Bob Aronson’s Mustang Story: “I’m Alive”
“It was a nice sunny morning in Las Vegas, NV; a little cooler than normal, so I had the top up on my 2002 Ford Mustang GT convertible. I was cruising down Interstate 15 headed towards my college for the last day of school before the Xmas break. The traffic was moderate, so I was doing 80-85 mph, and coming up to the “Spaghetti Bowl”. It's called that because of the multiple on and off ramps, and interstate to state road, to another interstate exchanges, which can be challenging.
My exit was coming up, and I needed to move over a few lanes to get off, something I've done literally thousands of times before, so it wasn’t new to me.
Next thing I knew, the back end of my Stang got loose, but I was able to correct in time, and was heading straight. I thought I was good. I was wrong. The back end broke loose again hard this time, and I went into a wild spin that I could not recover from! The last thing I remembered was someone/something saying, "Let go, relax, sit back and go for the ride!"
I woke up to the sounds of the "jaws of life" cutting me out of my GT. I could see the double-axle, double-wheel of an 18-wheel tractor trailer above me. The rescue crew cut me out of the car, and I went for a ride to the hospital trauma center in an ambulance. After a series of X-Rays, CTs, MRIs and other tests, the doctor confirmed that I was OK and told me I could go home.
My wife, on her way to the trauma center, passed the accident scene and saw the wreckage. She expected to arrive at the ER and find me either dead or in pieces. When she saw me on the stretcher with nothing more than a precautionary neck collar, her emotions got the best of her.
Even the trooper investigating the crash said that 95% of the time he would be pulling a white sheet over a car involved in a wreck like that.
I left the ER walking and the next day was on a flight to see my son in the Navy in Pensacola, FL. To this day, I have no idea why I was given another chance. While serving my country in the military, I previously had two other very close calls. I feel blessed.
Shortly thereafter, I purchased another Mustang GT convertible (this time, a 2010).
I live my life trying to do something positive every day … “
- Bob Aronson
