rcbfan
OTC Fan
Posts: 37
Date Registered: July 2012
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Post by rcbfan on Aug 7, 2012 9:52:52 GMT -5
I was on the YouTube channel of someone who was supposedly close to the band that had this to say about Artimus and the plane crash:
"When the plane crashed Artimus was one of the guys who was able to get up and still move. Once he came back around from the impact he started yelling how the plane was going to explode and ran from the plane and left everyone for dead"
"He ran until he came up to a farm house where there were no lights on and it seemed as though either no one was home or they were sleeping. Artimus breaks in and the owner of the farm comes down out of bed to find Artimus ransacking the fridgerator. While he's woofing down some sort of left over sandwich he's trying to explain he was looking for water for his friends."
Just curious of there was any legitimacy to these quotes. Thanks.
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patrick
OTC Fan
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Date Registered: December 2012
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Post by patrick on Aug 7, 2012 10:05:29 GMT -5
If this were true than it would have to be whoever went with him for help.Does anyone know who went with Arti?
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Post by BlueMonday on Aug 7, 2012 10:59:34 GMT -5
RCB, can you give a link to this You Tube vid? I wonder who is this person who was "close to the band".
The generally accepted story is that Arti went to the farm to get help. Having just been in a plane crash, Arti must have looked like hell and the owner of the farm shot him because he thought Arti was up to no good. Then he put two and two together and got out to lend a hand.
I believe that the person who went to the farm with Arti was Ken Peden.
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patrick
OTC Fan
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Date Registered: December 2012
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Post by patrick on Aug 7, 2012 13:16:13 GMT -5
thanx 4 the info blue.Is Peden alive?He could be the only eye witness,everything else would be hearsay.
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Post by fstbck2000 on Aug 7, 2012 13:58:19 GMT -5
According to Johnny Mott, I think he's the guy that owned the farm at the time. His story is closer to the way Artimus tells it.
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Post by BlueMonday on Aug 7, 2012 14:12:33 GMT -5
thanx 4 the info blue.Is Peden alive?He could be the only eye witness,everything else would be hearsay. You're welcome Patrick Yes Ken Peden is alive. He joined LSD right before that board's demise. It would be nice to see him join here. Not sure what you mean by "the only eye witness". Do you mean the only person to see Arti go to the farm to get help? There are a number of crash survivors who are still with us today besides Arti and Ken Peden: Ron Eckerman, Craig Reed, Gene Odom, one Gary Rossington, Paul Welch and others. According to Johnny Mott, I think he's the guy that owned the farm at the time. His story is closer to the way Artimus tells it. And closer to every account I've heard and read. I really hope RCB is going to be able to give us a link to this video he saw. I tried a few key words on You Tube but didn't find it.
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patrick
OTC Fan
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Date Registered: December 2012
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Post by patrick on Aug 7, 2012 15:28:37 GMT -5
No, the only one close to the band that could have seen him go in the icebox and munch out.
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Post by lastofthewild1s on Aug 7, 2012 17:57:18 GMT -5
That story sounds like a load of b.s. to me. For starters, wasn't it shortly before 7 pm when the plane went down? There's not many people I know who are in bed before 8 that aren't elderly. Johnny Mote was a young man at that time and I highly doubt that he was in bed. Secondly, Mr. Mote has never told a story that even remotely resembles that account. The asshole who posted that story wasn't there and is a liar trying to drag Artimus' name through the mud. He's had far worse said about him that turned out to be untrue as well. I don't buy that story at all.
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patrick
OTC Fan
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Date Registered: December 2012
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Post by patrick on Aug 7, 2012 18:33:07 GMT -5
I agree with thelastofthewild1s.
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Post by MDfan aka The MD Well Man on Aug 7, 2012 19:22:50 GMT -5
I just read in Genes book Artimus Kenneth Peden Jr and Marc Frank went Motes farm there is no word about raiding the icebox.
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Post by MDfan aka The MD Well Man on Aug 7, 2012 19:32:07 GMT -5
Im sorry but that story sounds like a bunch of bullshit people were dead and hurt real bad I don t think Artimus stopped for a snack!
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Post by BlueMonday on Aug 7, 2012 20:09:19 GMT -5
No, the only one close to the band that could have seen him go in the icebox and munch out. Oh, I see what you mean. I don't think you'll find any witness to this because it really does sound like a fabrication. I would just love to see this You Tube vid, find out who this person "close to the band" is and what exactly they have to say. That story sounds like a load of b.s. to me. For starters, wasn't it shortly before 7 pm when the plane went down? There's not many people I know who are in bed before 8 that aren't elderly. Johnny Mote was a young man at that time and I highly doubt that he was in bed. Secondly, Mr. Mote has never told a story that even remotely resembles that account. I don't recall how far the farm was from the crash site, but Arti had to first get up from the crash, get his bearings and then walk to the farm. That would have taken some time. I'm not sure how long though. That said, I do not doubt for a second that Arti's story is true. And, as you say, Mr. Mote has never told a story in which Arti raids his fridge and helps himself to a sandwich. Gawd! I don't buy that story at all. Neither do I. And I have a feeling that not many people on this board will.
