Friday, July 09, 1999
Man survives car crash by ducking
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP — It wasn't Richard Coffey's day to die.
Thanks to quick reflexes, Mr. Coffey, of Crescent Springs, Ky., survived what Deerfield Township Fire Chief Bill Kramer called one of the worst crashes he'd seen in 30 years.
Fire officials said Mr. Coffey's van was traveling south on Kings Island Drive about 12:45 p.m. Thursday when it was sideswiped by a minivan also traveling south. Mr. Coffey swerved into the northbound lane, where he was struck head-on by a delivery truck.
Chief Kramer said just seconds before impact, Mr. Coffey ducked, falling horizontally across his front seat.
“In this type of wreck, people do one of two things: they freeze up or they react,” said Deerfield Capt. Mike Cardwell, who was on command at the scene. “Mr. Coffey reacted, and that pretty much saved his life.”
Capt. Cardwell said the van's engine and the dashboard were pushed over the front seat almost to the rear of the vehicle. He said it took firefighters more than 30 minutes to extract Mr. Coffey.
“If he would have been sitting upright, he would be dead right now,” he said.
Mr. Coffey was flown by medical helicopter to University Hospital, where he was in serious condition.
The driver of the truck, Ray Allen of Forest Park, and his passenger, Henry Hull of Cincinnati, were taken to Bethesda North Hospital with minor injuries.
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