Saved by low speed - Dr Jephthah Ford monitored by twin brother

Sheldon Williams, Gleaner Writer

Over the past few weeks, Automotives has related the stories of persons who have been in serious motor-vehicle crashes and survived. The common thread is their happiness at simply being alive. Today, we end the Crash Survivor series with the story of Dr Jephthah Ford.

In 2010, Dr Jephthah Ford was knocked unconscious in a motor-vehicle crash. When he regained consciousness, he was in the hospital with a broken right hand.

Ford's Mitsubishi Pajero collided with another vehicle, which disobeyed a traffic light, sending his SUV off the road and into a gully at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Duhaney Park, St Andrew. "A car turning right across the intersection disobeyed the light and turned in front of my car. We were not driving fast; had we been, I would have been dead. When he realised that the exit was not clear he stopped in the middle of the road. Because he stopped, we had no alternative but to crash into him. He accepted the fault at the police station," Dr Ford said.

The popular medical practitioner was returning from voluntary work, providing medical check-ups to students who could not afford to pay for one as required at the beginning of the new school term. He was actually being chauffeured by his driver when the crash happened.

Treatment

Dr Ford assessed that his injury required only home treatment, and with his twin brother Japheth (also a medical doctor) monitoring him, his stay in the hospital was brief. "My car ended up in the gully. They took me from the vehicle and transported me to Kingston Public Hospital (KPH). I woke up at KPH and I was kept for a couple of hours in the system. The X-ray showed that I broke my right hand, but my skull was not broken. I insisted in being released in the care of my brother, who is almost as good a doctor as I am," Dr Ford joked.

Pajero's safety features

Ford pointed to the Pajero's safety features. "My vehicle has a crash guard and it reinforces things that are to be done to ensure that in the event of an accident the occupant is safe. Apparently it's the air bag that hit me with so much force, it knocked me unconscious and broke my arm. But the cabin itself remained intact. It is designed to crumble, but protect me," he explained. The driver walked away unhurt.

Dr Ford said he had to take a break from practising medicine for three months to allow his hand to heal. He spent the time at home stimulating movement in his injured hand by squeezing a ball that made it as good as new. Soon enough, he was back to doing what he does best - helping the sick and saving lives.