Pitt's Dixon recounts accident on I-279
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Pitt coach Jamie Dixon.
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Pitt men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon's favorite play in his sport might be an assist, and he delivered a big one to two victims of a car crash Saturday night on I-279.
Dixon was driving to his Butler County home after practice when he saw a vehicle in front of him veer off to the right and hit a barrier near the McKnight Road exit.
"I was in the fast lane as was the other car," Dixon said this morning from the Petersen Events Center. "It hit [the barrier] straight on and flipped a couple of times. My initial thought was no one would survive this event."
Dixon was the first person on the scene and pulled a female passenger from the wreckage.
"Someone was kicking at the windshield," Dixon said. "Eventually, the windshield cracked. Someone was fighting to get out of the car. I was trying to give a bigger opening for the person to slide out."
A second victim was trapped inside the vehicle. Dixon could not extract her from the car, but he was able to touch her and knew she was alive. Rescue crews were on the scene within minutes and cut the windshield off to extract the second victim.
Dixon was treated at the scene for some small cuts to his fingers. He was reluctant to speak about the accident, but after numerous requests from news media outlets Pitt decided to have a news conference Monday morning.
Dixon wanted to make clear that he was not the only Good Samaritan to lend a hand. He said he was merely the first on the scene.
"It wasn't a scene from 'Backdraft' or anything," he said of the car, which was smoking, because air bags had been released, but not on fire. "I did what anyone else in Pittsburgh would have done given the situation. I just happened to be right behind the car."
Dixon was alone when he was driving home. When he arrived home his wife, Jacqueline, took off the bandages. Her reaction?
"'You're soft. They're just little cuts.'"
First Published October 26, 2010 12:00 am
