A wake-up call on I-65

The author’s Honda Passport rests against the center guardrail after a crash on I-65 near Evergreen on March 7. The driver’s side of the SUV was destroyed in the collision. (Photo by Wayne Smith.)

(First appeared in the Baldwin Times for Gulf Coast Media, March 20, 2026.)

By Wayne Smith

Gulf Shores Media Contributor

I knew I needed to stop.

I even told myself I would pull off at the next exit.

I never made it that far.

Instead, I dozed off for just a couple of seconds. That’s all it took.

My SUV ran off the road and slammed into the steel guardrail dividing the northbound and southbound lanes of I-65. The vehicle rode the cable barrier for what felt like the length of a football field, the steel wires scraping and tearing along the driver’s side of my Honda Passport.

It finally stopped when it slammed into one of the steel support posts. The impact sent yet another airbag exploding from the steering wheel directly into my face.

But the crash itself isn’t what this column is about.

Instead, it’s about the kindness of strangers — two angels in particular.

And it’s about a very literal wake-up call.

First, the angels.

The couple in the car directly behind me saw the crash and immediately stopped. The woman hurried to the passenger side of my vehicle. With my driver’s door pinned against the guard cable, she leaned in through the other side and asked if I was OK.

She took my hand and held it, our arms stretched across the passenger seat as I struggled to get out. Hers black, mine white. She stayed there with me until emergency personnel arrived.

Her name was Shay. As it turns out, she is a former EMT.

She knew exactly what to do — and just as importantly, how to calm someone who had just experienced the shock of a crash. She wasn’t going anywhere until help arrived.

Angel No. 1.

A second angel soon joined her.

Alicia had stopped her car nearby and quickly called 911. She, too, had experience handling emergencies — a former dispatcher who knew exactly how to get the right help on the way.

She stayed with me as well, even called to check on me the following day.

Before long, emergency responders arrived, including state troopers and the wrecker driver who hauled away what was left of my vehicle. I’m grateful to all of them. The wrecker driver, especially, Jim from Interstate Tire Pros in Evergreen. I rode with him back to the storage site. He unloaded my travel bags from the SUV and waited with me until my son arrived.

Later, when I looked back at photos of the crash scene, I realized just how fortunate I was to walk away.

The damage looked like something you might see after “the big one” at Talladega.

And yet I was helped out of my SUV by emergency workers. I was shaken but alive, my already unsteady gait more pronounced.

The Honda Passport that absorbed that impact was one we bought new in 2019 for Dorinda. She was so proud of that vehicle.

And yes — a Passport will be my next ride.

This one saved my life.

As I climbed out of it that Saturday evening, I grabbed my wallet, phone and glasses. And I reached to grab the framed 5x7 photograph of Dorinda I carry with me everywhere.

The same picture that often travels with me to the beach to watch sunrises or sunsets.

It was still there on the floorboard.

I slipped it into my laptop bag.

She was with me. As always.

Two of Wayne Smith’s grandchildren watch their parents play baseball the day after the crash.

The next afternoon at my son’s house, I found myself sitting outside watching two of my grandchildren play in the yard — then just watching their parents play a game of catch like it was the most important thing in the world.

It struck me then how easily the day could have gone the other way. I could just as easily not have been there. In fact, the state trooper who responded said if not for the center rail, I could have flipped into the median or even wound up in the northbound lane against oncoming traffic.

There’s a saying we often hear about fatigue and driving: if you’re tired, pull over.

It’s not just a saying.

It’s advice that can save a life. So, too, is obeying the speed limit, driving defensively and staying alert on the road.

I failed to stay alert on that Saturday evening.

I knew I needed to stop.

I should have stopped sooner.

I didn’t.

This was my wake-up call.

I hope this is your wake-up call, too.

Wayne Smith has worked as a writer and editor at newspapers across Alabama, Florida and South Carolina. His weekly column focuses on navigating Gulf Shores alone after losing his wife to cancer, and the places he discovers and the people he meets. Read his previous columns on www.GulfCoastMedia.com. Contact him at wwsmith6410@gmail.com.