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Subscribe to RSSA man injured in a Utah car crash as he planned to propose to his girlfriend has died.
The Herald Journal of Logan reports that Adam Goodsell, 32, died Sunday, nine days after his vehicle rolled near Wellsville and he suffered severe head injuries.
His family announced his death on a Facebook page that updated his condition.
Goodsell, of Preston, Idaho, had purchased an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Goldie Chaney, on March 9. Later, as he was driving, he called 911 to report that his gas pedal was stuck and he had lost his brakes on his Land Rover. Utah Highway Patrol officials say an initial investigation confirmed mechanical failure in the braking system.
The reported transcript of the 911 call deals with the moments just before the crash.
“Yes, I am, uh, coming out of Sardine Canyon; my brakes went out; my gas pedal is stuck,” Goodsell said, according to the Herald Journal.
“OK, which way are you headed, northbound or southbound?” the dispatcher asked him.
His response was inaudible, the newspaper reported. The dispatcher asked: “You’re headed into Logan?”
There was no answer either when the dispatcher asked him for the color of the car. By that time, the car had either crashed or was about to, the newspaper reported.
As troopers investigated the accident, they got a call letting them know there was a diamond ring among the crash debris, according to the The Herald Journal. Trooper Cory Thomas had spotted a gift bag inside the vehicle as he looked for insurance information.
The bag fell out of the vehicle, perhaps as it was being towed out of the ditch. Someone later spotted it in the water, the newspaper reported.
Thomas said he was glad to be able to return the ring to Goodsell’s family.
“It is always hard when someone is hurt, but this put a whole different spin on it,” Thomas told the newspaper. “It makes it personal, and it takes it to the next level when you realize how much of an impact it is going to have on the people who are waiting for him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Oh, that's sad! I feel sorry for the family and for the girlfriend! But I can't help but say it sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen--the brakes failing and the gas pedal sticking.
Bull.... Lawsuit for who? If vehicle is out of warranty, manufacturer is not at fault. Too little info to make determination on cause of accident - may have been mechanical jam that caused throttle to stick, driver may have overheated/glazed brakes, etc...
Suing someone doesn't bring the victim back to life... money doesn't replace their love. No one leaves Earth alive.
What a collection of platitudes. True, money won't buy love (or happiness), but it will darn sure rent them.
Hmmm. He had the time and forethought to call the police while in an emergency situation rather than trying to correct a mechanical malfunction. How much did the cell phone distraction contribute to the problem?
Maybe he should have downshifted the vehicle, shut off the ignition, etc. rather than dial the police.
Turn the key to the off position. Might be a little hard to steer but keep a cool head.
A little hard to steer? Speaking as someone who has driven Sardine Canyon, that would be an understatement. It's a super steep and curving piece of roadway. Add to that the deer and other wildlife in the area, and the fact that there's still snow there, and it's a recipe for disaster.
PS - pls see Homie's note below. My car does in fact lock the steering wheel if I turn the key to the off position.
There is a position on the switch mechanism that disconnects the electrical path to the ignition system but does not lock the steering wheel. The LOCK position is where the steering wheel locks. On auto transmissions the gear selector needs to be in the Park position to turn the switch far enough to lock the steering wheel.
He crashed nine days ago. What snow was there? Sardine canyon hasn't had significant snowfall for quite some time and it has been unseasonably warm all through Cache and Box Elder counties (in fact all of Utah) for weeks. The deer and other wildlife could have helped slow him down. But those conditions were moot since he didn't hit them or snow.
DO NOT turn key to OFF position - it MAY lock the steering wheel. Simple move is to shift transmission into Neutral or slam it into Park (if possible) & brake with emergency brake.
So what is the answer to how to save yourself if this does happen to you? As I read this the first thing that I thought would help yourself is to use your emergency brake if it worked...that goes along with trying to get it to slow down.
Standard brake systems work on hydraulics whereas emergency brakes work on a mechanical cable. Even if it wasn't fully functional it would have been more effective than using the cell phone.
Pretty easy to slow down when your throttle sticks and brakes.
You can put your car in neurtral (auto or manual)
You can kill the engine with the key, and then turn the key to accessory power to remove the steering lock.
And it's much easier to slow the vehicle when you're not working against the engine. E-brakes are wonderful additions that can also aid in slowing down.
He had enough time to dial 911, he had enough time to implement these solutions above. Sad story, my condolences.
Maybe he just did the first thing that came to mind, who knows? The poor guy, how scared he must have been. When I was reading all those posts above, (they were really good ideas) I couldn't keep my mind straight on what I should do if I were ever in a mess like that. I couldn't possibly have an opinion on what this man should have done or didn't do.
I just read an article on a Utah website regarding this incident. He was tossed from the vehicle when it crashed into a rock lined ditch. Photos of the vehicle look like he would have had a better chance at surviving if he had stayed in the vehicle. Also there were some long skid marks crossing the road caused by all four wheels. The question comes to mind - how does all four tires leave marks on a failed brake system?