Chapter 1: The Rubber Failed!

Andrew Barkley was enjoying a leisurely scenic road trip, from his former home in Nashville to his new life as a student at the University of Maryland. Choosing to avoid the interstates, Andrew had elected to tour through the Shenandoah Valley in eastern Virginia, ending the day at a motel in the town of Front Royal.

His old Prius was fully packed with everything he would need, and he had enough cash to get all the way to Maryland without worry. He anticipated being on his own and starting college, after breezing through his high school classes. He was nineteen, athletic, and attractive enough to date frequently.

However, what he didn’t bring with him would soon become an enormous problem.

After stopping for lunch and fuel, he directed his car into the valley using US 340. Andrew was relaxed as he cruised along, but the sky darkened mid-afternoon. By 4:30, his little car was being lashed by curtains of rain; the wipers slapping uselessly at the deluge.

“In this weather, I should have stayed on the Interstate or stopped somewhere to wait it out.”

Traffic slowed from 50 to 30 to zero. Peering ahead, Andrew saw an 18-wheel truck jackknifed across the entire two-lane highway. He pulled out a map and studied it under the dome light. After consulting with both Mr. Rand and Mr. McNally, Andrew eased out of his lane and U-turned. After backtracking some distance, he turned onto a side road. He planned to parallel and then return to the main highway.

Unfortunately, he had misinterpreted the road map. Instead of the indicated alternate, the lane he entered quickly degenerated into a ragged mess of ancient concrete, loose gravel, and mud. And, unbelievably, the rain increased!

Andrew was in trouble. For better gas mileage, the Toyota Prius is designed with tiny and narrow wheels and tires. These are grossly unsuitable for maintaining good control in terrible conditions. And further, he had almost no tread remaining on his tires as he blundered on with reckless speed.

The end came quickly. The impact of the crash and the deployed airbag knocked him out cold.