In the fifteen years that I've covered traffic for WSB radio and television, I thought I had seen it all. Overturned tractor trailers, zebras on the expressway, ice storms, 500-year floods, planes landing on the highway, Freaknik, you name it, I have reported on it.
I was reminded early Friday morning, that I haven't seen it all, I haven't reported on everything.
I got out of the shower Friday morning shortly after 3:30. My Blackberry was blinking indicating that I had a new e-mail. It was from Channel 2 Executive Producer Brandon Gobel informing me that they had reports of a bad crash on GA 400 that may have all lanes closed near Holcomb Bridge Road.
At 3:46 fellow traffic reporter Doug Turnbull sent a text message informing me that our co-worker Kelly Stevens, co-host of the Vikki and Kelly Morning Show on B98.5FM, was involved in the crash. Doug knew that Kelly was stuck in his SUV and that it had rolled over.
A little before 4, I received an e-mail from the Sandy Springs Police Department. They informed me that it was a fatal crash involving two vehicles, both of which had overturned. The police were reporting that one person had died and another had serious injuries.
When I got to the station I found out that Kelly, while still trapped in his vehicle, called the WSB newsroom to let us know that he wasn't going to make it in to work. Yes, he called while still trapped in his vehicle. Amazing.
That was all I knew before I went on the air — that at one point Kelly was conscious and able to speak.
So, starting at 4:30 a.m., I had to report on a deadly crash that I knew involved my friend and co-worker. In all my years of traffic reporting, it was something I'd never had to do.
I was fairly confident that Kelly was going to be O.K. based on the limited information I was receiving, but it was still very difficult to report on a crash that hit so close to home.
Then at around 5:40 a.m. my mind was somewhat put to ease. Kelly, the consummate radio professional, called into his own radio show from the emergency room to let his co-host Vikki and his listeners know what had happened.
It was a heart-wrenching call made even more so when Kelly learned that the driver who had hit him had died.
Kelly is quite banged up with some broken bones, but hopefully he's going to make a full recovery.
It was a morning that I will never forget, and a stark reminder that I will never "see it all" in the traffic center.
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