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Roadmap to Making a Difference - Driving Drowsy Stories
When people first hear the story of dog agility competitor Jane Accampo Callaghy losing her life in a drowsy driving crash, they often think “I’ve driven drowsy”. Jane’s story resonates because so many of us at one time or another have driven while tired or sleepy. Some of us have even been in a drowsy driving accident or near-miss. Each person who has experienced a drowsy driving incident has a story that can be a “wake-up” call for someone else.
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•Also see the National Sleep Foundation’s “Memorial and Tribute Site for Jane Callaghy”
Polly’s Story
My story begins at the beginning, which is that I have been driving for 40 years, plus or minus a few, and have never had an accident that was my fault. As a matter of fact, I pride myself on my great driving record.
The day it "happened", I woke up early, about 2:00 a.m., with severe pains in my stomach. Instead of just lying there and hurting, I elected to get up and do some housework and organize my dogs in preparation for the trip to the agility trial, which was local, but about an hour away.
The trial went fairly well, and culminated in a glorious JWW run, which I won. At that point, I had severe pains in my lower abdomen.
I loaded up my car and headed home via a shorter route. Eventually, along the way, I started to feel sleepy. The thought that I should really stop and get some coffee occurred to me, but I rejected it thinking the coffee would make my stomach pains worse. So I drove on, turning on the air conditioner and aiming the cold blast at my face. I also dug my fingernails into the back of my neck.
The next thing I knew, I was in the median, centered on the protective cables that were strung down that area. How the thing works I am not sure, but when I got out of the car when the accident was over, I could see that the top cable had run across the hood of the car, breaking the windshield down low, but somehow positioning the car on the lower cables. I went 100 yards at full speed; I know I was screaming in fear. Then I saw the mile marker sign coming toward me, and I jammed on the brake, stopping the car several feet from it. The air bag deployed, but I had on two padded coats, so felt no effects from it.
There was a fireman behind me in traffic who stopped to help me and opened my door, which I could not open from inside the car. As a matter of fact, the whole left front quarter panel was demolished. He was amazed that I was alright. The three dogs [crated] in my car were also fine, though wide-eyed from fear.
The police who came to the scene all told me how lucky I am. I think a cup of coffee and whatever my stomach might have done in reaction to it would have been better than what happened.
Angels were watching over me. Still here and trying to do better.
Polly Pugh, NC
Letter to a traffic cop
Barbara was pulled over by the police for driving erratically. Here’s her letter to the officer who stopped her...
Dear Trooper Verheeck,
You probably don’t often get thanked for issuing a traffic ticket. Late Friday afternoon you stopped me when I was clearly too tired to continue driving safely. In doing so, you may have prevented harm to myself and perhaps some other innocent driver.
I am writing to let you know that a donation, equal to the amount of the penalty, has been made in your name to “Live To Run Again”, an organization devoted to warning of the dangers of driving while drowsy. I hope that more people will be helped by this one traffic stop.
Sincerely,
Barbara Miller
Milford, PA
Driving home from CPE Nationals