I’m still a little shook by what I just saw. While leaving Newcomb’s Ranch on LA’s legendary Angeles Crest Highway, I spotted up on a steep embankment, leaning hard to its left side, a Chevy Camaro with all of its airbags popped off. The car looked mostly intact, but then as I kept driving, I saw against the canyon wall a Honda S2000, its front end severely crushed, and in the right lane a Honda Fit. On the shoulder of the road a man — who had apparently been in one of the vehicles — held his arm in pain as bystanders seemingly attended to the situation. I don’t recall seeing fire or smoke.
After driving past the crashed Fit, I pulled off the right side of the road, shocked at what I’d just seen. I wasn’t sure what to do, but seeing that there were many cars heading towards the crash, I walked across the road and began waving down oncoming vehicles, warning them of what was ahead.
The last thing we needed was some unsuspecting speed-racer coming in too hot and hitting either the crashed Fit or the others on the scene. The cars slowed down, and many turned around and left:
While slowing down traffic, it dawned on me that, though there were people at the scene, and plenty of folks had driven past since it was 4th of July and the road was super busy, it’s possible none had been able to reach the police due to lack of reception near Newcomb’s Ranch. So I used the iPhone satellite texting feature to text my wife, who called 911. I then sent some messages to emergency responders directly.
In time, a helicopter arrived, and after that, fire trucks and ambulances and police cars.
This was a horrible crash, and part of me wishes I had done more, especially learning later from a Twitter account that tracks police calls, the driver was trapped (presumably the driver in that S2000). Should I have stopped and helped those already on the scene get this person out? Or should I have tried doing…something other than redirect traffic and call police? I wish I had. It took me too long to process what was going on, and by the time I did I wasn’t sure whether to go back, and I figured those already on the scene had it under control, but why make that assumption? It had happened recently; maybe I could have lended a hand? Or maybe that would have just made things even more chaotic. I don’t know. I’m a little flustered at the moment and I have a lot of feelings flowing through me, a big one being regret, a bigger one being sadness.
Those poor people in those cars — the S2000, the Fit, and the Camaro — they will be in my prayers. I feel so bad for them.
Before this, the day had started off well; I’d met some friends at the local cafe — them in their lightweight sports cars and me in my i3. I got some tea and a croissant, and we headed up the hill. I kept up with the Miatas/Lotus/BRZ for a while, but after the forklift in front of them pulled over it became apparent that my i3’s 175-section front tires weren’t giving me nearly enough grip at the nose, my lack of a rear sway bar meant I was leaning like a Pisano tower, and the powertrain kept derating (presumably for thermal reasons).
That’s all to say: I got dusted.
But it was still fun, and when we arrived (well them, then I) at Newcomb’s Ranch, I couldn’t help but be amazed at just what an incredible movement two people had built here on this sacred spot. Watch this beautiful piece our partner Galpin’s video team put together a few months back– it’s truly moving:
Just look at all these cars!:
It was such a beautiful start to Independence Day, but on the way back home to my wife and baby boy, I saw the aftermath of that tragic crash, and upon arriving at my abode I picked up my boy and hugged him for 10 minutes straight.
He, surprisingly, didn’t cry. He just stayed there in my arms, quietly, and when I took a good look at his big baby eyes, he smiled. And it was at that moment that I was reminded that, as great as cars are, and as fun as it is to drive them quickly around canyon roads, they are machines that mean nothing in comparison to people. I’ve said it many times before: The best thing about cars, and the reason I’m in this field in the first place, is that they connect us with others in a way that only a handful of other things can (food, music, sports). Cars are a glue that bonds so many of us together, and especially in the current polarized political climate, that is immensely important. Part of being part of the amazing car community is taking care of one another, and putting both your safety and the safety of your fellow car-enthusiast first. There is no apex you can hit or beautiful exhaust sound you can hear or excellent shift you can make that is more important. People come first.
As a car journalist, I cover car crash news all the time, I dig into IIHS/NHTSA statistics, I look into crash test results and modern safety tech, and what has become increasingly obvious to me is that cars can be as big a source pain as they can be a source of joy. Far too many people — famous ones like George Patton, Princess Diana, James Dean, Paul Walker, and so many who don’t make the front page but who mean so much to our families and communities (40,000 people annually just in the United States) — pass away from motor vehicle crashes. It’s too damn many.
