This is Tam. Chris, Matt and I were running checkpoint 6.
Im calling this devine intervention. I cant see it being anything else.
We had huge crowds early in the day. Aftershock looked like an outdoor amphitheater, the crowds were cheering, leering and screaming. We were stationed at the end of Aftershock, right after the little rock garden where you make the hard left turn before entering the wash that goes past the old rusty car carcass. We could hear, but we couldnt see anything.
It was getting kinda quiet towards the end of the day. Just a few rigs here and there. No one had come through in at least 30 minutes. Joe had asked us again if his buddies rig had come through, which it had not. He went down there to wait. He was the only one in the canyon.
We could hear a vehicle in the canyon, the revs punched through the silence, and than a loud POP! Chris having been in and around race cars for the majority of his life, knew immediately what the sound was. Even before we saw the billows of smoke, Chris and Matt were on their feet, grabbing fire extinguishers from our Jeeps. It was about an 1/8 of a mile down there. I stayed up at the checkpoint to update Relay. I called and said we had a vehicle fire, and that I would update them as to the status.
Matt came running back up, yelling that the rig was completely engulfed but that the driver was out and safe. I didnt hear the rest of it until Chris came up pretty shaken, getting water for the driver and Joe. When Joe came up, I gave him a big hug...I could see that he was in shock as well. I was told that the driver was indeed in shock, and I asked for medical aide. The media helicopter came and got him. I give credit to the pilot landing it in that narrow wash, it took some real skill.
All I can say is that someone or something kept Joe's buddy's rig from coming through earlier, placing Joe in the right place at the right time, as well as having Doc zip tie that multi-tool with in reach, or it would not have been there. That there were no other vehicles in the canyon is another miracle. We literally had a traffic jam in there with hoards of people earlier.
Doc- Im the girl that drove down to give you a ride up from the waterfall, but your buddies very wisely had you walk. They were rightly concerned that if you had gotten in my Jeep, they would have had a hell of a time getting you out. You were running on automatic. All I can say is that you're one lucky man! I'm sorry that your rig was a total loss Doc. I have pictures of it on fire, but would like to know prior to posting them, if you want to see it. Otherwise, I wont post them.
Thank you Joe for your actions. Though you have said otherwise, not everyone would have done what you did. Your courage and care saved a mans life on Friday. I shudder to think what Chris and Matt would have found if you had not been there.
Tam
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