John Curran
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008

HAY RIVER/FORT SIMPSON - Hay River's Floyd Hopkins had no idea what was in store for him on Jan. 11, as he made his way along Highway 1, towards a communications tower in need of service for Northwestel.

About 30 minutes west of the Highway 3 junction, he came across an upside down car on the side of the road and that's when he sprang into action.

Fort Simpson's Ruby Ryan had already been hanging from her seatbelt for about 10 minutes, but thanks to Hopkins' three decades with the Hay River volunteer fire department he knew exactly what to do.

"I was so dazed," said Ryan. "I didn't know up from down."

Countless first aid and first responder courses, not to mention assisting many other stranded motorists in the past, had taught Hopkins how to approach the potentially deadly situation.

After confirming that Ryan had no major injuries, he got her safely out of the car and into the warmth of his truck.

"She wasn't in shock so that was good," he said. "I've seen too many accidents over the years."

Examining the marks the Ryan's car left in the snow, he said there was a time when such an incident could have easily been fatal.

Before seatbelts gained widespread acceptance, the driver would often be ejected when their vehicle rolled.

"Then the car would end up on top of them," he said. "If she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt she would have been pretty banged up at the very least."

While Hopkins downplayed his actions, his modesty couldn't stop Ryan from thanking him repeatedly.

"My hero," she said.

Ryan was able to walk away from the wreck with only a sore leg and said she felt extremely lucky to not be in worse shape.

The highway was relatively clear and visibility was good at the time of her accident, both Ryan and Hopkins agreed.

"It was terrifying," said Ryan. "I still don't know how it happened."

An employee at the Nahanni Inn, she was just leaving the North on vacation and was going to Saskatoon to pick-up her son, when she lost control of her vehicle.

"I wasn't even going 80 km/h when it happened," she said. "That's what bugs me the most."

In fact, she said most of her drive up until that point had been at around 60 km/h.

While many people involved in such an accident on the first day of their vacation may opt to head straight home and cancel their plans, that wasn't an option for Ryan.

"I need to get my son in Saskatchewan and take him to Disneyland," she said. "Last June he graduated Grade 12 and this trip is his present."

The two had hoped to celebrate in California much sooner, but their plans were already scuttled more than once previously.

"We ran into so many snags trying to get our passports," she said. "There's no way we're not going now."

So as her car was being towed to a garage in the Hub, Ryan got a ride with Hopkins so she could catch the bus headed south.

Ryan's accident was one of two at roughly the same time along Highway 1 between the Highway 3 and Liard Trail junctions, said Adam Desrosiers, a tow truck driver with Hay River Esso.

"We had to send our flatbed out near Trout Lake at the same time," he said. "This is the first call I've been on this year."