I learned that you do not have to be an airborne soldier to fly through the air either. When the truck started to spin on the ice the driver and co-driver would look at each other and decide when to jump from the soon to be pile of scrap metal once the truck went over the 500 ft cliff. We called this "bailing out" because we were taking our chances like jumping from an airplane on making a safe landing on the ground. It was dangerous as you did not know where you would end up, maybe in the snow bank or perhaps on the rocks but for sure shaken up. The timing of the jump was also important as you did not want to land in the area where the truck would roll on or over you.

An old joke I recalled after one such an event happened to me basically jests that's why does a captain of a ship goes down with his vessel? He can't afford to pay for it on his salary and he is responsible for it. For a short while I thought I might have to pay for the truck because the guys kidded me so much and I did not want to see Kansas from prison walls either!    Hi-Res Pic (171K)