Jared Pridmore and his wife Amanda are the owners of Precision Auto Glass in Conway, Arkansas. Their story begins when they bought a new van for their growing company.
Amanda, always vigilant about safety, researched the importance of having a partition behind the van’s seats. Jared, after 20 years of driving a van without a partition, felt he didn’t need one.
“We are going to order this partition, install it, and then you can drive the van,” said Amanda at the time.
“Of course, I listened to her. We ordered it and waited,” says Jared. Until the partition arrived, the van sat unused, a life-saving decision.
A few weeks after installing the heavy-duty steel partition from American Van, a Safe Fleet brand, Jared’s investment and his wife’s intuition would be put to the test.
PARTITION SAVED MY LIFE
That simple statement came in an email from Jared to the team at American Van. When they reached out, they learned the incredible story.
Jared and a co-worker were inside his van idling in a road construction zone when a drunk driver crashed into the back of their vehicle at between 80 to 90 miles per hour. The impact caused six auto glass windshields to shatter and propel, with all the van’s contents, to the front of the van, where Jared and his co-worker were sitting. The partition absorbed the impact, shielding Jared and his co-worker from the glass and tools contained in the back of the van.
Jared suffered a concussion and his co-worker sustained injuries to his hand. Fortunately, both were able to walk away from the accident, inside the back of the van had shattered glass and what was left of the back end of the van.
BULKHEAD PARTITION
The bulkhead partition in Jared’s van is 16-gauge heavy duty steel construction and made in America, by American Van. This contours to the Ford Transit Connect interior, but options for all Ford, RAM, Mercedes, Chevy/GMC, and Nissan cargo vans are available. The bulkhead partition can be installed with a six-inch set-back that allows both the driver and passenger seats to be moved to their rear-most position. The perforated top on the partition allows the driver to have rear visibility.
The partition comes with a durable grey powder coat finish and all necessary hardware and instructions for assembly. The five to six pieces are assembled mostly outside the vehicle, with final install inside. The process takes anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. The price of Jared’s partition, which he installed himself, was $420 with the range for all related products being $400 to $600.
LIFE-SAVING SAFETY
The partitions serve as a barrier, designed to guard against shifting loads, primarily keeping those items away from the driver and passenger. As demonstrated in Jared’s story, the partition prevented the six windshields that shattered in the accident from entering the front of the vehicle. Additionally, heavy tools and additional contents that flew into the air at impact did not cross the partition.
Property is better protected with the partition as entry into the front part of the van does not allow access to expensive tools, product, or contents in the cargo area of the van.
American Van bulkhead partitions are manufactured and installed in Lakewood, New Jersey, which allows teams to see the product firsthand and understand every element of installation. In fact, it’s common for customers to call with questions to which installers will answer firsthand, to get it right.
SPREADING THE WORD
Reflecting on the incident, Jared says, “If we had not had that partition, there’s no telling what would’ve happened. The glass would have been in the front with us, 100 percent.”
Auto glass, designed with lamination for extra durability and safety, is meant to prevent shattering and reduce the risk of injury during collisions when properly installed on vehicles. As cargo, however, the story plays a bit differently.
“Auto Glass will cut you up,” says Jared, reflecting on Amanda’s insistence on waiting for the partition to drive the van, “it was a blessing Amanda said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable with this.’ If we would not have had that partition, we would not be here today.”
The near-death experience left an indelible mark on Jared’s perspective.
“I’ll never own another van without a partition,” says Jared.
He now urges everyone, regardless of their business, to have a partition between them and what’s behind them. Jared even posted his story on social media to encourage other glass company colleagues to purchase a partition if they haven’t already. The partition’s effectiveness in such an event reinforced its significance as a fleet safety tool.
About the Author
Mike McTamney is the marketing and product manager at American Van To learn more information about safety technology solutions for fleets, visit www.safefleet.net/products.
