Ty slowly regained consciousness in the ambulance, rushing toward the hospital. “Where is Claire? Where’s my wife? How is she?” he queried, groggily.
With eyes widening, the paramedic exclaimed, “Was someone else with you? We didn’t find anyone else at the accident site.”
Ty cried, “My wife! Claire was holding the flashlight. You’ve got to find her! She might be hurt!” He tried to grab the paramedic’s arm, but found a splint had immobilized his right hand, with what his medical training told him was a compartment fracture. Instinctively, he had reached out to stop the approaching car and his wrist was crushed.
Trying to calm Ty, the paramedic offered, “We’ll have someone look for her right away.” He turned to the driver and ordered, “Call dispatch and have them immediately send a search and rescue back there. His wife was with him.”
Early the next morning, after the rain had stopped, Claire’s body was discovered almost twenty yards into the woods where the collision had thrown her. Her limp body was draped in a tree, with her back arched over a heavy limb. Already lifeless from the crushing blow of Dave’s car, she never felt the impact with the limb.