Iron Bars and Guardian Angels - AccidentReport_Jan152025pdf
Iron Bars and Guardian Angels - AccidentReport_Jan152025pdf
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  1. Written by: Ruben Spruijt| Grammar checked and translated to Dutch by AIDate: January 2025| https://scars.rspruijt.comEnglish| v1.03Nederlands / Dutch| v1.03
  2. Please be advised: this document contains medical photos, including images of blood. Viewer discretion is recommended.Between Iron Bars and Guardian Angels(EN)Processing the UnthinkableDuring a leadership offsitein TexasUSA, Ruben Spruijt experienced a life-threatening accident. Despite the chaos and potential for catastrophic outcomes, quick actions by his colleagues, skilled medical care, and a series of remarkable ‘coincidences’ensured his survival. Ruben reflects on the accident, the role of faith, teamwork, and resilience in his recovery, and his deep gratitude.His main goal in writing this article is to reflect on and process what he witnessed and better understand what happened on January 15th. Others have encouraged him to do the same, and he believes that putting his thoughts into words will help him in this process. He’s also writing this because the series of miracles and coincidences surrounding the event are worth sharing. Beyond his own sense of wonder, he believes someone might find value in his story--------------------------------Strategic Alignment, Bridges, Bonding,and VRThe week of January 15th,2025, I was in San Antonio, Texas, USA, with eight other senior leadership colleagues from Dizzion. The primary goal of this trip was to discuss, plan, align, and optimize our organization and discuss business strategy for 2025 and beyond. An equally important part of the trip was getting to know each other better and building stronger connections, as many of us hadn’t met in person before. The pandemic, remote work, and the ~1.5 years since Dizzion and Frame merged into one organization (as a spinoff from Nutanix) made meeting face-to-face challenging. It was great to meet colleagues in personand spend time together.Before Wednesday the 15th, we had already completed a full day of meetings where we tackled key topics such as customer growth, churn, team dynamics, market opportunities, and our unique position in the End User Computing industry. In preparation for the event, we had all completed the 5-Voices survey. We reviewed and discussed the results with a coach, gaining valuable insights into our team dynamics. That evening, we had a fantastic time with about 20 colleagues who live in San Antonio. We threw axes, enjoyed a beer, and played VR games. Mary, Z, Denise, R2, and I teamed up to fight zombies. As many of you know, I’m a huge Top Gun fan, so naturally, mycall
  3. sign on the leaderboard was ‘Maverick.’ With 287 zombie headshots, I proudly lived up to the name.A Day at Geronimo Creek RanchOn January 15th, I woke up early, partly due to jet lag and partly because we had to leave the hotel early for the ~2-hour drive to the ranch located northwest of San Antonio. We gathered in the hotel lobby, and with two cars, we headed to Geronimo Creek Ranch.Five colleagues rode in the first car, while three colleagues and I steppedin Rob's big truck. Rob, the CEO of our company (Dizzion –Desktop as a Service), is a remarkable pioneer and a man of faith. He lives in San Antonio with his wife and kids.Rob and I had met a few times over the past 1.5 years, but this was my first time meeting Chris and Denise in person. Together with my colleagues Chris, Denise, and Rob, we had a relaxed and insightful conversation about family, kids, the USA, the Netherlands, travel, books we’ve read, and the lessons we’ve taken from them. It was nice to chat about non-work topicsas well.Halfway through the trip, we stopped at ‘BBQ -Eat Miler’ for breakfast. Who doesn’t love a brisket sandwich at 8:36 AM? I couldn’t find a healthier option, so I happily used that as an excuse to order that brisket sandwich . After breakfast, we did some grocery shopping at a massive Walmart. Ihave been to Walmart before, but never one this big—it was huge! While there, I picked up some outdoor boots since we were on a ranch,and things were sure to get dusty. I didn’t want to ruin my brand-new Nike CrossFit trainers or my relatively new ON running shoes, and as a Dutch guy, 40$ for waterproof leather outdoor boots is a great deal.The day before we arrived at Geronimo Creek Ranch, Rob had already driven a trailer loaded with a buggy and an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to the property. A close friend of Rob’s owns this family ranch, a massive property surrounded by a professional fence and gate. The property is often used for "guys’/gals’ weekends," including enjoying the silence, hanging out at the pool, BBQ, or firepit,shooting, and hunting zebras, antelopes, and other “wildlife.” Haha, welcome to Texas, I thought.
