Tactical Decision Game STAS-1: Ditched Solution and Discussion

Our first TDG scenario, stripped of scene-setting color and context, presented the following problem:

You are driving north from Laramie WY with your wife into a worsening spring snowstorm. On a snow packed and icy two-lane highway, an hour or more from the nearest town, with no other traffic in sight, you lose control, spin, and roll off the edge of the roadway into the roadside ditch:

The truck tips, rolls over, and ends up in the bottom of the ditch on its wheels.

The road bed to your left is well above your eye level, and the wind had drifted the snow deep enough that where your roll didn't compact it, it's over the hood and almost covers the passenger side windows, which broke out in the rollover. The rest of the glass is badly damaged but still in place. There was no frontal impact, so the air bags didn't deploy, and you are both still belted in. Your wife, however, has a cut on her temple that's bleeding freely. The engine stalled and won't re-start.

The manufacturer's first aid kit, that you've never opened, is strapped to the bulkhead behind the rear seat. Your winter coats – her thigh-length down jacket and your hooded Carhartt – were on the seat, with gloves and hats, a lap blanket, your two overnight bags, a bottle of water and a bag of pretzels. Looks like the inside of a washing machine back there now, the way the spin and roll agitated everything, and it's all tossed with snow that was scooped in through the broken windows. There are hand tools, duct tape, a shovel, folding reflective triangles, and a flashlight in the tool box behind the cab, at the front of the open bed. You're both dressed in jeans, sweaters, and lightweight hiking shoes.

It's 3:00pm, overcast, with continuing blizzard conditions. You have no cellular signal.

Solution #1 and only (no significant variation is reasonable here)

• I must stop my wife's bleeding ASAP, and then move her into the back seat, wrapped in her coat and blanket to stay warm against the possibility of shock.
• I will secure the cab against snow and wind, using the floor mats to fix and reinforce the snow packed over the broken-out passenger-side windows.
• I'll retrieve the vehicle first aid kit, clean and bandage her wound.
• I'll don all my warm gear and exit the truck to take my reflective triangles and duct tape up to the roadway. I'll secure them atop the nearest mile marker, snow pole, or other roadside posts, one on each side of the highway, to keep them above the snow. The near one should be within sight of the truck cab. If I can find any other reflective items or materials – e.g., a tow rope or cargo strap – I'll use them as additional markers to catch the attention of any approaching traffic
• I'll use my shovel to clear snow away from the headlights, from the brake light at the top rear of the cab, and from the driver side to make it possible to exit the vehicle. I'll need to check frequently to keep these areas clear. The shovel and hand tools will stay inside the cab.
• I'll re-enter the cab and roll up with my wife in the blanket to share body heat.
• I'll use duct tape to seal any air leaks in the other, damaged windows and stabilize them from breakage.
• I'll stay awake to watch for:
  • approaching headlights from either direction
  • any indication that my triangles are being obscured by blowing or deepening snow.
• I will save the truck battery to use for signaling with headlights or flashers if traffic approaches.

Rationale:

• My wife's injury and loss of blood, and the falling temperatures put her at risk of shock. Death from hypothermia is a significant risk for her; a little less so for me.
• I can't walk out in these conditions, in the clothing I have. If I try, I'll likely fail, and if left alone, my wife would likely succumb to shock or hypothermia. There's nowhere to go on this stretch of highway.
• The road was closing an hour or so to the south when we drove through, but I do not know whether or when WYDOT snowplows or other vehicles may come from that direction or from the north; or whether there might be southbound traffic still moving toward us.
• I cannot stay out in the weather long, but my reflective triangles should alert any traffic to our presence, and I plan to respond with the vehicle lights and/or my flashlight, if I detect approaching traffic.

DISCUSSION:

1.What prior preparations or actions would improve your chances of survival in a situation like this?

A vehicle emergency kit for winter travel, well-secured against loss in a collision or rollover, should be far more comprehensive than what is described in the scenario – which is itself more than some travelers have. The guiding assumption should be self-sufficiency for at least overnight exposure before rescue. The kit should contain:

• Sleeping bags or bedrolls and (or at least) mylar/thermal emergency blankets, enough for every vehicle occupant.
• Emergency clothing appropriate to the season: heavy parkas and over-pants or coveralls; gloves and headgear; insulated boots and socks. Understand that one-third of body heat is lost through the head – insulated, full coverage headgear is critical. Mesh ball caps do not qualify.
• Well-stocked first aid kit; not just band-aids and aspirin, but wound compresses, tourniquets, OTC and prescription meds, and more, backed by training to a First Responder or wilderness medicine standard.
• Snow scoop, hand shovels, ice scrapers and broom or brush.
• Snow chains for all four tires (know how to use them, and put them on before you get stuck).
• Traction devices, tow straps or chains, heavy duty ratchet straps, and cat litter can all aid in vehicle self-recovery (if the vehicle remains operable), or for extraction from a damaged vehicle.
• Camp stove with fuel and fire starter (matches or butane lighters/igniters) and a pot for heating food and water. Ensure ventilation in your vehicle or shelter, or use an alcohol stove that poses no carbon monoxide risk. Even candles can provide essential warmth in enclosed spaces. With all options, be wary of fire risk.
• Food and drink, at least 24 hours' worth, including hot drink mixes. Water is problematic in sub-freezing temperatures – you can't leave it overnight in a non-heated vehicle; but you won't want to be sacrificing vital body heat to thaw your frozen water bottles in the aftermath of an emergency. Manage your water in normal times to anticipate this problem.
• Flashlights and emergency strobes or beacons, with spare batteries.
• Communications means:
  • Two-way radio with 50-100w signal strength on Citizens Band or VHF/HF/UHF bands, and a frequency list for state agencies. Understand their limitations.
  • If you have OnStar in your vehicle, great; if not, InReach or SPOT handhelds can provide emergency communications to bring first responders to your location.
  • Long storage life batteries for everything (including your cell phone, in case you are lucky enough to have cell service).
• Tarpaulins – preferably heavy, treated cotton canvas – for improvising or improving shelter.
• Road flares and ballistic signal flares.
• Fire extinguisher.
• Seat belt cutter and glass punch, accessible in cab. Rollovers do not always end with the wheels on the down side.

