I'M BURNING....MY STORY


The year was 1988, and it was a typical warm day in California when I finished performing my pre-trip inspection on the cab-over I was assigned for deliveries. My name is Bill and I worked for a small Sacramento area trucking company that delivered boxed freight to various supermarkets in northern and central California. My daily run consisted of about 26 stops from Sacramento to Fresno by way of state highway 99.

My first few hours on this particular day, May 23rd, were routine and uneventful. I was feeling frustrated with my boss for refusing to bring my rig up to par. My pre-trip inspection again indicated that this archaic rig needed new tires, among other things, as the tread was almost nonexistent. However, as usual the owner / manager of this small, family-owned business was pinching pennies and refused to spend a nickel unless he was forced to do so. And, as I needed this job real bad, I continued to drive my rig, even though it made me a little uneasy doing it.

As I made my stops in the Sacramento area, I was thinking about my fianc, Judy and was anxious for the workday to end so I could get home to her. We shared an apartment together and she usually got home before me because of my long delivery route. Wouldn't it be nice if I could get home before her and surprise her with a romantic dinner, I thought to myself. Sometimes she worked overtime as she was a fraud investigator for the State, and sometimes had a long day. She really enjoyed my little poems and romantic songs and a nice romantic dinner sounded like a great way to unwind and finish off the day.

My next few deliveries took me down highway 99 as far as Fresno. I didn't mind the drive too much except when I would get stalled in traffic. Hopefully, today, would be a good day and I would be able to zip right through. Things were going pretty good until I was down the road about 100 miles or so when the right lane slowed down due to a lot of exiting traffic up ahead. I decided to pull over to the left lane. I put on my turn signal, and was crossing into the passing lane, traveling approximately 55 miles per hour and was just about to pass an old Peterbilt hauling a load of chickens. All of a sudden, my left front steering tire exploded like a bomb!

I remember my head being thrown violently against the window frame due to the sudden jolt of the truck, the screeching of the tires, the sound of breaking glass, and the sound of grinding metal, then I lost consciousness. My rig veered off the highway and ran onto the Oleander-lined median continuing on its destructive path. The fuel tanks grinded unmercifully on the metal guardrail, causing a searing hot friction against the two large fuel tanks on the rig to explode. The cab was engulfed in flames and at that point I was still unconscious.

I'm not sure how long I was out, but when I regained consciousness, I found myself inside a burning tomb. I was sprawled across the "doghouse" (that part of the truck that covers the engine in a cab-over). My hazy mind was racing, trying to think what to do. I knew I needed to get out of this burning inferno and I needed to get out now! But it was like I was in limbo....I thought of my fianc, Judy, and how it was pretty obvious I wouldn't be getting home early today. It's like all of a sudden I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to make it out of this situation alive and I just gave up! The next thing I knew, I saw a very, very bright, but calming light. I saw a figure coming toward me, and then realized it was my dad who had died in 1985. He was motioning for me to follow him, and seemed to be waving at me with a cast iron frying pan! I hesitated trying to think what I had done wrong, and then finally began to follow him.

All of a sudden, I seemed to be jerked backwards and I awoke and found myself dazed and wandering across highway 99, with only my underwear intact. The rest of my clothing and shoes had been burned off. Vehicles were at a complete stop going both directions on the highway. I remember thinking why were all those cars and trucks stopped and why were they looking at me!

I was walking with my arms outstretched and burned skin hanging off my body like dripping wax. I was in shock at that point and was unaware of my condition.

It was later determined that a trucker heading north on the highway saw the accident as it happened, and turned around at a nearby exit, and returned to the accident scene and pulled me out of the wreck just in the nick of time. Afterwards, numerous other fellow truckers stopped and tried to help. They kept trying to sit me down and keep me out of the hot sun until help could arrive. I still didn't understand what had happened to me and was getting frustrated at them for being so demanding. The trucker that saved my life left without giving any information to anyone as to his identity, so to this day, I have not been able to thank him for his courageous and heroic act. In a matter of seconds, I would have been burned alive. Had this person not turned around when he did and snatch me from the burning cab when he did, I would not be here today to tell you my story.

The fire department and paramedics arrived shortly afterwards. There wasn't much left to save - the cab was completely burned up in the fire. With only a few scraps of metal and rubber left, it was hard to tell a cab once existed. The trailer I was pulling faired much better. There was moderate damage due to both the accident and the fire, but it was not totally destroyed. I, on the other hand, had not been so lucky. My life had been spared, but my body had been severely burned, over 85 %.

The paramedics were shocked at my appearance. With all my clothes, except for my underwear, being burned off, melted skin was hanging from my body. My hair and part of one ear had been burned off as well. They couldn't believe I was walking around as if nothing had happened. However, the shock soon wore off and the unbearable pain began to surge through my body as nothing I'd ever felt before. At this point, I was wishing I had died! The pain was indescribable and, to this day, it is something that is very difficult to even think about. The paramedics administered massive doses of morphine to