Feeling Very Grateful

The Herald Journal
Hospital executive injured in car crash
By Matthew K. Jensen
Published:
Saturday, February 20, 2010 2:26 AM CST
NORTH LOGAN — A Providence man was transported to a Salt Lake County hospital after suffering serious injuries in a car crash on 1700 N. 400 East on Friday morning.

John Worley, 45, CEO of the Cache Valley Specialty Hospital in North Logan, was airlifted to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. Police said he was in stable condition on Friday afternoon, and one of Worley’s co-workers said he is expected to make a full recovery.

North Park Police Sgt. John Italasano said that at 11:08 a.m., Worley was traveling southbound on 400 East in a Nissan Altima when a northbound Chevrolet Extended Cab pickup truck crossed the center line and collided with Worley’s vehicle.

Police say the pickup crossed center to avoid rear-ending a car that was preparing to turn left into the post office parking lot on 400 East.

“A mail delivery truck was stopped right across from the post office delivering mail to a residence,” said Italasano. “And another car was also northbound that was waiting to turn left in the parking lot.”

Italasano says the pickup swerved to miss the slowed traffic and hit Worley’s sedan head on. The parked mail truck prevented the driver of the pickup truck from veering right to avoid the slowed traffic, police said.

“The northbound truck does not realize the car is stopped, waiting to turn so he takes evasive action into the southbound lane of traffic and hits the southbound Nissan Altima head-on.”

Worley was transported by ambulance to Logan Regional Hospital and later taken by Life Flight to Murray.

The driver of the pickup truck, identified as 22-year-old David Durocher, did not suffer any injuries and was issued a citation for driving left of center. Police say Durocher was traveling between 40 and 45 miles per hour at the time of the incident.

Trisha Northcutt, an official at the Cache Valley Specialty Hospital, said Friday evening that Worley suffered no significant neurological damage and is expected to make a full recovery.

“He was awake and alert going into surgery to repair his hip,” she said. “He’s doing well.”

Northcutt said her staff has Worley and his family in their thoughts.

You may wonder why I choose to post a Herald Journal article in my blog. The answer is that this crash came very close to hurting two members of my family. The car that was stopped and turning left was my brother Stephen and his wife Chelsey. The truck that hit the Altima swerved to avoid rearending my Brother and his wife.
The truck was large and would have possibly ran over the top of the soft top convertable that they were in. The driver was going fast enough that they surely would have been injured.
Though I am sorry that anyone was hurt in the accident, I am grateful that my family was spared. Moments like these make you realize how quickly life can change and how fragile it is.