And it’s a reminder that, as comfortable and quiet as modern cars are, even 40 mph isn’t as slow as it may seem behind the wheel. As shown below in the IIHS Small Overlap Crash video, at that moderate speed, a heavy car carries enough kinetic energy to cause serious damage to a vehicle’s safety cage:
Please be careful out there. Never underestimate how dangerous cars are, and remember that driving fast on public roads is incredibly risky and, often times, just not worth it.
I’ve decided I’m never going back to Angeles Crest. The number of cars on Angeles Crest was a recipe for disaster today, and though I’m not going to say it could have been worse given the severity of the crash scene I saw, I will note that, upon my descent a motorcyclist came into my lane while passing a car, and then a bicyclist crossed the road on the back side of a tight turn I was driving through. Both were close calls. On top of that, while looking around to see if there was any news on this crash, I found so many stories about horrible crashes on that road (here are just three of many)…
And the last time I drove Angeles Crest, it was with Griffin and Mercedes, and I remember driving back down the hill and seeing emergency responders driving by, and I was worried sick. I called the police station and asked, and they told me there was a crash on the road. I drove home worried that something had happened to Mercedes or Griffin. Luckily, they were OK, but someone else was apparently involved in a crash that day.
Between my experiences and the road’s seemingly permanent place in the grimmest sections of the newspaper, I’ve decided I’m never going back up Angeles Crest. I never thought such a beautiful road could be so ugly.
David, I think you handled it perfectly.
Often there is no perfect response.
I happened on a car stuck on the tracks, high sided on the rails.
There was a light in the distance of a train headed our way.
What’s first? Getting the driver out of the car or calling it in?
I called it in, gave them details and cut the call short.
I hoped calling it in, they could stop the train.
I headed to the car and ordered the driver out.
Had to keep yelling at them to leave the car.
I didn’t want to pull them out physically, but I know people are often in denial stuck on tracks.
I got her away from the car and at a safe distance in the rain.
She said, “What about my car?”
The car went from zero to train speed in one meter.
Surreal thing to see!
Since her car frame was sitting on the rails, it was just pushed along until the train stopped.
The Honda was quietly running when we got there.
I had to shut off the engine.
I first took over a crash scene when I was very young. I had no intention of doing so.
One car crash, late enough there was no traffic.
There were several cars there. Everyone was older than me and there before me.
I had this twilight zone moment when I realized no one had done anything!
There was an injured girl in the car, in pain.
So I started telling people what to do and they did. Someone had to go find a phone and call in. I even had to remind the fire dept to spray the fuel tank.
I asked a friend who worked rescue on the golden gate, and she said this is typical.
Some people freeze up and other people do things.
Some have suggested waiting for rescue.
The thing about first responders is they usually aren’t there first. Also, even when they want help, they usually won’t ask, for legal and ethical reasons. I ended up running a high pressure fire hose with a random group of of people. The firemen didn’t understand why we didn’t jump in immediately, as they were short of help.
Often we are the first responders, as you were, David.
This is weird.
I was out on a bicycle ride earlier today and witnessed what I am sure was a fatal accident.
Someone in one of those small Mitsubishi compact cars pulled out from a side street and was t-boned by a straight truck going the speed limit (45 mph) ….it was ugly.
Still thinking about it….the Mitsu driver died *instantly*……I stuck around to give a statement to the police, but damn…….life can change in an *instant*.
I was less then 50 yards from this accident as I saw it play out.
Worst feeling in the world?
Seeing an accident happening in real time and there was nothing I could do about it.
So, nobody died? That’s a win in my book. Unfortunately there are a lot of idiot maniacs who also like to drive up there.
You did what you could when it was needed. Helping is helping, regardless of how big or small it is. Good on you being unafraid to step in after a rationale examination of the situation and what resources you had available.
