role in the incident.

I am not, by any means, looking forward to our 3rd annual "run for your life" event.

gasgasman · June 7, 2006

666 and had to work on a 6.0.

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Jim Warman · June 7, 2006

Spent my morning putting out little "fires"... spent my afternoon with a big one... tonight, I try to catch up from this afternoon... early in in the morning to do something our (two days missing from action - self-inflicted variety)RV tech was supposed to do.

And I'm sure most of the guys in the shop will be checking the back of their coveralls for accident magnets and bullseyes.

I never realized that being shop foreman could be this much fun...

Keith Browning · June 7, 2006

I was wondering if your dealer had a drive-through for parts and service... Posted Image (thinking people were just missing the entrance) or if S L Ford was in the middle of an intersection. What luck! Hope that "kid" is okay all things considered.

So I was visiting your dealer web site and noticed that you sell campers and RVs? Thinking that was an odd pairing I realized that selling someone a nice 5th wheel could lead to adding a nice Super Duty to the deal.

Keith Browning · June 10, 2006

Hey Jim I saw your pictures of the crash in your shop. What a mess. What was the official story and who is going to replace those bashed-up toolboxes? I would be freaking out about that!

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Jim Warman · June 10, 2006

Official story.... the driver (18 years old) had partaken in the consumption of some yet to be named illicit substances and had, apparently, had a "reaction" to them. No effort was made to apply the brakes at any time. There was a passenger, but his actions and condition only make the story longer... especially the part where he tried to run away.

Our insurance company is picking up the tab on everything AFAIK (adjuster was around on Friday). Their next step will be to sue the drivers insurance carrier as well as the driver and anyone else they can find that may have contributed to the incident.

During my active days with the fire department, I have been involved in a lot of traumatic experiences in my term with the fire department and have developed a "unique" response to an incident like this.... but we are likely going to call in someone well versed in critical incident stress management for the rest of our staff, though. I have a shop full of techs that jump at every loud sound.

I'm posting a pic or two of what happened one year and days earlier.....

Jim Warman · June 10, 2006

Forgot to add.... I expect to see one apprentice back at work late next week (depending on his emotional state... he should be physically able by then). The RAP student is in ICU at an Edmonton hospital. Both bones (tibia and fibula??) in his left leg are broken, left ankle is not as bad as first thought, broken collar bone, lacerated spleen and the tire chuck was removed from his groin without any damage to major blood vessels. I'm in Edmonton today and tomorrow and will try to visit with him.

He was a budding young hockey player and all of us are praying that this will not affect his abilities in the years to come.

Brad Clayton · July 9, 2006

my life seems pretty uneventful after reading this.

Jim Warman · July 9, 2006

Time for an update, sorry for being remiss....

The young apprentice was airlifted to Edmonton where they operated to remove a long tire chuck from his groin.... it was lodged very few millimeters from his femoral artery. He's more of a fighter than we all realized and was released from the hospital on the 11th and sent home.

The other apprentice (in his late 30s and has a bit of a "history" in our shop) is milking the system (can you spell long drawn out lawsuit coming).

Now, I'm not against suing for identifiable losses (though it's funny how a 29 dollar timing light turned into a $500 SnapOn light in the bat of an eye), but something smells bad, here.

The building is nearly back to normal - still some siding to replace to make the old stuff look as good as the new, and some electrical and air lines to finish off.

Everyone is back to "normal" though sudden, loud noises do make us look twice...