60 Bonus Years

[260 Rem]

Sept 28, 1962 was a Friday night and after scoring a bunch of beer, there was a bush party at the vacant Kostash farm a few miles north of Vegreville. Sometime after midnight, the party ended and many of us (16 year olds) stopped at the all-
night Crossways Cafe for some sober-up coffee … until somebody said they left their jacket at the farm. My friend, Fred Kostash, said he’d drive back to pick it up and I volunteered to ride shotgun. I recall that were moving real fast and when I looked over at the speedometer it was a at least 2/3 in the red. Next thing I recall is seeing gravel out my side window as the car slid on its side before starting to flip. Then, I’m kicking out a side window and I crawl out (un hurt). What an eerie scene with the overturned car laying sideways across the road with the headlights highlighted in heavy mist. I called for Fred and crawled partway back into the front seat as I thought he might be there but no luck. Then, I saw him laying in the middle of the road, clothes all wrapped around his head …
There was a yard light on at a farmhouse about 1/3 mile down the road so I ran there and pounded on the door. The older Ukrainian couple would not let me in but thankfully, they called the RCMP. I will never forget running back to the accident site after the police arrived … lights flashing and a box of beer sitting on the overturned car.

[Desert Eagle]

That’s a scary scene to think of. Many many similar stories similar I have heard over the years. Glad you made it through, and I’m certain you think of it often. Would be a hard one to overcome.

[Edmonton resident]

Thanks for sharing "NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE "also don't TEXT and drive just as bad if not worse.

[58thecat]

Looking back man got lucky a lot of times, some didn’t though

[Rancid Crabtree]

Thanks for sharing.

[zabbo]

Never had to live through an experience such as that, but there were many times it could have ended that way! Cheet house lucky? or maybe a guardian angel looking out for me? Chill runs down my spine looking back sometimes!

Couple of friends didn't make it. You never know when your ticket is going to get punched! More reason to appreciate the things you have!

[Positrac]

Congrats on the 60 bonus years 260 Rem! I hope you made good use of them.

There’s lot's of us walking around on bonus time. I put a cruiser suit on about 15 minutes before hitting a 3’ at the butt sawed off Hemlock log right at dusk off the west coast over 20 years ago. 9-1/2 hours partially in the water on a sinking overturned hull before I was picked up in the morning. If I had chosen to not put the cruiser suit on when I did I wouldn’t be writing this….

Sometimes stepping right instead of left is all it takes to have a different outcome.

[spoiledsaskhunter]

yes, had several friends who didn't make it through the foolishness of growing up.....then put on a uniform and spent 30 years wishing the kids would only listen to us. would have saved so many families so much grief. the lucky ones made it through, i guess.

[bat119]

Some of us made it some didn't
Drinking and driving back then was almost normal the police would give out $54 ticket for open liquor then tell you to go straight home.
I lost a lot of friends during those years and was lucky I didn't end up in a wreck like OP

[260 Rem]

More to the story. The following morning I went to the detachment to give a statement in which I recounted events but refused to give names. Some friends came forward and we all took the the same stance which was very unpopular. The coroner threatened us with jail if we continued to shield our “bootlegger” and eventually did call an inquest which had to be held in a school gymnasium to accommodate community interest. The night of the inquest was interesting with all the boys waiting to be called to testify in the boys locker room, and the girls in theirs. I don’t think any of the boys ever broke the code of silence but apparently a girl did and a local guy (not “our” guy) eventually spent a few months in jail.

[Howard Hutchinson]

Back in 1982 I was 17, my buddy 18. He fell asleep at at the wheel while headed South down the hill at the intersection of Wolf Creek road and Hwy 16. The old green van crossed the hwy with enough speed to get air and slammed hard on the front end on the other side of the hwy coming to all but a complete stop. The spare tire in the back crushed him against the steering wheel, ending his life and I who was asleep on the floor in the back, crushed a hole in the doghouse with my hips and broke my T2/T3 vertebrae against the seat pedestal and haven't walked since that Friday night.
He was not a drinker yet had for some reason, fell asleep. So yes many, many get lucky yet sometimes as mentioned, your number is called. Mine wasn't yet Todd, not so lucky.

Good for you 260. Life is indeed a blessing.

[Mulehahn]

My dad only had one absolute rule growing up; he will help me out of every dumb thing I do except drinking and driving. If I drink and drive he will kill me himself.

He had 9 friends die in highschool from drinking and driving, 5 in one accident when they literally wrapped the car around a telephone pole at high speed. He was in a vehicle that flipped, remembers waking up in the hospital while they tried to save his friend who didn't make it. I am glad times have changed.

[260 Rem]

About 25 years ago I made contact with courthouse staff in Vegreville to inquire about getting access to the inquest record. They were unable to help. Would still like to read the proceedings. Anybody with ideas regarding a search?

[EZM]

Was out at a bush party near Okotoks a little over 30 years ago. As the night was wrapping up, and cars were leaving one of my friends, Chris, asked me if I needed a ride back. Normally, I would have hopped in, but declined and I said I would catch a ride with another person instead and meet up in the morning as planned (we were going to head out to the river to do some fishing).

The next day, Chris, nor his car, were home, and the people he was with were also missing and his Mom (along with the parents of the other missing kids) were frantically trying to find out where their kids were. It was a crazy morning I will never forget.

The RCMP found Chris's car in a ditch (and practically the one of the very few places where it was steep and hidden from view from the road) as most of that area is quite open with the ditches quite visible from the road.

The night before, They had left 30 minutes before the rest of us (another 3-4 cars) left and drove right past where they had gone off the road and rolled the car.

Chris and one other person died. 3 people were seriously injured and one of those people is unable to walk as she was paralyzed having been pinned all night under the car.

A tragedy that could have been prevented, and a valuable lesson to all of us.

[Sundancefisher]

My after grad party. Doing fair bit of drinking. Rode in the back of a pickup truck home after randomly grabbing a spot in one of two trucks.

I made it home.

The guy in the back of the other truck didn’t ever come home.

[Mavrick]

As farm kids in the 60’s and 70’, we were absolutely brutal at driving from party to party drunk. All gravel roads, but you can die on them as easy as a high speed highway. And unfortunately some schools friends did.

We where just idiots kids, and thought we were invisible. I’m thankful many times to have my 60 bonus years, and often think about the young people I knew who did not.

[thumper]

And to think we all thought that drunk driving stories were funny.... Close calls. near misses and wrecks that we could walk away from were 'badges of honour', stories that we'd regale our friends with.

Makes me shiver to recall the condition I was driving in 'back in the day'.

[calgarychef]

We did so much…. How we ever survived I’ll never understand.
The night we jumped the truck off the mount joy ski hill south of lloydminster was one of the scariest. I’m so glad my kids don’t do that ****.

[barbless]

Many Many years ago they (the police) use to pull us over for what ever reason (cause we were teens) they would take our booze and say go home and drive safe. No charge and no one got a DUI. Because we were on back gravel roads not on main drags and cause for the most part they knew our families. Not the same today people. At least in city or highway sense. We as for the most part so called country folk did not partake in the city crap. No matter don't drink and drive. They will take you down. Even going from one farm to the other, unless you have a back 40 connection LOL. Still know of a few still around Beausejour Man. Grand Pa's back forty