  4. (Gate and fence of the ranch)Business, BBQ, and Buggy RideWe arrived at the house around 10:00 AM. After unloading the groceries and stocking the refrigerator, we took a brief walk around the property. Rob then gave us a safety briefing. The key takeaway: there are big spiders, scorpions, and venomous snakes around, so “don’t put your hand into holes,” and “always check your surroundings, especially near bushes”.Copy!While some colleagues set up Starlink for internet and WiFi, I explored the house, looking for a power extension cord for my laptop. I eventually found a large cord in a room that also stored ammunition and housed two large gun safes. Based on the ammunition I saw, I could imagine the safes holdingpistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles. After plugging in my laptop, I checked Starlinkspeed and ran a Frame session. As expected, our solution worked seamlessly, even in this remote location with higher latency. Although I already knew it would, it was still greatto see and use it in actionmyself —especially since it was my first time using Starlink.
  5. Before we began the first business block, we took a short break for refreshments. I walked around the living space, noticing several personal touches. Rob’s friend, it seemed, isa man of faith—there was a Bible verse posted on the wall, a few Bibles on the table, travel books, and cookbooks with recipes, judging by their covers. On top of two larger books, I spotted a smaller daily diary. Curious, I opened it, and the first page I saw was dated “January 15th.” It struck me as a funny coincidence, as that was the exact date displayed on my Garmin watch. I snapped a photo of the diary (time: 10:20 AM) to share with Jacoline later, planning to say, “Look... how funny is this? I randomly opened a daily diary to today’s date!” At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to the written text inside.(Daily diary –photo shot at 10:20AM January 15th)
  6. We started the first block with business topics and discussions. I’ll spare you the business detailssince I am under NDA (), but after that session, ChrisT, ChrisK, and I headed to a local BBQ restaurant to pick up our order. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of BBQ, so walking into this cozy, down-to-earth “mom and pop” spot, filled with regular folks and the smell of smoked meat, was a treat.We drove back to the ranch, about 20 minutes away, and enjoyed the food and conversations. Then, we dove into the second block of business discussions.After wrapping up that session, we took a short break. Some of the team explored the property, checking out the surroundings, while Yangzhi and I had some fun with RC cars and a DJI drone. The gear was amazing, and I couldn’t help but think how great it is to have a professional, friendly, and knowledgeable CEO colleague who’s also a bit of a “grown-up kid.” His love for gadgets—like RC cars, drones, the Apple Vision Pro, buggies, and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)—is great!.(ATV -All Terrain Vehicle)We continued with the thirdblock of discussions and conversations. Afterward, it was time to gear up with helmets and gloves as the ATV and buggy were ready to roll. Yang-Zhi and I took the buggy, following Rob and three other colleagues in the ATV as we navigated through bushes, hills, and dusty trails.Z started as the driver while I rode as the co-pilot. Halfway through, we switched seats, and I got behind the wheel. The ride
  7. wasn’t particularly fast—around 25–30 mph—but it was safe and a lot of fun. Everyone had a chance to either drive the buggy or ride as a passenger in the four-person ATV.(Z and I in the buggy)We began the fourthand final block of business discussions, andafter a while, we decided to take a break and continued our conversations while walking to a nearby pond. The fresh air really helped clear our minds and openedthe dialogue. By the time we returned, it was around 5:00 PM.Chris T. and Chris K. had already started building a bonfire. Judging by the smell of burning wood mixed with gasoline, I could tell they had taken the ‘quick start’ approach. I gathered some additional dry wood from the area since the larger logs weren’t completely dry. About 20 minutes later, we had a nice fire burning.We continuedour (mostly) business discussions, but I also took a moment to enjoy the fire, the view, and the great company. It’s such a privilege to have no neighbors nearby—within a ~4-kilometer (~2-mile) radius; it’sjust open land. That means youcan make a fire, play loud music, shoot some guns, race an ATV, and not worry about anyone complaining–not too bad! We drank sodas and water, snacked on chips and fruit, and finished the BBQ leftovers before tidying up the house. Whenwe locked the door and headed back to our hotel, it was around 7:30 PM.
