Profile
Photos
Comments
When the phone rang, I thought nothing of it, answering it, expecting it to be one of my friends calling. Instead, the gentleman identified himself as a highway patrolman and asked to speak to my mother.
I informed him that she was in Oklahoma City; he then asked me who I was and I told him I was her daughter.Â
"You need to get in touch with your mother as quickly as you can," he said. "Your dad has been in a very serious car accident and is being transported to the Elk City hospital by ambulance.
"What happened!!!" I exclaimed in a panic.Â
"He and another gentleman collided on a dirt road," he said.  A wtness at a home just across the road stated that another vehicle had just gone down the road and had kicked up a lot of dust so that they could not see. They were both left of center.
"Is he hurt seriously?"
I would say that your dad's injuries are quite serious. It took us over two hours to extricate him We had to bring out the Jaws of Life. He was pinned in the vehicle because the entire front of his vehicle was shoved against him. However, he was concscious and able to give me this number to call."
"Well, what about the people in the other car?"
"There was only one occupant, the driver. He expired at the scene. Probably the only reason your dad was not killed too is because he was in a pick-up, sitting higher than the man in the automobile.  Â
Even though the road was flat, because of the dirt, it appears neither vehicle ever saw the other. The collided with each driving at approximately 50 mph."
"I'll try to get in touch with my mother just as soon as I can. You say they are taking him to the Elk City hospital?"Â
"Yes, that's the nearest hospital. He was north and east of Hammon when this happened. (Hammon is a small town some 15 miles north of Elk City, Ok.) It's important that your mother get there as quickly as she can."
I quickly called another beautician in town who knew where the beautician's meeting was.
"Don't worry, Joan. I'll get in touch with your mother. You go on to the hospital."
I jumped in my car, raced to Jim's house, explained the situation and the two of us headed west toward Elk City, about 45 miles from where we lived.
As we approached the small town of Canute some 8 miles east of Elk City, we met an ambulance traveling very fast, sirens blasting, and lights flashing heading in the opposite direction.
"Jim, Dad's in that ambulance! I just know he is. Let's stop in Canute and call the Elk City hospital."
As I had suspected, Dad had been transported to the emergency room, the doctor had done a cursory examination, and Dad had asked to be taken to Clinton where his personal physician was.
Since Dad's vital signs were stable, the doctor agreed.Â
"What was his condition?"Â I asked.
"I would say it was fair," the person replied.
So, we turned around and went back to the hospital in Clinton. Dad was in the emergency room being examined when we arrived. He was bloodied up; but he was conscious and talked to us for a few minutes, assuring us that he was fine and that there was absolutely nothing to worry about. We, of course, knew better. lHe immediately wanted to know if the people in the other car were all right; but we feigned ignorance, stating that we really did not know. We didn't think he needed that news right at that time.
When the doctors finished their examination and had taken x-rays, they came out to tell us that he had two compound fractures in his right leg, that his knee cap was crushed on his left leg, and that he had several broken ribs.
"He does not appear to be bleeding internally, but we will have to watch him closely for the next 24 hours to be sure," the doctor said. "He will need surgery on both his legs; but we won't be doing anything except treating the pain for a few days until we are sure he has no internal injuries and the swelling goes down.
"Will he be all right after surgery?"Â I asked.Â
"That right leg is really torn up," our doctor replied. " He will be in a cast from his foot to his hip and in traction for quite a long time. We will probably have to insert some pins because the bones are crushed. We will just have to see how bad it is when we get in there. He's going to need a lot of rehab on it once the cast comes off.Â
As for the other leg, we'll have to remove the kneecap. He'll have to rehab it also. But, he's going to live, barring complications, and he will be able to walk, though he may have a limp.
We waited until they had him in a room; he was by this time so sedated that he kept drifting in and out. Mother came rushing in about 8 that evening, scared out of her wits.
She sent us home, promised to call if his condition changed, and spent the night with him.
(To Be Continued)
