Earlier on, we showed you the rescue effort at the scene of the collision on Saturday on the Northern Highway. Well that difficult extraction may prove to be much easier than determine who was in the wrong. Today we asked two of the drivers for their accounts and still couldn't decide.
Jules Vasquez Reporting, [jules.vasquez@gmail.com]
28-year-old Morty Goff was literally at the center of Saturday's accident. He was driving the Kee's Bakery truck that was wedged between the two
other vehicles. A terrible accident and he has two broken legs with compound fractures to show for it. But still, he remembers nothing.
Morty Goff, Accident Survivor
"All I can recall is going back to work after fishing work, going back towards the bakery and the thing I remember was taking the roundabout and then waking up in the hospital."
Jules Vasquez,
You've heard the accounts of what happened so are you amazed that you are alive? What is your reaction after hearing the accounts of what happened?
Morty Goff,
"I am even amazed it happened because the way people tell me the thing happened and the way they see it, I know I am not the type of person who drive that recklessly to have caused that type of accident. It really hard for me to believe the way they said it happened."
"And the way they say," are accounts like the one given by a number of eyewitnesses and Juan Carlos Romero who was driving the red Isuzu Rodeo that was beneath Goff's truck.
Carlos Romero,
"I was driving up north going towards Scotia Bank and upon reaching Gulf Hotel I saw the Kee's delivery truck coming across into the highway. On my lane he was free but I think he misjudged the Coca Cola truck thinking it would brake or give him the break to go across. All I heard was a bang noise and I saw the truck coming on top of my car; it was airborne."
Shane Goff is Morty's nephew, he was
Morty's sideman and passenger.
Shane Goff, Accident Survivor
"People are saying we overtake but I don't see how we overtake and people are saying we came out of our lane but we didn't come out of our lane, we were on a stretch. So I don't know how people are saying we came out of our lane."
Now police will have to go through those accounts and the evidence on the scene to find out what really happened. But right now these men, both of them who drive for a living, have a lot of recovering to do.
Morty Goff,
"According to talking I heard just now from the nursing staff, I will be in here until February and I don't like to hear that because I am not a person who likes to lay up in bed and from now until February is a while."
Jules Vasquez,
So this is a major change of life for you, you won't be working and you can't be home with your family.
Morty Goff,
"Believe that is the most painful part, I can't be there to give them the support that they need."
And while he can't be there for support, Juan Carlos Romero is at home with his family. His wife Samira and six-year-old daughter Jasmine were in the vehicle with him and they need plenty of support. This Samira Romero's leg, was badly scratched when they dragged her out of the vehicle and the windshield was resting on top of her. She's also got a sprained shoulder and a sprained neck. 6-year-old jasmine, despite her sunny disposition as she sunned on the front lawn, has a fractured ankle.
Carlos Romero,
"I am in pain, my wife is in pain, my daughter has flash back and I think we have to take her to therapy. But she repeats it because I think she saw everything and thank God we are alive. It is a miracle that we are here. You saw the condition of the car so it's a miracle. I want to thank the guys from Benny's, the guys from BERT, the Fire crew worked hand in hand together. Special thanks to Javier from BERT."
And reviewing the footage of the rescue effort, it's clear that the competence and goodwill of all involved had Romero feeling very comfortable as he remained completely calm.
Carlos Romero,
"I felt my blood and I felt my hands and I knew blood was coming out from my face from where I didn't know because I saw it pouring it. When Javier from BERT got in we kept a one on one conversation and that kept me cool."
Jules Vasquez,
So now your legs are stuck under there, what's going through your mind?
Carlos Romero,
"Well I didn't get frustrated nor nervous or anything because I know everybody was doing their best to get me out of there and if I had panicked then things would have been worse. The reason why I was calm was because all the help was there and everybody was assisting and I didn't panic because I knew these guys were doing their best to take me out of there and everybody came by and told me my wife and daughter were okay so I felt very realized. If I didn't know anything about that when I would have panicked but I knew these guys were doing their utmost best to take me out of the car."
And while Romero and his family reflect on how lucky they are - the man he thinks was in the wrong could not apologize.
Morty Goff,
"Really I have nothing to say to them because I don't know and whatever I said would be a lie so I won't say this or that happened and it isn't so."
