As a woman and a mother, I’m entitled to get emotional at times. No funny stories from the desert about brothels today. No pictures of curiously camouflaged cars or engineers mooning me. Today, I feel I’m entitled to occasionally steer away from my off-the-wall day-to-day experiences and get in-touch with my heart and soul.
Something deep inside made me detour today and leave the roads that I commonly travel on to seek out a site where, a little over a week ago, two young teenagers from France were tragically killed in a rollover accident.
It wasn’t a morbid action on my part. Instead, it was a motherly thing to do. It was as if I wanted to express my sorrow and bid these young strangers a loving goodbye. It was something that their own mothers may not have been able to do, as they were likely still in France after sending their teens for a once-in-a-lifetime organized tour of America. But like so many people riding in taxi cabs, tour vans such as this one and even private vehicles, only one person in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. Three were ejected when the driver fell asleep at the wheel and the van rolled.
There were no roadside crosses. Not yet, at least – just skid marks and lots of bright orange markings used by the crash scene investigators.
Earlier this summer ,while I was out hunting for test cars, there were three heat-related deaths in this region. I witnessed search parties leaving their base for search and hopefully rescue missions. I watched as an ambulance rushed a patient to an awaiting helicopter on a lonely airstrip – and then everything just sort of slowed down. Suddenly there was no rush anymore. When the helicopter didn’t take off for another 20 minutes, I knew that the unforgiving desert took yet another life.
Paying tribute
Yes, I play games in the desert – shooting test cars and acting tough, but the truth is I’ve shed many tears this year for all the people who weren’t prepared for the extreme desert conditions.
So here I am at this accident site. It’s been a week since the tragic crash that took the lives of 17-year-old Leah Baldaccini and Orane Pozzo Di Borgo, who was just 16. And the last reports I heard, 15-year-old Thibault Clement Yves Hamel was in critical condition in a medically induced coma, fighting for his life with an uncertain future. Three other teens were also hurt, as well as the driver who will never recover from the heartbreak of this accident.
I walked along the skid marks, along the orange police markings, watching passing cars that were oblivious to the recent deaths. All that remained at the site was a paramedic’s latex glove that attached itself to a dry and brittle shrub, a small shard of amber glass and a remnant of a recently cut (off) article of clothing.
It was only after I thought I left the accident site that I noticed, on the other side of the highway and maybe 150 feet off the road, two crude crosses made of wood sticks wrapped in white yarn, held in place by a small mound of rocks. Sitting on one mound was a broken pair of eye glasses and a fragment of metal which at one time was probably a watch band. And, to my astonishment, there was a basket of fresh flowers – pedals still soft and sparkling in the 110-degree sunshine. A loved one was here today.
Driving is serious business and all too often people forget all about that. Many Web sites sensationalize automobile accidents, especially those involving expensive cars or those involving celebrities. Maybe people today are desensitized, but we need to remember that a motor vehicle can be a deadly weapon and that over 40,000 people in this country die every year in car accidents. Fine, enough lecturing…
But five minutes after leaving the crosses, I passed four tour vans full of European teens on a once-in-a-lifetime tour of America. I prayed that they all had their seat belts fastened.
Words and photos by Brenda Priddy.
Don’t forget to check out Brenda’s first, second and third Spy Diaries entries.
09/01, 10:26 AM
posted by:
JakeK66
Poor kids. I had an Ex who came over from england on something like this. I’m sure she never had her seat belt fastened, It’s hard to imagine being a part of something that’s this bad, it’s incomprehensible and scarey to even think about.
09/01, 11:45 AM
posted by:
dmlgc
Brenda ,
Nice article it is always good when people note someone’s passing even if they didn’t know them, it shows we still have humanity.
Thanks
09/01, 11:46 AM
posted by:
moparsalesman1
seat belts people wear your seatbelts
09/01, 12:12 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Arizona is famous for the roadside crosses which are visited by loved ones rather regularly. The highways through the desert are very desolate and treacherous, and sometimes I’m amazed at the total lack of respect for these big machines that we operate at high speeds. Driving is a full time job.
Recently, I’ve seen a lot of these crosses start to creep up into my city as well. There was a racing accident a few years ago that resulted in a Ford Thunderbird torn in half, literally, after it collided with a street light pole at over 90mph, and killing four teenagers. Ever since, there have been crosses and flowers and pictures attached to that pole. In my opinion, even though the accident was a horrible thing, foolishness should never be praised. However, I’m sure the families of those individuals feel otherwise, and it does serve as a reminder to slow down as you come over the crest where the car lost control.
