Tractor accident due to flooding

[momoftwingles2]

Hi all,

It's been a difficult few days here. Our neighbor to the south of us was trying to do a good deed by helping me get down the road using his JD Tractor to see if I could cross over a minor washout that had turned into a major washout by evening. I told him that it didn't look good when I walked out and that if it was not safe I would just go back to the crossing and stay at our coach's home until the flooding subsided.

So, I'm in the tractor with our neighbor and I told him that he needed to stop about 50 or so feet before reaching it because I would need to get out and look at what had progressed while I was gone. Instead of stopping he said, "Oh, this baby can handle anything." He pushed the lever and before I knew it....a major accident had occurred.

He was bleeding....I think from his face hitting the steering wheel. I knew I had nothing broken (or I didn't think that I did) and I was not bleeding. I stayed very calm, but he got very upset when I told him that we needed to call the RCMP right away for help because we were facing front first into the water and the other side of the washout was what was supporting the tractor.

He didn't want to call his wife or the RCMP because he said he would get kicked out the house and or cuffed when the RCMP arrived. I didn't understand why. Then he tried to move and reach around the tractor. I asked him what he was looking for and he said bottles. I asked him why and he said that he had been drinking all evening.

I smelled nothing on his breath when we were talking outside of the tractor with the coach. I smelled nothing when I got in the cab of the tractor. He was speaking just fine. No slurring. No anything. Believe had I known his judgment was so impaired...I would have walked the 3/4 mile on my own to the washout and 3/4 of a mile back to the coach's car to keep myself safe.

I know the power of water from growing up near the ocean.

The RCMP came and with much difficulty were able to get me to slide down the hood of the tractor to safety. The officer walked me up the hill to where my van was and told me to call him as soon as I was in my door.

He on the other hand when he tried to get back over the other side went completely under the water and thankfully our neighbor's wife grabbed him and pulled him back to safety.

I don't know if the officers knew that our neighbor had been drinking. They didn't ask me and I didn't offer any information other than what they asked me.

I am okay but I am hurt. I believe that I have a few cracked ribs that will have to heal on their own. My one leg is black from bruising as is my left arm and my lower back. It will just take time to heal. The hardest part is trying to cough and trying to get in or out of a chair or the bed on my own.

You ask....why did I want to come back to my home? Well, my girls are staying with their skating coach. My husband is staying with his 93 year old mother and someone needed to take care of our 19 year old cat. That's me. Silly some will say, but this cat is considered a part of my family and my mother-in-law would not allow it at her house. I couldn't leave him outside as he would have been dinner for the wild animals the first night. So, as a family we decided I should stay here.

Anyways, if you would like to see the flooding that is going on here in Fairy Glen, Saskatchewan because I know it won't hit the news....only the southern part of Sask is being talked about....take a peek here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150156587341246&id=694221245&aid=283247&l=83429918a9

It will take time to heal. It's hard not having my family here, but our other neighbors that live a mile or so behind us have a boat and said that they would get my husband and children home for at least a day this weekend.

I know our neighbor was trying to do good, and I hate myself for not recognizing that he had been drinking and put my life as well as his at such risk.

Perhaps this will be a wake up call for him.

Perhaps our RM will wake up and realize that they can not continue to put our home in such a situation as they have over the past decade plus.

Susan

[boutiquestepup]

Hi Susan, I saw your pictures on facebook last night, things look really bad over there, I hope you feel better after this incident and that things will get better soon. Take care of yourself!

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Christine!

What a wonderful surprise to see you here. Things can only get better. I'm thinking positive and just have to make sure I don't stay in one position for any real length of time.

I hope things are going well for you in eBay land!

Susan

[westernstargifts]

Wow, Susan! I am so glad that you are okay...at least relative to what could have happened. What an ordeal! Broken ribs can be very painful and you are there on our own with nobody to help. Your family must be worried about you.

You have mentioned before that your roads are frequently flooded. It is appalling that it happens on a regular basis preventing you from getting to and from your home safely.

Your neighbour should have known better than to drive his tractor when he had been drinking all day. That responsibility rests squarely on his shoulders, not yours. It was great that he wanted to help you but he put both of your lives at risk.

You keep well and let us know how you are progressing. I wish I could be there to help! (((Susan))) At least you have your cat for company. And pets are an important part of the family.

