Unsecured loads seem to be an increasing issue on San Antonio highways. A mattress that soared across an interstate last week caused some funny quips online, but a Final Destination-like reality hit hard for another San Antonio driver who was cut by smashed windshield when an unsecured log went flying across a highway interstate.
Tim Ammons was on his way back to work on the Northside from a meeting in downtown San Antonio Thursday afternoon, November 14, when he narrowly escaped a treacherous fate. An unsecured log went hurling across a highway median, from a vehicle across a median heading in the opposite direction, and smashed into his windshield.
"I was on the phone handsfree talking to my wife, and as I'm driving, I see something flying toward my left in my peripheral vision," Ammons recalled, grateful he managed to keep control of his vehicle. "So, I lean to the middle. And the next thing you know it hits."
Heart racing, Ammons checked his sideview mirrors to make sure he stayed in his lane. Luckily, he never lost sight of the highway amid impact despite shards of glass raining across his arms and face, causing cuts to his nose and eventually a swollen eye. He described feeling itchy and a burning sensation in his arms, likely from small shards of glass or a chemical in the windshield, which persisted until he was able to shower it off at home sometime later.
The impact took place on I-10 west near just south of Crossroads Boulevard, in front of Methodist Hospital Texsan. The driver says it happened sometime between 1:15 and 1:23 p.m.
Ammons was able to securely make his way over to the slow lane, driving down the highway with a busted windshield before exiting DeZavala Road to make it to a Safelight AutoGlass. His Lincoln Navigator is used by his family, so insurance would simply delay the process. However, the auto glass repair folks were kind enough to offer him a deal which made out-of-pocket replacement affordable and fast.
"They were surprised," Ammons said of the response from the Safelight workers. "They said they had never seen anything like it. They were taking pictures themselves and like, 'Oh my God, are you OK?'"
Unbeknownst to Ammons, he'd driven down the highway with a decent-sized log jammed into his windshield. It wasn't visible to him on the trek to the repair shop, likely having flipped onto the roof as it was attached to some kind of laminate in the windshield.
Images of the aftermath show just how hard the impact really was, with the log wedged into his windshield. But with him traveling at roughly 70 mph and the other driver likely going just as fast, Ammons was mostly glad he made it through the whole ordeal alive and had the wherewithal to maintain his lane and his sights on the road ahead.
"They just need to make sure they follow the law," Ammons said when asked what his message to the driver responsible would be. "I mean, you need to secure your load. There could have been children in the car. I was in the car by myself, but there could have easily been multiple people there. Thank goodness I was in my position to handle and maneuver my vehicle without causing damage to other people around me."
Texas Transportation Code makes it a misdemeanor charge to travel with an unsecured load, whether that be in the bed of a truck or on a trailer or semitrailer. This is what Ammons hopes people take away from his story: Take responsibility for your belongings and follow the law. Not doing so can have costly consequences for fellow drivers beyond just financial - people, like Ammons, could be seriously injured.