The Driver Of The Tragic Accident…
June 3, 2012
In the previous six Blog entries I’ve reported about a terrible accident Mary and I lived through seven days ago. In case you missed those entries, here are the links…
In today’s Blog entry I want to discuss the driver, Deschennes Davison. We are told his friends call him Denny and that he has a wife and five young children.
THE REASON I WANT TO DISCUSS HIM IS BECAUSE I WANT THE WORLD, AND ESPECIALLY THE CHINLE, ARIZONA NAVAJO COMMUNITY TO KNOW HE IS A VERY PROFESSIONAL AND CAPABLE DRIVER AND IN NO WAY HAS ANY RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR THE TRAGIC ACCIDENT. I SHOULD KNOW…BECAUSE MARY AND I WERE SITTING DIRECTLY BEHIND HIM AND SAW EVERYTHING!
We found him to be a very nice, soft-spoken man with a wonderful knowledge of the area’s history. At the beginning of the tour he introduced himself to us as Davison. During the tour, when we had stopped at a particular site, he would sit atop the half-high driver’s door and tell us the history of the site. I took this photo at one of those stops…
As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…
I took this photo of the driver’s compartment from our seat directly behind the driver…
During the trip I looked over the top of the driver’s cab and took some photos of the roads on which he was driving…
This last photo was taken at our lunch stop location. The tragic accident occurred shortly after our departure from this site…
After the accident and after getting out from under the truck, a rescuer assisted me in lying down under a shade tree about 50 yards from to accident scene while others attended to the more seriously injured. Mary took photos of Davison assisting in the digging-out of other passengers. Later Davison came and sat under the shade tree with me and we talked some.
He told me he was suffering from back and side pains. I asked how many times a week he drove this all-day tour and he replied two to three. I asked how long he had been driving these all-day tours and he replied…eleven years. He then quickly added…without an accident. I did some quick mental math and came up with around 1,250 trips.
In closing, I want to reiterate…I was sitting directly behind Davison and I saw everything. He did everything humanly possible in the about 2-3 seconds from when the steering failed (see my second Blog entry) until we were headed over the ravine’s edge. I have told his employer and several accident investigators the same thing. Davison has no responsibility or liability in this tragic accident.
All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
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Hello Jim & Mary, Frank Shearer here. The story of how the infamous “nut” was found. My lovely wife Ruthie stayed on top of the ridge along with two of the other women in our grop of seven. Ruthie tells me the following: An unknown person came up from the wreckage & asked that they look for the nut that came off of the steering linkage of the truck. A group of maybe seven people, which included my wife & two of our female companions, walked back down the road from the direction of your truck’s travel. They found the nut where there was a dip in the road, maybe 100 feet from where your truck left the road to go over the edge. It was quickly decided to leave the nut where it was so law enforcement could see it as it lay & then take posession of it. It is our wish that your physical & emotional pain will pass in due time. You & your fellow passengers & their loved ones remain in our prayers.
Frank
Hi Frank,
Thank for the factual info and your good wishes. Jim and Mary
My name is Anita and I was in the accident. I am glad that Jim & Mary have been contacted by the owner of the Lodge and received new camera equipment. I am in California healing both physically & emotionally, but have heard not a peep from the owner or staff from the Thunderbird Lodge. Just a “sorry” comment would be nice. They have my name, address and phone number.
Hi Anita,
Jim here. The owner came to see us the morning after the accident…the very same morning you had departed. She had just rerurned from the accident scene with her chief mechanic and was obviously distraught. but told me she intended to do what was right.
For your information…yesterday one of the accident investigators told us that the owner’s attorney(s) had advised her not to have communications with the accident victims. I have no way of knowing if that statement is true or accurate.
Jim
Jim, I am a news reporter for the Navajo Times. Please call me 928-814-7337 thanks