The Night Chuck Norris Nearly Killed Us

It was a warm spring evening. My girlfriend, Mary, and I were going out on a date. We had only known each other for a little over a month. It was April 25, 1983. We were both juniors in high school. I went to Gibbs High in Corryton, and she went to Temple Christian in Powell. We had been “going together” for about 2 weeks.

I remember it was a very hot and sunny evening. I had just gotten paid from my part time job, and I had a full tank of gas. Back then it took about $20.00 to fill up the large tank of my dad’s ’69 Galaxie 500, nowadays it would probably be closer to 60 bucks. We normally just drove around the Knoxville countryside during our dates, stopping long enough to eat at McDonalds or to top off the gas tank. But, tonight we were going to see a Chuck Norris film. First let me tell you that we weren’t supposed to go to the movie theatre. Mary’s parents didn’t allow her to go to movies, but we weren’t planning on telling them about it. First we went to visit Mary’s friend, Rhonda, at her house off of Ball Rd. in Powell. I had never driven around much in that area and wasn’t really familiar with the roads. After visiting with Rhonda we were going to the Powell Movie Theatre at the corner of Emory and Clinton Hwy. That is where Chuck Norris was starring in his new movie, ‘Lone Wolf McQuade.’ I loved Chuck Norris movies and this one had been advertising for weeks and I was really excited about seeing it. I doubt Mary cared much about it but she went along with me on these things.

So, we left Rhonda’s house and made our way to the intersection of Ball Rd. and Oak Ridge Hwy. The sun was going down and it was blinding. I wasn’t aware of how dangerous the intersection was but I looked up the road and to best of my knowledge, it was clear to go. Of course there is a blind curve on that section of road so it was very hard to see, especially with the bright sunlight in my eyes. I gave the big Galaxie some gas and pulled onto the road. My intentions were to cross straight across Oak Ridge Hwy onto Beaver Ridge. About the time my front end pulled out about a foot, I looked to my right and saw a red ’69 Chevy Pickup truck heading toward me at top speed. I nailed the gas pedal and the Galaxie smoked the back tires. The next thing I remember was that red pickup tried to come inside of my dad’s Ford…literally. The impact spun the Galaxie around in the middle of the road. The Chevy truck somehow managed to bounce off of my car and continued sliding down the highway for a few hundred feet. I had tried to shield Mary’s face from the broken glass that flew in from the windshield. I must have done a pretty good job of it because her face was untouched but my arm looked like someone had tried to open it with a chainsaw. I had also broken my left wrist from pushing against the steering wheel. Mary’s right arm was deeply lacerated in 2 different places from the side window glass. We were both bleeding profusely.

In a dream like state, I looked down the road toward the other driver. He was lying on his back in the middle of the road after his drivers side door had been ripped off, he had slid for several yards on his face which now looked much like someone had shot him with a 12 gauge shotgun. It seemed like the police and ambulance drivers arrived in a matter of seconds. All traffic was stopped on Oak Ridge Hwy for a couple of hours as they cleaned up the horrific mess that we had made.

Mary and I were rushed to Park West Hospital and the other driver was transported to St. Mary’s. We spent the next few hours getting glass picked out of our bleeding flesh. Lots of cleaning, stitching, and bandaging was done on both of us. Mary had 30 something stitches in her upper right shoulder and 30 something in her lower arm. I had 65 stitches in my lower arm and had a cast poured for my left wrist. I also had several smaller cuts in my side and in the top of my head, which didn’t require stitches. My parents tried to visit the other driver at St. Mary’s but the hospital staff said that they had sewn up his lips and tongue and he had left in a very angry state.

We spent the next few months going back and forth to the doctor and getting checked out. The “plastic surgeon” that I won’t name because I fear he would try to sue me, botched both of our arms terribly. We both have really bad ugly scars on our arms as a result. He offered to do some follow up surgeries at a very hefty price to try and make them look better, but we refused.

It’s been 24-years since that wreck. Mary and I are still together after all this time. We’ve got memories and scars to remind us of that terrible day. That wreck caused lots of problems for us through our teenage years. I would give anything to have that one horrible moment reversed. But, like I always say, its things like this that help build character. So, in a way, I guess I have Chuck Norris to thank for some of the way that I am. Thanks a lot Chuck…

btw...I didn't get to see 'Lone Wolf McQuade' until it came out on VHS a few years later.