Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 45

SU B A R U STA R C USTOME R

Subaru driver walks away –
with his life
by richard rotman
On January 7, 2015, Graham Sharp

larger one — I was crushed from behind by

A crowd soon gathered around the

sent out an unexpected tweet of thanks

a tri-axle gravel truck. I was tossed around

wreckage, a group of concerned citizens

that reverberated from coast-to-coast:

inside the car like a rag doll. All of the air

looking to help out in any way possible.

“@ AskSubaruCanada this happened

bags deployed and then… silence.”

Surveying the extent of the damage, no

yesterday and I walked away. Who can I
email to thank!? I have my life because of it.”

This is when his training as a firefighter
kicked in; his reflexes, honed from years of

Accompanying the 96-character

one could believe that the driver of this
particular vehicle was unscathed — it
seemed utterly impossible. Yet, there he

note was a photograph of a car so mangled

was, standing in front of them, recounting

and misshapen, it defied logic — it was

what had happened moments earlier.

certainly unrecognizable as a Subaru, let

The next day, Graham saw his car again;

alone the 2011 Subaru Impreza that Graham

it had been carted away from Highway 11

was driving when things went sideways.

on a flatbed. It wasn’t until then that things

A day earlier, on a notoriously

really hit home for him, it wasn’t until then

treacherous stretch of Highway 11 just

that he began to appreciate how truly lucky

north of Barrie, Ontario, he found himself

he had been. “Despite having an obvious

navigating through a sudden snowstorm.

angel on my shoulder,” he notes, “I would

From years of living in the Bracebridge area,

helping others in similar situations, were

be foolish not to admit that the science and

he had seen many accidents on that very

called upon in his own moment of need.

design that went into my vehicle was

stretch of road. From his experience as a

Graham first wondered whether he had

a huge factor in me being here today.”

volunteer firefighter, he had witnessed the

been paralyzed in the crash, so he gave

devastation these accidents had caused.

himself a quick test: “I wiggled my toes

“Visibility was almost non-existent,” he
recalls. “Then, all of a sudden, the snow

and saw that my nerves were working.”
He then set his sights on a new objective

stopped and I could see.” What he saw were

— getting out of his Impreza as quickly as

cars scattered everywhere in front of him —

possible, There was still the chance that

in the ditch, against the guardrail, against

another wave of out-of-control vehicles

each other, everywhere. “I slammed on the

might be hurtling towards him. He couldn’t

brakes and the ABS kicked in. I was able

take that chance — he needed to move, he

to manoeuvre around three vehicles, but

needed to get away.

couldn’t avoid another impact. A gravel
truck hit the driver’s side of my car — hard.”

Fortunately, this ݅́