Driver Education Initiative – Upside Down in a River

Gage
Critchlow

Drivers
Education Scholarship

11
November 2019

Upside
Down in a River

October
25, 2017 was a day I will never forget. My mom and I were driving to
school on a dark, rainy Wednesday morning. The night before it had
snowed more than eight inches in four hours so the road was slick.
Driving less than 40 miles an hour, we hit a slush patch and started
fishtailing. With no traction or grip, my mom and I ended up upside
down in the icy and frigid Lowe River in Valdez, Alaska.

My
mom’s first instinct was to see if I was alright, which I was, but
then the car started to fill up with water, and we both knew if we
didn’t get out soon, we wouldn’t at all. The first thing I saw
was my mom’s phone floating in front of me, so I grabbed it,
knowing we would need it later to call for help. We tried everything
to break the windows or open doors to get out, but couldn’t escape.
My mom was crying and telling me how bad she felt. All I could do was
assure her that we would get out.  After what felt like years, I
swam to the back seat of the car and found the rear passenger
window. 

Amazingly,
I was able to break out the window with nothing more than my fist. As
it broke, the car filled completely with water. I reached into the
front seat and pulled my mom to the back.  I had to go
underwater and through the shattered window. Once outside the car, I
reached into the car and pulled her out through the broken window. We
swam through the icy 33 degree water to the bank. Frozen and shook
up, my mom was able to get a call through to my dad. We were huddled
on the road, freezing, when a truck came down the highway. My mom
told me not to stop him because my dad was on his way. I knew she
wasn’t in her right state of mind and waved him down. He let us
warm up in his truck until my dad came and took us home.

 Driver’s
Education isn’t mandatory in Alaska, but driving with a
parent/guardian for 2 years is required.  You can learn a lot
about driving whether it’s through an instructor-led course or just
through driving hours, but there are some things you will never learn
until you have danger staring you in the face.  I’ve neer been
faced with death closer than I was that October morning. Could we
have done things differently to change the outcome? Would we have
fishtailed if we had snow tires on? Would we have spun out in slush
if we had four-wheel drive?   These questions have an indefinite
answer. However, the one thing I am absolutely sure of, without
question, is that IF you can control your thoughts and emotions, your
chances of survival increase dramatically.