SPOKANE, Wash. – Jordan Potter, 18, and his family are searching for answers after the teen said an unknown driver caused him to crash into a concrete wall. The impact left Potter with multiple significant injuries.
“I did not think it was real, I totally thought I was dreaming when I woke up, I was like, ‘there’s no way this just happened,’” Potter said.
On Aug. 3, late at night, the 18-year-old was driving home from work at the Super One on the south hill. Headed westbound on 29th Avenue, a few blocks past the 76 gas station where he fueled up, Potter said a car headed eastbound suddenly swerved head-on into his lane and was coming straight at him.
That’s when the teen swerved to the left, trying to avoid the other car, and smashed into a concrete barrier in front of a home on the other side of the avenue. The impact was quick, powerful enough to deploy the airbags and briefly knock out Potter.
“It’s really shocking,” he said.
While there’s no video of the crash, Potter said the car in question was large with rounded headlights. The teen went unconscious for a few minutes after hitting the wall. Thankfully, neighbors in the area rushed to help, calling 911 and Potter’s parents.
Caleb and Katelyn Watters live in the house the concrete wall is in front of. The night Potter crashed was the first night the couple had slept in their new home.
“It was just really sad to see a kid really confused, and we’re just wanting him to be safe, we hope he’s doing ok,” the couple said.
The Watters’ next-door neighbor, Kaecey Lochridge, called Potter’s parents.
“Thankfully he remembered his mom’s number, so I was able to call his mom dad, and just let them know what happened, and we told them to go to Sacred Heart where they were sending him,” Lochridge said.
“Any parent having to drive to the scene of an accident for one of their kids is really hard to deal with,” Justin Potter, Potter’s dad, said.
A doctor’s report paints the picture of the many injuries the teen is currently recovering from: a traumatic abdominal hernia, an abdominal wall contusion, a dislocated foot, concussion, stitches in his left hand and more. Potter is scheduled for surgery in October, but his main goal right now is to find answers to why this happened.
“I’m just trying to figure out who did this you know, trying to catch them,” he said.
Another woman told NonStop Local the exact same thing happened to her, not much earlier in the night Potter crashed. Fortunately, she didn’t crash, but she did describe the same type of car coming head on towards her, near Benniditio’s Pizza on the south hill.
Leading the potters to believe what caused the crash was not an accident.
“Leaving an 18-year-old on the side of the road, unconscious, is cowardly, I suggest that you turn yourself in and take accountability for your actions,” Potter’s dad said.
“My next car I’m getting I’m for sure going to get a dash cam, I would recommend that to anybody,” the teen added. “I also want to give thanks to God because this was a pretty severe crash, and I feel like it could’ve gone a lot worse.”
The Spokane Police Department (SPD) said they are investigating. If you have any information that could help officers, call Crime Check at 509-456-2233.
