Another story of a Spyderco knife used to help save a life

OBJ Viking · #1

I made a reference to this incident in my introduction thread when I joined the forum, but can't recall if I ever went into detail about it - so here it is.

After reading the mountain lion thread by the father who used a Spyderco to save his son, I thought I would share this story with all of you. Before you think I want anything, let me state up front that I do not, I just wanted to share this story with everyone.

The model is unknown - An old (1995-96) very small Spyderco with plastic clip, serrated edge, lock back, and a blade marked "stainless steel A8?" IIRC - (I am at home with the baby, but can check the knife on her key-ring to confirm that is what is stamped on the blade when they get back from church if it is important.)

I just thought I would share with everyone another life saved by someone having a Spyderco knife close to hand.

I bought a small serratted Spyderco knife around 1995-96 and gave it to my wife back in 1996 that saved a life in 2008 when she and 7 of her coworkers (8 of them total) were in a wreck in a large passenger van coming back from a meeting while basically in the middle of nowhere, and they needed a knife to cut a guy loose from his seatbelt where he was dangling inside the overturned van, then they took a belt from one of the male passengers and made a tourniquet for his nearly severed arm. He had to be airlifted to a major hospital in the State capitol to save his life, and actually died a few times on them while waiting on EMS to arrive, but luckily an ER Dr. was on his Harley returning from the motorcycle rally in Sturgis MS and stopped by the wreck right after it happened. He revived him each time her coworker "coded'. The injured guy still doesn't have full use of the arm, many others still have problems from the accident, and we lost a baby from the wreck. It was a bad day and a bad wreck.

Prior to meeting me, my wife never carried a knife, but after we were married and she saw the small knife, she wanted it and I thought it was a good idea for her to have for cutting chores and especially last ditch self-defense. I had no idea how valuable that little knife would become 12 years later.

It was just coincidence that her coworkers knew she had the knife to start with. She had it on her key-ring for years and used it for minor cutting chores, but on the way to the meeting, a seatbelt's lock in the college's van stuck and one of the guys couldn't get loose when they stopped for a soft drink and bathroom break. He asked if anyone had a knife. She did and handed back her knife and keys. They cut his seat belt on that particular seat with her little Spyderco so he could get out and he moved to another seat when they resumed the trip.

Later on the return, she distinctly remembered putting the keys in her purse which was on the floor between her feet (as she had no reason to hold them for 90 miles) and the purse was ejected through one of the broken windows of the van after it was hit by a pickup truck just behind the drivers door, rolled numerous times (5 to 8 - no one knows for sure after they were hit, just the chaos of the rolling). After the van settled on its side and they were asking her for her knife, and people were praying out loud, she looked down and her keys with the knife were just there in her hands, yet her purse was 50 feet outside from the overturned van. To this day, she does not know how the keys with the knife got there, but it helped save a life that day.

OBJ Viking · #2

I guess the point is despite it being a small knife, it just shows the value of having a quality cutting tool on your person, even for people who are "not really into knives". :)

Sonny · #3

Golden is close to the Garden of the Gods. Perfectly understandable.
Sonny p.s. Good for your wife.

computernut · #4

Sounds like a terrible accident, things could have turned out way worse without the help of your wife's knife and the doctor who stopped.

Thanks for the story.

OBJ Viking · #5

OK - I just checked (I had to use a magnifying glass on it for the number as the knife is so small). It has about a 2 inch blade and on one side it says "SEKI-CITY JAPAN" and on the other, "SPYDERCO 8-2 STAINLESS". On the plastic clip it says, "US AND FORIEGN PATENTS".

Also using the magnifying glass, I can see in the circle on the worn handle it says "CLIP-IT DRAGONFLY" - so it is an early DRAGONFLY model. :)

Holland · #6

Thanks for the read, im happy your wife was able to minimize the losses in this terrible accident.

Spencer

OldSarSwmr · #7

Thanks for sharing that with us. The day could have certainly turned out differently if those keys/knife didn't end up in her hand. Things happen for a reason and your wife having that knife is certainly one of them.
There is a lot of truth in the saying, "The best knife to have, is the one you have with you."

Dan

tonydahose · #8

cool story, sorry for your loss with the mrs' miscarriage. I've been through that and it sux.

edit: when i said cool story i meant that it was cool that your spydie was able to get alot of people out of trouble, the original post just didnt sound right after i re-read it.

Benny90 · #9

That is wild, the keys in your wife's hands as well as the passing ER Dr., they absolutely had God watching over them!

OBJ Viking · #10

Thanks for the kind words and I also think a higher power was at work that day, given the string of events and that the van stopped rolling, bouncing, and sliding so far from the impact (close to 100 yards according to two of the least injured guys from the office who went back to look for cellphones and other personal items days later) and still none of the 8 passengers (not counting our unborn child in that number), were killed.

I wholeheartedly agree with the "best knife to have..." saying.

OBJ Viking · #11

tonydahose wrote:cool story, sorry for your loss with the mrs' miscarriage. I've been through that and it sux.

edit: when i said cool story i meant that it was cool that your spydie was able to get alot of people out of trouble, the original post just didnt sound right after i re-read it.

Understood, and we have accepted the loss from that wreck and were blessed with a daughter in 2010. :)

tonydahose · #12

glad to hear it. i have two bundles of joy (for the most part..lol) myself.

OBJ Viking · #13

tonydahose wrote:glad to hear it. i have two bundles of joy (for the most part..lol) myself.

We have 3 - 2 sons and a daughter. :)

KardinalSyn · #14

Thanks for sharing. Someone once told me that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be and your story reminded me of that.

Stay safe.

OBJ Viking · #15

KardinalSyn wrote:Thanks for sharing. Someone once told me that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be and your story reminded me of that.

Stay safe.

It is amazing how it all came together the way it did, including the tiny knife I gave her 12 years earlier. Maybe I should get her a Military model. LOL , just kidding. She is happy with what she has.

Blerv · #16

Glad the story turned out better than it could have. Thank you for sharing!

OBJ Viking · #17

Blerv wrote:Glad the story turned out better than it could have. Thank you for sharing!

It was rough for a while with the miscarriage, but like I mentioned, we were blessed with a girl in 2011.

Blerv · #18

OBJ Viking wrote:It was rough for a while with the miscarriage, but like I mentioned, we were blessed with a girl in 2011.

I can only imagine

. Sorry for your loss but congrats on your daughter.

OBJ Viking · #19

Blerv wrote:I can only imagine . Sorry for your loss but congrats on your daughter.

Thanks