I had a scary incident once when my wife was 9 months pregnant and we were coming back up 84 in CT. A car in front of us lost a wheel (2006 Civic) and veered into the median guardrail which then shot it directly back at us while doing 70 with traffic on our tail. Thankfully, we accelerated and beat the car as it went into the outside guardrail in a shower of sparks. I didn’t want to drive that road again. It was terrifying almost losing so much. I’ve driven that stretch of road a couple dozen times since that afternoon and the momentary increase in my heartrate is getting better and better with each journey.
So, I get the mindset. Having kids, a wife, those folks to come home to that would be sitting wondering where you are if you didn’t, it changes you. You’ve got something to lose that is bigger than you.
I’m definitely more aware of my surroundings. I’m not interested in speeding. I’ve embraced the brand new mid-size vehicle with excellent safety ratings lifestyle. Though I know that a safe car alone is not enough to keep everyone safe. I’m more aware, but don’t drive nervous. I don’t fear a road or driving, but I am more cognizant of what is at stake behind the wheel and I take precautions to ensure I’m at my best, because I don’t control everyone else.
I go to the Tail of the Dragon for an annual event. It’s a big meet with lots of cars. I do one group drive on the Cherohala Skyway, but everything on the Dragon I do on my own and try to stay out of the large packs. And this year on the Skyway, people wanted to go FAST on the downhill. I pulled over twice. In some ways the Skyway is more dangerous than the Dragon because of the speed you *think* you can carry.
As others have said, never go over the double yellow. I’ve had times where I was the guy who pulled over to let others pass and other times I have wanted the car in front of me to pull over so bad and they never do. So I either wait it out or pull over myself and wait a few minutes to get a clearer path. If someone is on your butt on these roads, the best thing to do is use the next pullout. They are responsible for their own actions but I wouldn’t want to be the one that “enticed” them into a stupid pass because of my own ego or refusal to move over for them.
And David, I think you did all the right things here. You kept others away and got the correct help information about the scene.
I have had so many motorcycles leaning in the oncoming lane with their torso and head entirely over the yellow line – no a road that doesn’t often allow for the car to move over to allow room.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Knowing about your iPhone satellite feature was your contribution to the scene and it actually saved the day.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”
-Fred Rogers.
You were a helper, David.
I don’t know, David. Never revisiting that road again might be a bit of an extreme reaction. (And 50 years ago in college, I had a dorm mate I gave a ride from UCSD to his home in La Canada, but I had no idea that town/suburb extended so far north into the San Gabriel Mountains.)
There are a lot of fun and interesting roads in CA. But you don’t have to take them all at ten-tenths. They’re fun even at seven-tenths. Or pretty at far less.
Save the visceral thrills for a track day. And enjoy the scenery.
And… I’m a little confused. Google Maps shows Newcomb’s Ranch as “permanently closed.” But there certainly was quite an assembly of exotic machinery in your photos.
You performed a great service in that time. You don’t know if anyone else had stopped and taken the time to alert emergency services, so the best thing you could do to provide assistance was to make sure that people don’t arrive and make the scene worse (slowing traffic) and alerting emergency services to make sure they get there as soon as possible. Don’t second guess yourself just because you weren’t in the thick of assistance to those involved in the incident, all situations need people who aren’t seeking direct action and to manage the scene to make sure all are safe and those who can assist more can get there in a timely manner.
Good time for a reminder about the Double Yellow Lines… don’t cross them. I came upon the aftermath of an accident that destroyed 4 cars and a semi-trailer. A hot headed kid had tried to pass the truck on a double yellow & slightly curved road. He failed. My arrival was only moments before the first responders arrived, so there was no way I could be useful. But what I saw in the time I was trying to assess the scene gave my nightmares for weeks. For example: half a car. No front end, or drivers seat, at all. The only survivor was the semi driver, who was wandering in the road in shock. The truck, by the way, came to rest on its’ side in a field. It is too easy to forget that they cannot stop as fast as cars do.
I am always surprised at the number of people who do cross them, on my morning commute there is a hairpin turn that is currently under construction with a 40 limit get passed frequently by people doing 110 over the double yellow.
