Asleep at the wheel | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A few days ago, I was coming down Big Cottonwood Canyon from Brighton, and I got drowsy in the daytime. I shook myself awake, but 30 seconds later, I was asleep. I crossed the center line doing about 40 mph. I ran off the road, hit small boulders and went between a big utility truck and a telephone pole. If I had hit either one, I would have been dead.

Then I hit a heavy sign, which bounced up and came down on the center of my roof — crushing in a foot-deep dent. Next, my car was airborne and came down and hit small boulders — twice. Each time the force of the impact drove my butt down to the floorboards. The seat only helped a little. Finally, I came out onto a flat turnout. When my car stopped moving, I opened the door and rolled out onto the ground, writhing in back pain.

The doctor said my three cracked vertebrae would be very painful, but the injuries were "not serious." Lesson: The minute you feel drowsy, stop and get out and walk around. Death awaits the drowsy driver and his or her family!

Roger E. Carrier

Sandy