N1 Highway

This stretch of road they call the hell highway, past near that familiar silhouette of the famous ghost house of Pretoria.

My brother had an accident with a pedestrian he just walked in front of the car it looked like the man wanted to cross the highway. It was late at night and deserted. This then was a year earlier. He says he had seen it in a dream I saw my accident the same, also in a dream.

The man came from nowhere on the same stretch of highway dead on impact and writing off my Datsun SSS. This guy just stumbled onto the road it was too close the car hit him. Just walked in front of the car he must have been drunk. My brother was badly traumatised he was very young actually he was still in school.

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It was a massive truck they were transporting a very large load of steel the truck was in the left lane standing still with no lights the electrical system had completely failed. It was only the (dirty) chevrons.

Instantly instinctively I threw the steering wheel left the right side of the Mazda hit the truck's left and the car crashed and twisted past. The advantage now was the car was off the road. It was drizzling too. My right front wheel was between my knees I tried to get out of the car but luckily I couldn't and also didn't have cigarettes.

Reflex and survival was a question of milliseconds.

Another bakkie (pick-up truck) also came but he just hit brakes and smashed into the truck. I think that was fatal.

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Some of my schoolmates returning from the army two years national service joined the fire brigade. I had many friends there and drinking buddies. When the ambulance stopped the one guy said, Ok that's it. Let's go home he's dead. Oh hell look it's Tom!

Jaws of life story and fire brigade and paramedics. Those days they were trained as both later only were they separate.

Don't ever look down on any emergency services man, a paramedic, a fireman or a policeman. Or a soldier. They deserve respect. They are highly trained and highly skilled professionals. You never know when you will need them and when your life is their hands. These are men of courage but the firemen to me is the noblest.

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They let us smoke there in orthopedics as much as we like. We smoked that place blue. There was a guy in plaster a gingerbread man body suit only head feet and hands sticking out. He said he will get back on his motorcycle as soon as he can. That thing it must have been terribly uncomfortable.

First I was in traction for a few weeks I had a plaster cast for a few months and crutches for longer and owner of a steel femur rod, all of that was very unpleasant especially with sleeping. Don't drive full speed into still standing trucks on the highway. And if you do, hope your best friends are all firemen and paramedics.

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I'd been admitted to a state hospital. Amongst other injuries and fractures I had a femur smashed into four pieces but I was young that helped a lot I think with the recovery. There were other broken bones and steel screws etc. The one thing they were very worried about was a "fat embolism" but I was ok didn't get one.

At first I couldn't sleep at all each time I dozed in I saw the dirty chevrons and the truck coming for me and at impact jolted awake. The youngster in the bed next to mine had lost a foot he had had an amputation his radio played "don't worry be happy" all the time yes I thought that was a good idea.

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Our (then new) step dad was an amateur photographer and was on his way off to the scrapyard to take photos of the car for the insurance and that. Came back without one photo just very pale he said it is impossible for anyone to survive that. And soon sold all his cameras and equipment too. My mother's car I had crashed was a small Mazda hatchback. Unfortunately I was unable to claim third party for my injuries it could have been a lot I'd think.

Last I saw then of that best school friend he'd taken the smell of a bitch. I don't mind and you don't matter. Well he did assist in the initial stages and the ambulance being one of the paramedics himself. Cafeteria buddies on the news, Tom crashed on the highway his car a right-off he's in hospital "Nou eers?" "Only Now?" was the standard reaction. Came from a varsity pub half-intoxicated was there with a close friend Tuta he was on a motorbike he knew nothing of this.

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I badly wanted a cigarette. You cannot. That Mazda steering wheel tasted good but my Toyota the other day was better.