Judy

[pjcdn2005]

Wow...those pictures really do tell a story. That is quite the sinkhole and quite the story. I'm sure that you are very sore but thank goodness that it wasn't worse.

I can't believe how much water there is in your area..that's incredible and a bit creepy when you mentioned that you are surrounded on all sides by the water.

Please stay safe Susan, I'll be thinking about you.

Pam

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Pam,

Last year it only was a sink hole. This year...the new sink hole just took the entire road away. Apparently they have gotten the tractor out with a backhoe and a CAT pulling it.

This morning we woke up to a new 8 - 10 inches of snow due to a blizzard that has hit our area. The snow is still coming down and doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon.

The forecast through Monday was to be for isolated flurries. Hmmmmm....I think the weather man should change his forecast.

I'm walking a bit better, but the rest of me is still really hurting. It will just take time and patience.

And, you are right....thank goodness that it wasn't worse. Tractors can be replaced, but we can't be.

The news in Saskatchewan dwells only on the flooding in southern Sask which is bad....but it's not the only part of Sask that is affected.

This new snow that is falling is going to hurt the farmers in a very bad way. Most of the farmers around this area could not seed last year and when the first snow hit the ground was still sopping wet. This is just going to add to the problems for them. Thankfully we don't farm any longer...but we do have a renter that farms our land.

Mother Nature is on a roll. Something must have ticked her off!

Susan

[momoftwingles2]

Finally, on Tuesday, April 26th the RM built a walking bridge over the 15 foot wash out. We are now able to walk out. Mind you, we have no vehicle on the other side...but at least our girls will be able to go back to school.

I'm still very slow at walking, but each day is a new day and with the help of Morley and our girls things are looking better.

I went to skating practice for the first time in more than 2 weeks and was amazed to see our youngest daughter, Emi, doing a death spiral with one of the 15 year old guys at the rink. He's part of a dance pair and has been using Emi to learn new moves since she weighs 45 pounds at 9 years of age. They were amazing to watch!

Kaitlyn and MacKenzie have learned so many new things in the past few weeks as well.

This Saturday is Test Day and the end of Spring School. There's one more skating seminar to attend in Saskatoon if we can figure out a way to get there. Rudi and Paige, ranked 3rd in the world in FreeSkate Pairs, will be working with our girls.

So....the water needs to go down so the RM can rebuild the road! Say some prayers!

Have a good one!
Susan

[westernstargifts]

Hi Susan,

I'm glad to hear that you are on the mend and that you finally have a bridge of sorts. It is unbelievable that they have taken so long just to get that in place.

It sounds as though the girls are making great strides in their skating. What a wonderful opportunity they have to work with such talented skaters!

Take good care of yourself.

Judy

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Judy,

Thanks for your good wishes. I am on the mend, but I'm also surprised at just how long it is taking.

Our girls' skating coach drove us home this evening and drove as far as the blockade which is about 50 feet before the washout.

When she got out to take a look at it, she had tears in her eyes thinking about what could have happened.

Thankfully...there was no loss of life.

Our girls have been a delight. They are true little troopers and help me without thinking twice...but they always have.

Time heals all! I'm wiser now. If flooding happens again....I'll just swim across!

Susan

[westernstargifts]

Or have a boat handy!

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Judy,

SMART THINKING!

However, when they get it fixed this time....they better FIX IT!

Susan

[westernstargifts]

Well, it was my turn today Susan.  I hope this doesn't start a trend.

I went to visit an old friend this afternoon who I haven't seen for quite awhile.  I found out that she is selling on eBay...she's a wonderful wildlife artist...and we got together to have a nice chat about selling online.

On the way home I drove through our downtown.  A pizza delivery van pulled out in front of me and we collided.  I was shaken up and have a few aches and pains but neither one of us was hurt badly.  I am sure our neighbours were surprised when I arrived home in a tow truck with our van hitched to the back.

So we are without a vehicle, at least until tomorrow when hopefully we will have a rental.  The other guy was charged so the insurance company will be footing the bill.

Now we wait for the insurance adjuster to decide if they will fix it or write it off.  There was a substantial amount of damage to the front corner on the passenger side.

I went through this once before, about 15 years ago, when a driver went through a stop sign.  My van at that time was totalled.  I hate the thoughts of going through all of the hassle involved with insurance, rentals and possibly looking for a new vehicle but at least I am able to do so.  It could have been a lot worse.

How are you doing?  I hope you are feeling much better now.