David, the actions U took were 100% correct. Don’t doubt yourself into a self-created guilt trip!! Consider how many other people would have rolled right by that scene without a care, because it didn’t personally affect them. Must add: like others in the commentariat, the Tea & Croissant was the most unexpected/surprising part of this post.
Thanks for doing what you could instead of playing doctor and further injuring somebody.
a buddy of mine was recently on a “tail of the dragon” style drive in his M2 when a member of his group overcooked a turn and left the roadway. people were ok, but the car was toast. i don’t want to be an old man yelling at clouds, but there’s a time and place for high performance driving, and it’s called a “HPDE” at a “racetrack.”
Just got my lifelong realistic dream car — a 2024 Miata GT Soft Top. It’s everything I imagined: beautiful, perfect, and honestly… a little terrifying. In a world dominated by massive trucks and SUVs, driving something this small feels nerve-racking and a bit dangerous in traffic. But get it out on a quiet road and it becomes magic. You don’t have to go fast to feel the thrill — that’s the beauty of a lightweight roadster like this. It delivers joy at 40 mph, not 90. That said, I have zero desire to rip it through the canyons like those guys you just showed. I’m just grateful I didn’t have this car in my 20s — I don’t think I would’ve survived it.
I love cars, but I will never understand the draw of events like these, driving around together, often illegally. Pushing one another to do stupid and dangerous things because every one will be super impressed. Biker gangs are less disruptive.
Gross.
100% this.
Because a LOT of rich people, even nice ones, truly do believe that rules and laws are for other people.
And everyone breaks the rules once in a while, you go a few MPH over the speed limit or don’t come to a complete stop. But in a group you’ve got a lot of people trying to show off in their pride and joy rides that are often way too fast for public roads.
They aren’t wrong.
Laws of physics always apply over road laws though.
Common last words are “I have the right of way.”
I just stay away from traveling in car or motorcycle groups altogether, more chances for accidents and more temptation to show off.
This sucks.
It sounds like you ware an above average help in this situation. It is OK to not be perfect all the time.
And I want to give a shout out to cars that are fun at a slow speed. Those seem to be a dying breed.
Slow fun cars are seriously underrated. I drive an M4 and it’s an absolute blast on track but on the road it’s overkill. Hard pulls to freeway speeds on onramps are great but are over in no time since I’m not interested in hitting “arrest me” speeds. The most fun I ever had on public roads was in an 84 VW GTI. With its 90hp I could floor it, row through several gears, and still be legal and not even draw attention from other drivers while having a great time.
My first car, a ’68 Datsun 510 station wagon, was like that GTI, but even slower. A claimed 96 HP, but I think that was the old totally unladen crank HP and not at the wheels. Anyway, it was a docile car with low limits that didn’t encourage hooliganism.
Unfortunately this accident was caused by the Fit which i saw mentioned elswhere online. It was relayed that the Fit understeered into oncoming traffic.
I do agree slow car fast is better but that cant fix stupid or running out of talent.
I really wish we had the text 911 around here. Would have been nice to blast a “Bad car accident at ______ three occupants send ambulance” instead of having to hold the phone up to my ear pulling away airbags trying to talk to dispatch over their horn blaring.
Here, we have an official government app for just that. The moment you activate this app, it will trigger just about anything on your phone. It will send exact location, etc. faster even than you can talk. And you are able to send images as well.
There is probably a privacy concern in all this…
situations like these should underscore the importance of taking advantage of all the available first aid and first responder training available to everyone, either privately, through your place of work, or through search and rescue orgs.
even a simple first aid kit, including bandages, cpr mask, tourniquets, and road markers to indicate an accident can help a lot. while this wouldn’t have prevented this accident, it might help others in different situations. as david tracy mentioned, these incidences happen far too often.
in january, a porsche driver, father, and husband, died of uncontrolled bleeding after being pinned in his car on Skyline 35 near Alice’s after a head-on collision with a GR86 driven by a driver with no regard for safety or life. reports at the scene hinted that a tourniquet around each leg might have given crucial time for first responders to extricate the man.
In the UK (probably similar in Europe), companies have to have trained first-aiders available whenever people are working, so it’s very easy to persuade your boss to pay to send you on a first-aid course.
