Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

Hatch Harrison and his wife, Lindsay, are returning from a weekend at Big Bear resort in California when they encounter a semi-truck jackknifed on an icy road. Unable to stop, Hatch slides and the car lands in a river where Hatch is knocked unconscious. Lindsay is relieved to find that he isn't dead. Meanwhile, Bill Cooper - the driver of the semi-truck - radios for help on his CB. Cooper is worried about the accident, more so than normal because he has been drinking heavily since his wife, Myra, left him. He says he deserves to die for causing the wreck but that if he isn't going to die he hopes that he doesn't lose his job. He rushes to where the Harrison's car went over the cliff and discovers that they went into the river. The car sinks to the...