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by Benjamin Tertin

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Careless Driver Doesn't Learn Lesson the First Time

Jared Webb said he could not legally drive his '94 Ford Explorer until he had a replacement windshield installed. --Benjamin Tertin, photo

Motivated by hunger for Subway sandwiches, Multnomah Bible College junior Jared Webb hopped in his '94 Ford Explorer and drove through campus en route to Glisan Street. Minutes later, he sat parked in the fire lane outside the Joseph C. Aldrich Student Center with a smashed windshield.

According to witnesses, sophomore Jason Cohen, 26, was just "goofing around" when he hopped onto the hood of Webb's car. Ted Jones, 24, and freshman Ray Aguilar, 21, saw the incident during their late morning hacky-sack game.

"The hack went flyin' across the street, then Jason kicked it back to us, and then he jumped on the car for some reason," Jones said. "We'd, like, just finished brunch."

Webb said his car was still moving when Cohen jumped on the hood. "I punched on the gas just to scare him a little; then he slammed into the windshield with his shoulder," he said.

Cohen received minor cuts and scrapes with minimal bleeding from the shattered glass. MBC security officers came to the scene, but they contacted no other authorities.

Webb said Satellite Auto Glass repairmen fixed the windshield two days later in the gymnasium parking lot. Cohen and Webb agreed to split the $160 bill.

After the windshield repair, Webb said, "Next time I'll slam on the brake, not hit the gas." That "next time" came 13 days later, Sept. 15, when Webb drove his Explorer over senior Tina Monteiro's arm.

Webb was part of 13 MBC students who drove to Seaside, Ore., to relax on the beach.

With Webb in the driver's seat once again, four students climbed onto the Explorer's bumper. Webb hit the gas, not the brakes.

Webb said he "probably" achieved speeds of 15 to 20 mph, and that this was not the first time he'd been on the beach, "rippin' doughnuts."

"I was just tryin' to throw them off," Webb said, "and I did." He said that the only person who could hang on was sophomore Mike Pruitt.

Monteiro said she lost her grip, flew through the air and landed on her head. "Then," she said, "the tire ran over my arm and missed my head by about a foot." She said she didn't tell Webb about her pain for a half hour, but upset nerves caused an aching in her stomach and prompted her to do so. They went to Seaside's emergency room.

Doctors told Monteiro, "You're lucky you landed in the soft sand." She suffered minor bruises and swelling. Webb said he stayed positive through both ordeals. "In the future," he said, "if anyone decides it's a good idea to jump on my car, I'll tell them to get off unless they want to get run over."

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