Judy

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Judy,

I guess you can tell that I've not been on the list for the past few days!  And, I'm amazed that I got here today since they have IMPROVED it.  (I don't agree, but that's only my opinion.)

I saw the pictures of your vehicle on Facebook and am glad to hear that you are only suffering from aches and pains....which by the way hurt just as much as anything else.

It's been almost a month since my neighbor pulled his stunt with the tractor and I'm still feeling it.  I keep telling myself that every day that goes by it will get better, but I don't know.  Bruises are almost all gone but there are still some parts of me that aren't working the way they used to! 

Last Tuesday, the RM came and dumped several truck loads of dirt into the wash out.  The next morning the bus drove over it to pick up our girls for the 1st time in our yard and then drove back across it.  Morley followed them in his car only to see that a major SINK HOLE has appeared.

We called the RM right away, but they have not done anything about it.  The sink hold is right in the middle of the road.  I was able to get my van out on Thursday so we could go to Saskatoon, however, coming back on Sunday I noticed that the sink hole had grown considerably with the down pour of rain we had.  Our van is now on the other side of the wash out.  So, to go anywhere I need to walk about 1/2 mile to get to my vehicle....easier said than done since my right leg is still swollen where it was punctured by the dashboard. 

Plans for the RM to repair it completely.....nothing definite.

I hope you get the rest you need to start feeling better.  I understand the trouble that is caused when your vehicle is considered totaled by the insurance company if that happens.  You never get enough to replace what you use to have.

I'm crossing my fingers that all goes smoothly for you!

See you on FB!

Susan

[westernstargifts]

Hi Susan,

It's nice to hear from you although I wish you were feeling better.  I am fine now, amazingly, but it took a few days and I am still pretty jumpy when driving.

We did buy a new van today.  The insurance company wrote off the other one.  They actually gave us a very fair settlement but, of course, we went with a newer vehicle which cost almost twice as much as we will get for the old one.  Although older, it was in excellent condition and would likely have lasted for years.

For a rental vehicle they gave us a 2011 Ford Expedition with all the bells and whistles.  It is very big and I have been letting Bob do the driving.  I would be less nervous if it belonged to us.

I hope they do something about fixing that road of yours permanently.

Wishing you a speedy recovery,

Judy

[momoftwingles2]

Hi Judy, 

The water is going down slowly.  Thankfully there has been little and/or no rain over the past while which is playing in our favor.

Today, we were able to see the pavement on the bridge, so Kaitlyn, MacKenzie, Emi and I walked down there to see what was going on in that direction.

Lo and behold what did we find?  On the north side of the bridge there is a major sink hole that butts up to the cement pad that is the surface we would drive on.  The whole is about 8 feet across the road and about 4 - 5 feet across to the other side.  The scary part.....I took a tree branch that had fallen and stuck in down in to see how deep the water was.  The branch was about 12 feet in length......and it never touched the bottom.

This sink hole is not easily visible.  It is not marked and people from both ends of our grid road have moved the DANGER - ROAD CLOSED signs without thought.

Yesterday an 18 wheeler with HUGE farm equipment on its flatbed pulling another heavy farm implement crossed over the temporary filling for the major wash out and pulled into our yard because he COULDN'T GET ACROSS THE BRIDGE.  Duh!

I ripped a strip off of his backside and told him what a fool he was and that the signs say....ROAD CLOSED....DUE TO DANGER!  He said that he didn't see any problems with the road.  I told him that the weight of his vehicle was probably going to cause us more problems with the temporary patch.

Yuppers....SINK HOLE IS BACK....bigger than ever.  The RM was out again late tonight to inspect.  They've put up more signs....hopefully people will read!

Oh wait...just like on eBay......people don't read in real life either!

I'm still limping along and don't have full use of my left arm...but I'm getting there thanks to Morley and my girls. 

Glad to hear that you are feeling better.  Keep in touch!  I'm surprised that I'm still here!  So, when I disappear for good....be sure and say hi on Facebook or through e-mail!

Have a good one!

Susan

[westernstargifts]

I ripped a strip off of his backside and told him what a fool he was and that the signs say....ROAD CLOSED....DUE TO DANGER!  He said that he didn't see any problems with the road. I told him that the weight of his vehicle was probably going to cause us more problems with the temporary patch.

What a moron that guy must be!  Unfortunately the world is full of people who disregard signs thinking nothing will ever happen to them.

See you on Facebook Susan.