  8. Checking ClearanceThe first car, carrying five colleagues, left ahead of us. Rob’s big vehicle, with the connected trailer loaded with the buggy and ATV, followed second. Inside were Chris, Denise, Rob, and me. As Rob drove downhill to the gate, he opened the large metal doors and drove the trailer forward a bit before stopping halfway through.He turned to us and said, “Yesterday, when I dropped off the trailer with the buggy and ATV, it was a close call with the gate—it barely fitthe bar above me. Chris and Ruben,can youcheck if the roof of the ATV clears the gate bar?”we stepped out to look, and that’s when the ‘freak accident’ began.Chris and I walked toward the trailer to check the clearance. Chris climbed onto the trailer on the driver’s side, while I got on from the passenger’s side. From my position, I could clearly see that the roof of the ATV, including its six or seven headlights, would hitthe large iron bar of the gate. To get the ATV through, its height would need to be lowered. Rob and/or Chris used a yellow lashing strap to press down the ATV's suspension, effectively lowering it.Once the suspension was lowered, Chris and I both double-checked the height. Using my phone’s flashlight, I confirmed that the ATV's roof and headlights would clear the first metal bar of the gate. Up until this point, I was standing outside the ATV. I thought, whynot sit inside the ATV?Adding my weight would lower the suspension even more, providing additional clearance.(Photo of the trailer –ATV and buggy, shot Friday the 17th)
  9. As Rob slowly drove the truck and trailer forward, a deafening “iron-on-iron” screech pierced through the dark, cold evening. Rob immediately stopped the car. In that split second, I leaned forwardheadfirst through the ATV's front ‘window’ to see what had happened. My head was above the roof as I lookedleft, trying to locate the impact sourceat the back of the ATV’s roof.(I’m in the ATV, head out the front window, looking left to check the loud metal noise.)
  10. Headfirst, Struck by IronWith my head above the ATV, still searching for the source of the noiseon the roof of the ATV, Rob continued driving a few more meters (or feet). That’s when my head struck the second large iron bar. The bar, of course, was solid and stationary,and I wasn’t aware of his bar, but the trailer continued moving toward it. The right side of my head hit the bar first. Instinctively, I turned my head and ducked to avoid further impact, but in the process, my left ear struck the metal side of the ATV’s roof.(There is a 2nd bar –not visible on photo –at the gate)Later, as I spoke with friends and family and reviewed photos from the incident, the gravity of the situation became clear. If Rob had driven even a little faster, if my head had been just a few centimeters (or inches) higher above the ATV roof, or if my reflexes hadn’t been so quick, the outcome could have been devastating. I could have been killed instantly, my head crushed between the ATV roof and the iron bar. At the very least, I might have been physically paralyzed and/or mentally disabled.These are the terrifying "what-ifs" that didn’t happen, and I feel really blessed for that. Writing this now, just a week after the accident, in good mental and good-ish physical health, feels like nothing short of a miracle.
  11. Later, when I analysedthe situation, it became clear what had gone wrong. Rob had warned us earlier thathe wasn't sure the ATV would fit since the gate was on a downhill slope. The problem was simple: the back of the ATV’s roof was slightly higher than the front, which meant it had hit the metal bar. Duh!I was laying on the ground in the passenger seat, feeling a sharppain in my head. Instinctively, I reached up and felt something warm and slushy on my scalp. When I looked at my right hand, it was covered in blood—my arm, too. This is not good,I thought...(ATV passenger's seat –blood, jacket –photo taken on Friday 17thThe thought crossed my mind for a brief moment: This is it. This is the end of my life on earth.Strangely, in that same instant, I found myself singing a song -in my mind-a song to God about His love for me and my love for Him. It was a shortmoment, but it was real. Note: A few days later, when I was back home and when my brother-in-law came over to check on me and talk through the details of what had happened, I remembered it clearly. That memory hit me hard—it was emotional, but I’m sure it happened.The realization that I was so close to death, yet still singing a song to
  12. God, still stirs something deep inside me. It’s overwhelming to think about. I can’t recall exactly which song I sang then, but I know it’s one I’ve sung beforeand it’s about God’s love for me and my trust in Him. When the timing is right, I trust it will returnto me.While I was on the groundof the ATV, Chris turned to me and asked, “Ruben, are you okay?” He asked because he had lightly bumped his headagainst a pole. I responded calmly, “No, no, not good. Not good at all.”By then, Rob had jumped out of the truck and quickly used his phone’s flashlight to assess the situation. He saw me sitting on the floor of the ATV, blood covering the right side of my head, with a visible 5 by 5 cm (2 by 2 inch) hole. Despite the severity of the situation, I hadn’t lost consciousness during the accident, which felt like a small relief amidst the chaos.I remember Rob walking back to the truck momentarily, muttering curses with intense energy, trying to process what had just happened.
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