Preparation for life-threatening road emergencies requires much more than just packing the right stuff. Awareness, prior planning, and skills are at least as important. Missing equipment or supplies can often be improvised, but as the saying goes, you can't fix stupid.

Avoid this scenario altogether: Do I stay or do I go?

Prevention is better than cure. When in doubt, don't go. If you absolutely must travel, plan for the challenges, expense, and inconvenience that delays will create and don't force yourself into the bad choice made by the couple in this scenario. Be fully equipped as outlined here; travel with other vehicles if possible; ensure each driver is skilled, knowledgeable, and exercises good judgment in winter driving.

Understand the limitations of four-wheel drive (e.g., they do not improve stopping performance, and need to be engaged before you face loss of traction, not in response to it). Drive as slow as necessary to prevent skids/loss of traction, especially on downgrades; minimize brake use and avoid sudden acceleration or changes in direction. Know how to recover from a skid. While this may sound self-evident, there are those who come from climes where they have never actually experienced or recovered from a skid. Understand the complete loss of control that can result from over-controlling on ice.

Know the differences in traction between dry snow, slush, ice, and the worst: black ice. Understand how temperature changes affect ice buildup and how ice can be concealed by a layer of snow.

A good vehicle, well-equipped and conservatively driven, can master terrible winter conditions; but don't test this theory unless you have no other choice.

Be prepared for the event, despite all your efforts to avoid it.

People face these conditions and worse on Interstate 80 in a normal year, and can wait hours to be evacuated. If you travel secondary routes with less traffic, fewer patrols and slower response – especially Wyoming highways subject to road closure in inclement weather, as described in this scenario – your exposure could last longer and be more severe. Often enough, vehicles are (at least relatively) intact and operable, which means that as long as the fuel lasts, the engine can run and operate heaters, lights, and communications as available. As a general rule, you should never let your fuel tank fall below half-full, but this is even more imperative in winter conditions. If you can safely carry additional fuel – which usually means sturdy, weatherproof cans mounted externally – consider doing so. If a gas or diesel engine is operable after you are immobilized, be aware of the risk of CO (carbon monoxide) poisoning, and ensure that snow does not block the exhaust. Do not fall asleep with the engine running.

Violent collisions and rollovers, even if they do not kill or seriously injure occupants, tend to eject the contents of a vehicle. If the ground is or becomes snow-covered, whatever you had loose in your vehicle may be unfindable or unreachable. Use under-seat compartments, or containers securely tethered to anchor points, frame, floor, or seat brackets, for as much of your critical gear as possible. Cell phones especially are easily lost, and should live in a secure pocket, or otherwise.

You could be initially trapped inside your vehicle, and need tools, supplies, and equipment to get out, to treat injuries, and to suit up appropriately for the conditions.

I'll just walk out.

No, you won't. The historical record is clear, that people who have survived an emergency in a remote area are far better off staying with their vehicle and awaiting rescue than venturing off on foot. Conditions that are survivable in even a damaged or inoperable vehicle can be fatal in a very short time, on foot without the best of equipment, a high level of fitness, and a clear and reachable goal. If anyone in your party is injured, the likelihood of safe evacuation on foot is even less. The situation portrayed in this scenario could occur statewide in Wyoming, and anywhere that heavy snowfalls occur; similar situations can occur year-round, and the same logic applies. Temperatures in the 50s can lead to hypothermia, as can wind chill at even higher temperatures, and snow, sleet, rain.

If you become stranded, you should not even consider leaving your vehicle unless you can see an occupied structure, or one that clearly offers better shelter, close nearby, and are confident you can reach it without injury, frostbite, hypothermia, or disorientation. Even if this is the case, you must also consider that anyone passing by might (or might not!) see your abandoned vehicle; even if they do see it, they might have no idea of your location or condition. In most every case, you will be better off staying with the vehicle, doing everything you can to ensure that passing traffic will see you and provide or summon help.

Remember the rule of 3's: you can survive 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, and three weeks without food. These numbers are approximate; environmental conditions, health, injuries, and other factors can reduce them; but in almost all cases you will be better off waiting for help, and you can afford to wait rather than risk further injury or exposure.

For more specifics on several points raised in this discussion, refer to the below articles in ST, and to the links offered in each one:

https://standtallandstrong.com/categories/resilience/preparedness/survival-basics-part-8-first-aid

https://standtallandstrong.com/categories/resilience/preparedness/survival-basics-part-2-shelter-construction

https://standtallandstrong.com/categories/resilience/preparedness/overlooked-prepping-actions

https://standtallandstrong.com/categories/resilience/preparedness/survival-basics-part-1

https://standtallandstrong.com/categories/resilience/preparedness/survival-basics-part-5-first-aid