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I’m sure most of us have joked about “letting Jesus take the wheel.” It’s the act of taking your hands off the steering wheel while driving in the hopes that a heavenly spirit will guide you to safety. Listen up kids, don’t. It’s a terrible idea. It’s funny to say but dangerous to do. Don’t take my word for it, ask 33-year-old Chad O. England of Maryville, Tennessee.
According to the Bristol Herald Courier, while driving down Interstate-81 in Sullivan Country, England tried this stunt. Did Jesus steer him to safety? Did he pull a sweet J-turn and do some stunt driving? Nope. England’s 2015 Toyota Tacoma wound up flipping five times and hitting a rock wall on the right side of the interstate.
I suppose the miracle here is that England was able to get out of the vehicle on his own power. He even had the wherewithal to grab a jar, presumably filled with Lord knows what, and take off running while speaking gibberish. Police on the scene apprehended the man and held him in their cruiser until state troopers could arrive.
According to the police report, England said that a voice told him to let Jesus take the wheel. “He said that Jesus was calling him and advised him to let go of the wheel, and that’s what he did. He stated that he did not take off running, he was ‘being called and was traveling to bow before someone.’ He also stated he was not driving, but he was behind the wheel.”
After the accident, officers investigated the crashed truck and found all sorts of drugs. They found about six grams of weed, a vial of cocaine, a bunch of pipes, some rolling papers, an empty bottle of booze and that middle Tennessee favorite, huffing cans.
England faces multiple drug and traffic charges stemming from the incident. Let’s all remember, he is innocent until proven guilty.