It’s a paid day off work, and you’ll learn important tips that might help save a life. Do it people!
I have something similar offered through my work, but it was a multi-day first responder training since I work for local government and we’re required to have several designated emergency response teams at every office location and every floor (including supplies as well as training to use it) as part of the union bargaining agreements, work place safety is important since we’ve had some high profile incidences which included workplace violence.
“A mile wide and an inch deep” they like to call these trainings, but they’re absolutely helpful for people who’ve never even thought about first aid and casualty training.
I carry an Israeli bandage in all cars for this reason.
Yeah, they’re very versatile, but nothing beats a North American Rescue Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) or Tactical Medical Solutions SOF Tourniquet (SOF-T) because you can deploy them with one hand, if necessary.
There’s also a prime day deal here for a SOF-T for $23.95:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KL3XYR1
In training, it’s recommended to keep at least two on hand at any given time, even better if on a belt holster. In a mass casualty event, there might be more than limb that needs attention.
Wearable tourniquets are a thing now.
I think if you own a supercar, you should look at road crash photos before you drive it.
If you can’t, act accordingly.
Keeps me off superbikes.
If you want proof this article wasn’t written by AI, here it is: “I got some tea and a croissant”. AI trained on the body of David Tracy’s work would NEVER have written that!
Michigan DT would have been “I got some Vernors and a Coney”
Could be a reversion to pre-Michigan DT, but they didn’t have any German pastries so he got the croissant as the closest thing.
Unfortunately the thrill is in the risk. We all enjoy a thrill but have to keep in mind the consequences at the same time. I lost a good friend over 40 years ago on Mulholland Dr. He was out enjoying his MG as he had done many times before but something was different this time. The cause was never determined but the result was permanent. He left behind a wife and 5 year old daughter who now has 4 of her own that he never got to see. Be careful out there
Will chime in with many others that you, David, did the best things you could do in line with your capabilities. You helped direct emergency services to where they were needed and got other folks to not run into the accident unawares.
Plenty of nice roads in S. California, maybe go for driving places like Angeles Crest when it’s not a weekend, holiday or otherwise. Always going to be idiots out there on the roads for the foreseeable (nearish) future, be vigilant!
Been quite a while since I was on that road myself. Very scenic, but some of the other folks on the road can make it scary. But there are also idiots just on regular old straight line interstates during commute times, no getting away from that totally.
Never hurts to hug the family and let them know they’re loved and appreciated, incidents like the one you witnessed bring it home all the more.
Your actions helped everyone. First Aid 101 – don’t move an injured party unless it is the only option (fire, etc…). Your 911 call and traffic flagging likely did the most good for ALL involved.
Don’t give up one a road you love, just stay vigilant.
YOU DID GOOD!
ref dandanthefireman acronym RESQ:
Remain calm – contact emergency services
Ensure you are safe- be aware of other traffic coming onto scene
Stop major bleeds – pressure (touniquet if you know how)
Quickly assess injury severity – TBI, spine, shock, etc.
I know it’s not much comfort, but after seeing or playing a part in incidents, I like to go through it in my head after and ask what I could do to improve the situation. Sometimes, there’s a grand total of bupkis, but sometimes it offers an opportunity to learn or improve a skill. Luckily, I long ago got my CPR/first aid cert and keep it up to date, so that part is simple enough. After driving past a vehicle on fire, I looked into good ways to put out an engine fire. After there were communications problems with emergency services when my bestie had an incident, I learned how to best get information to the people who need it. Then I swore I would beat the hell out of the guy who called off the fire truck without confirming the situation. I will still throw hands if I ever see him.
You can’t fix this incident, but you can improve your skills for the next incident and whether or not you swear off a road, there will always be some other incident somewhere.
My son is a firefighter/EMT. The last thing civilians should be doing is trying to “help” injured people, unless they’re in imminent danger AND it’s 100% safe to help. You did the right thing by reporting and helping to manage the scene until first responders arrived.
Also: “I got some tea and a croissant…”
How far from Detroit we have come.
He wrenches (when he wrenches) with his pinkies in the air these days.