Good story, Brenda. Thanks for the reality check.
09/01, 12:22 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Tragic, for sure.
However, I have little sympathy for people who don’t have the common sense enough to wear their seat belts. These kids were old enough to know better.
09/01, 1:06 PM
posted by:
fitzla
Thanks for posting this story, Brenda. It is indeed a tragic story. Would this by any chance be the pearblossom highway through the California desert? I have spent too much time on that highway heading from Los Angeles to Vegas, and I won’t drive it anymore. (thank god for the 210 expansion) I have too seen to many accidents on that hwy. Scary and sad!
09/01, 1:12 PM
posted by:
zfenderguy
Good writeup Brenda. I hope some people read this and learn from it. That would be the ultimate service to these people.
09/01, 2:00 PM
posted by:
spg900
Being from Canada where seat belts are mandatory, I can’t for the life of me see why someone would CHOOSE not to wear it. I know, I know……. there’s this BIG BROTHER hang-up down south of us !
09/01, 2:32 PM
posted by:
beatusmongous
Seat belts are mandatory in many states here, too.
09/01, 3:21 PM
posted by:
MarkKleis
They were kids… let’s not forget that. They were also human, and we all make mistakes. Sadly, this mistake cost them their lives.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and pictures Brenda, they were very touching.
09/01, 3:27 PM
posted by:
NRG
This story has reminded me of why we wear seat belts. I don’t wear mine as often as I should, especially since I was involved in a serious car accident myself in ‘05 in Flagstaff, AZ. I also fell asleep at the wheel and hit a full grown pine tree head on. I broke my nose in 15 places and I wasn’t wearing a seat belt either. I won’t go into details. It’s too gory, but it took about 4 months to recover and about a year for full recovery. The car was crushed from the front bumper all the way too the dashboard. I am lucky I didn’t get ejected and didn’t have any other injuries. Makes me shudder to think what I went through. I’m lucky I am alive with no lingering effects.
I now live in the Phoenix area. You don’t want to get into an accident here in the desert in the middle of the summer. It’s over 100 degrees every day here during that time of year. I had a mild case of heat stroke when I took a summer job on ‘06. Not fun.
WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS, PLEASE.
Good story Brenda. It’s a good reminder to everyone to buckle up. To think that could have been me. Wow.
09/01, 4:09 PM
posted by:
TrippleOneFive
These kids were being stupid enough not to wear seatbelts. The driver was a complete moron and drove while tired. Everyone in the vehicle were being very very stupid. That is my opinion.
09/01, 4:52 PM
posted by:
iluvamcars
Very disrespectful 1115.
-iluvamcars
09/01, 6:06 PM
posted by:
A4
1115, they were probably in an American vehicle too, right? Communist.
09/02, 2:43 AM
posted by:
TL
Perhaps everyone can learn from the mistakes made.
Thank you Brenda for this article. It reminds of the simple things in life that can save a life…
And TrippleOneFive, no need for your criticism.
09/02, 5:47 AM
posted by:
jimmyblaze
Thanks for the touching story and the simple reminder to buckle up. It saved my life and that of my sister, brother-in-law and niece who were passengers in my car and seatbelted. We were involved in a really bad accident when a mini van ran a light back in 1999. I have a busted knee and some shoulder pain 10 years later but, I’m still here to talk about it. I have to replay this accident for the people I carpool with when they don’t want to wear it. I’m an avid believer in seatbelts and EVERYONE in the car buckling up.
09/09, 5:29 AM
posted by:
fan
there is really no poin in bashing onto people who died because they made a – however stupid – mistake. gosh, they were kids, but i suppose those on here who think they deserved no better for being stupid, apparently never were young, did something stupid. as for the driver… anyone on here who never EVER was tired when driving? anyone? no? well, thought so.
of course, he could have taken care of the kids being buckled up… apparently, he didnt, or he did, but the kids wouldnt listen… anyone ever tried to get a bunch of 14-17 year olds do what you say?
lets all not forget two things about being human:
1) if you live, you make mistakes. everyone. people who never make mistakes dont live.
2) the human body is a sturdy machine. it can take cold, heat, hunger, thirst for quite some time. it can also take quite some “physical damage”. but only up to a certain point. so take care
amen…
@ jimmy: your story sounds familiar to me. kinda same reason why i will not let anyone ride with me who refuses to wear the buckle; or why i pull over if someone unbuckles and refuses to rebuckle.
i, too, tell my story – which is very similar to yours – then; and usually have the wise ass who thinks seatbelts are stupid close to tears. and buckled up in no time.