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patrick
OTC Fan
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Date Registered: December 2012
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Post by patrick on Aug 7, 2012 20:26:05 GMT -5
Arti is a good guy and I believe him.
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Forum Lord
Administrator
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Date Registered: November 2011
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Post by Forum Lord on Aug 9, 2012 8:03:25 GMT -5
Whoever said these things about Artimus is sadly deluded and I am of the opinion they are just trying to hurt Artimus by saying them.
There is no truth to these words.
I have talked with Artimus one on one about that fateful day and have heard him describe it to me more than once.
Artimus told me he had to struggle to get out of the plane. He was sitting near the aisle towards the rear of the plane near where the plane broke in half. Artimus said he had to kick at the fuselage of the plane to bend it or move it around so he could lower himself to the ground through where the fuselage had broken or torn in half.
Artimus was beginning to go into shock himself and was dazed as he struggled out of the plane and to the ground. He said he moved around the downed plane on outside and could hear the cries for help coming from inside the plane and he was not able to get in to help them.
He told me of finding both pilots dead and he thought they had been literally decapitated from the impact of the crash. Artimus feared more would die if he did not try and find help.
(How could anyone sit there outside that broken plane and listen to those cries for help and do nothing? Artimus had only one choice and that was to run for help. If anyone died because he had not tried to get help he would have had to live with that for the rest of his life and running for help was actually a way for him to relieve himself of any future guilt.)
Outside the plane a few other survivors were moving around bleeding and in pain. One of them was Kenny Peden and I don't recall who the third person was, but Artimus told them he was going for help and they could stay put, but as Artimus was leaving the swamp Kenny Peden and another survivor followed Artimus out.
Artimus was indeed scared, but not of an explosion. It would have already happened if it were going to happen, but he was more afraid that more of his beloved brothers and sisters were going to die if someone did not go for help and to bring strong able bodies to pull survivors out and help stabilize them.
Artimus knew that by him staying at the downed plane that he could not help anyone and that his only choice was to go for help as fast as he could since it was rapidly getting darker.
Artimus was not aware that Coast Guard helicopters were enroute to the crash scene as he ran for help.
Earlier in the day a report went out over the media in Baton Rouge area that some escaped convicts were on the loose and for people in the area to be on the lookout for dangerous criminals who had escaped from a jail or prison situation.
Artimus was moving as fast as he could not waiting for those two other survivors following behind him arm in arm supporting and helping each other down the road.
As Artimus approached the Johnny Mote farm, Johnny lived in a trailer with his wife and a small child.
They were well aware of the escaped convicts media report from earlier in the day, and here now they saw a bloodied Artimus Pyle running up their road directly towards them with two others limping behind injured and bleeding.
At the time Artimus had long hair and a long beard and with blood on him he would have appeared scary and dangerous and for all Johnny Mote and his family knew these were the dangerous criminals that had escaped coming to harm them.
As Artimus approached the yard nearing the front door of Johnny Mote's trailer he could hear the wife and child screaming and crying inside as they hid themselves deep inside the trailer in fear for their lives. The man of the house and protector of his family met Artimus outside his front door armed with a shotgun ready to blow Artimus head off.
As Artimus frantically approached an armed man coming outside his trailer leveling his shotgun directly at his face Artimus said he threw himself to the ground and pointed back over his shoulder yelling "Plane crash! Plane Crash!" As Johnny Mote was pulling up on the shotgun he fired off a round that mostly went over Artimus shoulder and head and as Artimus was falling face first into the ground and Johnny was pulling up his gun firing it a couple of pellets hit Artimus in his shoulder as he flung himself down on the ground.
Artimus said he remembered the impact of the shot hitting him as he was falling down forward into the dirt that the shot impact spun him slightly. I remember Artimus showing me how his shoulder, I believe it was his left shoulder, was knocked backwards from the shot as the rest of him went down, meaning Artimus would have landed on his right side due to his left shoulder being knocked backwards from the blast.
Johnny Mote did not know what to believe at the time because of the report of escaped convicts and this bloodied Charles Manson looking wild-eyed man at his feet and two more running up behind him. Johnny could see back behind Artimus that the Coast Guard helicopters were by now circling over the crash site shining their spotlights down into the swamp and crash scene.
(Try and imagine the scene under those helicopters as they circled above shining bright spotlights down into the now dark swamp on a crashed broken plane with survivors crying out for help. It must have been incredibly eerie and surreal down below.)
The call for help went out from the Johnny Mote trailer. It may have been sent before contact with Artimus was made or it may have been sent shortly after contact.
If it were me in that situation, I would have been on the phone to police BEFORE Artimus ever entered the yard and was confronted. So police would have been notified BEFORE contact was made at the front door. But I am not sure exactly when the call went out or who made the first calls for professional help.
It may have also been activated by the fact that other planes in the area were keeping a visual on the Skynyrd plane as it was going down and that the Coast Guard was notified as the plane was going down and were activating search and rescue helicopter teams BEFORE the plane actually crashed.
