A few weeks ago, here at Amthor, we received an email that stopped us in our tracks. The email was from a man named Chris, and he shared—with tears in his eyes—the story of a horrible accident that would forever change his life. His story deeply moved us, and we wanted to share it in hopes that it will do the same for you.

Chris explained he was driving one of our 2,000-gallon Matador Runabouts ( a portable restroom tank truck), when his truck hydroplaned at 70 mph. Losing control, his vehicle flew sideways up a grass freeway embankment, catching air and rolling four times before it rested.

 

The accident crushed the cab and was a total loss. But remarkably, the tank itself was undamaged. The only damage was a slight bend in the uppermost paper box on the driver side, easily beaten back into shape, along with a slight angle in the license plate bracket.

Miraculously, Chris walked entirely away from this accident without any injuries and was able to go home to his family that night. For that, we are immensely grateful.

The Amthor tank was the only barrier preventing the cab from being crushed with him inside. The tank did not separate from the frame due to the unique tie-down system Butch Amthor designed many years ago.  We realize this story could have ended very differently, and we are thankful that Chris is here to share his story with us.  It reminds us of the enormous responsibility we have for our customers and the integrity of every tank we manufacture.

In his email, Chris stated,

“Thank you to every single team member who is involved in the process of creating the tanks—from the designer who sketched it, all the way to the person who put the final touch of the tank and everyone in between.”

That being said, we are noting that Chris was an extremely fortunate man because he also informed us that he was not wearing a seatbelt. We are sobered by the fact that this story could have ended very differently, and feel the call to encourage our customers to always wear their seatbelts.

We are aware it can be tempting to remain unbuckled when your job requires continuously going in and out of the truck—but unfortunately, accidents do happen. It is our deep desire to ensure that our customers go home to their families safely. So, when you’re on the road, wear your seatbelt; if you are a fleet operations manager, scheduler, or controller—please remind your drivers to buckle up. For safety and for family.

His story deeply moved us, and we wanted to share it in hopes that it will do the same for you.