Navy Family Survives Rollover on the Highway

NORFOLK, VA - SK2 Vernon Ferrer, his wife Loryjane, and 2-year-old son Charles were on I-64 in Norfolk when another vehicle cut into their lane, forcing their car into a Jersey barrier. Their vehicle hit that obstacle and flipped, rolling four times before coming to rest on its wheels.

This incident is not unlike hundreds of others on the roads, streets and highways of America. What is special about this case is that the Ferrer family survived and suffered just a few minor injuries. After looking at their damaged car, many people would say it's miraculous they weren't injured more severely. Petty Officer Ferrer credits his family's safety awareness. "We're a very safe family," he said. "We always wear our seat belts and insist Charles is buckled in his approved child-restraint seat before the vehicle moves."

Loryjane was driving that day. They were discussing a future trip to New York. Vernon remembered a car driving up beside his passenger door and moving slightly ahead of them. "It suddenly steered into our lane," Loryjane said. "I wondered what was happening?"

Vernon screamed, "Honey, Honey, Honey...Oh No, Oh No!"-his last words before their vehicle struck the barrier and immediately began to flip and roll over and over again. The Ferrer family remembers loose items floating around the vehicle, peppering their bodies. "It felt like a horrible amusement-park ride," Loryjane said. "I just wanted it to stop!" Her husband added, "It wasn't slow motion like the movies."

Their car finally did stop rolling and ended up on its wheels. The engine still was running, and the car now rolled forward. Vernon yelled at his wife, "Hit the brakes. Stop the car!" Loryjane did, and they just sat motionless--in shock. Vernon looked at his wife and child, making sure they were OK. He had been worried that another car would hit them. They were lucky because their car rolled down the barrier, staying in their lane.

Other drivers stopped and came to help them. An off-duty Chesapeake, Va., firefighter ran from his truck to help, as did a nurse from a local hospital. They told the Ferrer family to stay in the vehicle. No one was sure about the family's injuries. The firefighter reached in and shut off the engine and told them an ambulance was on the way.

The family was removed from the vehicle and placed on backboards to limit any possible injuries. They were taken to the hospital in two separate ambulances and were released after being examined. The police took a description of the other vehicle, and Vernon was able to give them the last two digits of the license plate-one of the last things he remembers before the crash. That driver and vehicle has yet to be found.

The Ferrer family's incident had a little to do with luck but had more to do with making the right decision. They have a good family attitude about safety. They made the conscious decision to use their safety belts and survived a horrific accident. We lost 119 Sailors and Marines in FY 2004 in PMV mishaps and many did not wear their safety belts. Of 73 dead Sailors, a minimum of 10 did not wear their seat belts (some reports received with "unknown" in the seat-belt block). We must learn from these incidents, and the families of those 10 dead Sailors would want us to do more. Although Marine Corps data was not available, their numbers tend to be similar.

The Ferrer family was willing to do a testimonial about their incident, and the Naval Safety Center is putting together a video with their story, other successes, and a few mishaps that didn't end happily. At a command gathering shortly after this incident, Petty Officer Ferrer's commanding officer summarized the incident well. He said, "I'm thankful today that we are having a potluck luncheon in conjunction with our staff and student safety stand-down, rather than attending a family funeral."

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