The NTSB report makes it clear that Houston air traffic control and other planes in the area KNEW the Skynyrd plane was going down and some even circled in changing their flight plan just so they could try and go to the aid of the Skynyrd plane as she was going down. Houston asked some of them to try and get a fix on the plane's location and to try and keep an eye on the plane as she fell from the sky.
So as Artimus was running for help he had no idea at the time that help was already on the way.
He also had no idea that a local hospital had been training just that week for a plane crash scenario, and was already being notified to prepare for the dead and survivors. In fact several hospitals had been notified to expect to receive crash victims and all of this was underway as people rushed to the down plane.
When Johnny Mote realized these bleeding men approaching his home were not the escaped convicts and were indeed plane crash survivors seeking help, Johnny put them in the back of a pickup truck and drove like a madman back towards the plane crash site.
Artimus told me how as Johnny drove he took off through pasture and fields and came upon a small creek which did not even slow him down and that Johnny hit that creek as fast as he could splashing through it furiously
Artimus was returned to the scene by Johnny Mote as other emergency rescue personnel were arriving on the scene.
Artimus remained conscious long enough to tell police and emergency rescue personnel the plane crash was in there as he pointed to the location one last time knowing he did all he could to bring help back to his loved ones in his band.
Artimus had completed his mission once he showed police and rescue personnel the location of the plane crash.
I recall Artimus telling me he told the police and others if you could throw a rock as far as you could, and do it like three times, that is how far back into the woods the plane is. And shortly after this Artimus went deeper into shock and began drifting in and out of consciousness as he was removed from the crash site and rushed to a local hospital.
And Artimus certainly was not foraging through some refrigerator after the plane crash.
None of this crap makes any sense and I don't believe any of it, and it appears to be said just to hurt Artimus long after the facts in this crash have already been established. And whoever said these things needs their ass kicked, but that is just my opinion of this BS.
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Post by BlueMonday on Aug 9, 2012 9:06:34 GMT -5
Thanks for setting the record straight Cagey. Arti's story, the way you tell it, makes a lot more sense than those ridiculous accusations that he left everyone else behind to their own fate, broke into the farm and helped himself to a sandwich. I'd still love to see the vid, though. If only to find out who said all those nasty things.
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patrick
OTC Fan
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Date Registered: December 2012
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Post by patrick on Aug 9, 2012 9:31:03 GMT -5
What I heard is what Cagey heard.
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jhagga
Hanger On
Posts: 308
Date Registered: November 2011
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Post by jhagga on Aug 11, 2012 16:34:03 GMT -5
Tuning in for the first time in awhile....also to back Arti's story, remember this guy was a United States Marine and is trained to do this kind of thing not run around in panic being scared, but to keep a cool, level head and do what you can to help those the brothers around you (or in this case bandmates and crew) safe. Just my .02, J
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Post by BlueMonday on Aug 11, 2012 17:42:08 GMT -5
Tuning in for the first time in awhile....also to back Arti's story, remember this guy was a United States Marine and is trained to do this kind of thing not run around in panic being scared, but to keep a cool, level head and do what you can to help those the brothers around you (or in this case bandmates and crew) safe. That is an excellent point, which we had all overlooked. BTW welcome back Jonathan, you were missed
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rcbfan
OTC Fan
Posts: 37
Date Registered: July 2012
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Post by rcbfan on Aug 11, 2012 18:35:49 GMT -5
I found the story to be bs myself but humorous. It was a comment that someone left on this video. Not the owner of the channel (my mistake)
I msg'd the person who wrote it to see where he heard this and he claims his brother was friends with somebody in the band's cousin who had the real scoop.
Also the quotes from my original post come from the PM's I had with this person.
Some people I'll tell you.
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southpaw66
Groupie
Posts: 114
Date Registered: November 2011
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Post by southpaw66 on Aug 11, 2012 22:39:55 GMT -5
Yes, this is just another Artimus hater. They usually come out of the woodwork when someone criticizes the authenticity of Garys band. Artimus has told me the story a few times, and I've heard him describe it to others many times. It's been pretty consistent to what Cagey wrote. He said that the piece of plane wreckage that he had to kick his way out of, was about the size of an old Volkswagon bug. He told me that he went looking for the pilots, to "ask them what to do", and when he found them, they were hanging off the ground from a tree, dead and decapitated. Suspended in air. That's when he said he "KNEW it was bad then", and took off for help. He said he KNEW that they were going to need trucks and tractors, and heavy moving equipment to get emergency vehicles in there to save everyone as fast as possible. And he made the decision to go and get it somehow. And yes, I always thought that there was a big difference between Artimus and the other guys in Skynyrd with regards to his military training. He was not always a pot smoking, drunken longhair screwball. Artimus had military type discipline! He likes everything squared away in it's place perfectly. It's funny watching him load a truck full of equipment or clean a room or something. He puts things away and stacks things away like puzzle pieces, and it all ends up perfect. But he has that natural knack for assessing things and situations very quickly, so that it can be resolved as quickly as possible. I've seen him do it countless times while gigging with him. So I'd be willing to bet that he had those same personality traits on the day of the plane crash.
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