Wheels of Tragedy (1963)

[Music] the [Music] n [Music] your name Charlie McHugh your job patrolman Ohio State Highway Patrol experience 10 years riding the highways salary $440 a month this is Friday the beginning of a holiday weekend on this particular Tour of Duty you won't be riding alone you've been assigned to take along a young Cadet just out of the academy coach him on what happens show him the ropes guys it's on 224 3 mil west of Sullivan is anyone injured do you need an ambulance is the highway block all right may I have your name and the phone number from which you're calling thank you we'll have an officer right out car 309 post three to car 309 first 3 309 to post three at 89 and 42 go ahead 3 to 309 have a report of a pi 31 on 224 3 miles west of Sullivan an ambulance will be in rout go ahead okay be r k 2351 K 487 how's it going Corp it's pretty rough they've already started coming in we haven't even reached Peak traffic yet well here's hoping all right the sergeant wants to see you in his office okay Roman Bradley for your training period you will be assigned a coach and during that time you will observe only and you will eat and practically live with him oh hi Charlie hello Serge Charlie this is troman Bradley trowman Bradley Tran mq will be your coach for the next 40 days hello Bill hi nervous I guess so a little well don't be grab your hat and leave the driving Nest ready right let's go soong sge so long Charlie he's all [Music] yours look at them all where do you think they're going Bill oh to the Lakes mountains back home to visit the folks everywhere I guess they all seem to be in a hurry to make it well most of them will but some of them won't well let's go [Music] [Music] car 320 calling post 3 go ahead 320 we're on is 71 3 mil north of 250 interchange okay for an hour nothing all quiet and you begin to hope that maybe this will be one of those freak days maybe it'll stay this way but you know [Music] better that'll be $3 even sir son you've got a bad Muffler there that's why your motor sounds so loud you should get a new one thank you [Music] will St are you okay sure I'm okay yeah but you just missed a stop sign I saw it I saw it Steve we didn't get much sleep last night and you've been driving all day maybe we ought to stop out for a while or something forget it I said I make Columbus by night and I'm going to make it [Music] [Music] hey Fred what you trying to do freezers out in here roll up the window we [Music] [Applause] Steve look maybe we ought to stop for coffee or something no forget it but I'm falling asleep and you can hardly keep your eyes open you can't get coffee on 71 you have to get off the highway to get it and who wants to waste time yeah but you just missed that car stop worrying I'm okay turn the radio on [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] hey yeah wonder what's wrong with that lame brain behind us he's coming up on us pretty fast [Music] slow down you fool cool [Music] out [Music] out all of a sudden we got it from the dispatcher loud and clear signal 30 Highway 71 2 m north of the icean Richland County Line car and truck collision two dead car 320 okay on our way [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] other patrolman were there when we hit the scene this was a common type a rear end collision and it was pretty gruesome [Music] Bill looked pretty sick and you Charlie McHugh couldn't blame him the thing to do now was try to ascertain the cause [Music] [Music] and [Music] take a look at this bill broken muffler and they had their car windows closed tight what does that mean to you all those gas exhaust fumes coming up through the floorboard the driver probably fell asleep that's the way it figures the driver of the truck said they just kept coming plowed right into his rear end without slackening their speed you know if those two guys that have stopped and take a rest or get a cup of coffee somewhere they might still be alive well let's go nothing more we can do here you fall asleep driving a car and then it happens you never wake up it's just as simple as that and deadly chalk it up to failure people trying to overextend themselves thinking they can stay awake fighting sleep well that's a hard one to take forget it I've been at this business 10 years and haven't got used to it yet 320 post three signal 2 from the signal 30 it didn't take long for the next one this one was a pi signal 31 personal injury the place Route 71 again near Ashland [Music] this man was badly hurt a back injury he'd been thrown clear out of his car yet the car was almost undamaged [Music] [Music] you say he tried to pass your semi yes sir he came up fast behind my truck and then cut out quick to pass me what happened then he just went around and lost control any idea why I don't have any idea he just seemed to couldn't handle the car somehow I lost control it's why I just don't know all right I guess that's all for [Applause] now loss of control that can mean anything he could have blacked out for an instance he might have been dreaming or going too fast it was some kind of human failure but the main reason was a special kind of human failure what do you mean I mean just plain negligence if he'd been wearing safety belts he he'd never been thrown from that car he'd walked away without a scratch let's check into Hospital [Music] [Applause] [Music] how is he doctor he's in shock at the present but I think he will make it then there's no chance of getting a statement from him now no not now probably in the morning okay thanks Doc good night night we'll come back uh probably in the morning this is Mrs Andrews two years ago you found her pinned in the wreck of her car on Highway 42 South of ashin 2 years ago and she's been completely paralyzed ever since hello Mr Andrews oh patrolman mue how are you feeling about the same same as I did two years ago I feel nothing in my body only in my memory do you remember that day Mr mchu it was a lovely day so nice and sunny I got into my car to visit my sister I never dreamed I'd end up like this I never even thought that I might be in an accident someday accidents happen to other people not to you you know funny all it took to ruin my life was just a few seconds I took my eyes off of the road for just a few seconds trying to get a cigarette out of my purse I never saw that stop sign and I I went right through it and the next thing I knew I was lying there and I I saw you and all those men trying to get me out trying to get me [Music] out that's all it ever takes it just a few seconds just a few seconds and right about the time you and Bill Bradley were leaving the hospital death was riding down the [Music] highway this man has been driving for hours without a break or stop and over the speed limit [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is what we call highway hypnosis the senses become dulled you drive in a kind of a trance and you don't see what you're supposed to see [Music] [Applause] [Music] post three car 320 to 3B signal 1 to Signal 30 okay 351 [Music] the truck had demolished the car and the two kids inside never really knew what hit them [Music] the speed and weight of the truck drove the back seat against the front seat and the front seat against the windshield propelling the bodies with terrific Force [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the car chassis was crushed and shoved beneath the gigantic four wheeels and back wheels of the truck cab why why do things like that have to happen that's just the point they don't have to happen did you get a report from that truck driver yet we will and after that we'll have to notify the relatives [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is the part you hate this is the [Applause] worst you always try to break it gently well why are you asking all these questions about my daughter I'm sorry but there's been an accident an accident what kind of an accident oh my God no no no [Applause] no the night wears on and you hope maybe this will be all the end of it but no [Music] Bank you're going too fast relax relax the speed limit 25 I know but everybody goes over the speed limit a little bit oh Frank please slow down you don't know this road look just let me drive will you just sit back and let me w [Laughter] [Music] I [Music] [Music] [Music] damn damn [Music] [Music] [Music] it is morning and your turb duty is done you look at the familiar stretches of Road the intersections and the byways and they bring back tragic memories you remember the places on the road where they happened and how they happened this driver ran into a train this was a head-on [Music] collision this man had one beer too many this one figured he could get an extra thousand miles out of a worn [Music] tire this driver cross a double yellow line around a curve some were murdered some murderers they didn't really drive cars they were aiming deadly weapons population 43,000 about the same number killed in automobile accidents in the United States each year the entire population of this city every man woman and child wiped out and you try to imagine how it would look how it would be [Music] I [Music]