INTERSTATE 5 SOUTH OF COTTONWOOD HEADING SOUTH BOUND BRIEFLY TELL US WHAT HAPPENED?I WAS DRIVING SOUTH BOUND IN MY 2017 JEEP RENEGADE. I WAS GOING TO PASS SOME MORNING TRAFFIC THAT WAS BUILDING IN THE RIGHT LANE. WAITING AND WATCHING FOR A SAFE OPENING AND LOOKING BACK AT THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME AS WELL. AFTER 5 OR 6 ATTEMPTS TO GET OVER AND WE'LL OVER A MILE I SAW AN OPENING. I ACCELERATED TO GET IN AND BEFORE I KNEW IT I SLAMMED HEAD ON INTO THE BACK OF A DIESEL TRACTOR TRAILERS STEEL DUEL STAGE BUMPER AT ALMOST FREEWAY SPEED' 65-70 MPH FROM SITTING AT ABOUT 55-62 MPH WAITING FOR AN OPENING. I BLACKED OUT AND HAD ONLY HALF A CLUE WHAT HAD HAPPENED' THE OFFICER ON SITE THOUGHT I WAS DRUNK OR HAD BRIEFLY FALLEN ASLEEP BECAUSE OF HOW OUT OF IT I WAS. BUT OVER TIME THE MEMORY CAME BACK.. I PASSED HIS ROADSIDE EYE EXAM AND WAS TAKEN BY HIM TO ST. ELIZABETH'S HOSPITAL IN RED BLUFF FOR A CHEST EXRAY AS I WAS IN THE FIRST PAIN I HAVE EVER BEEN IN. DR SAID I HAD BROKEN CARTLEDGE THROUGHOUT MY CHEST AND SEVER SWELLING AS THERE WAS A FAILURE IN THE AIRBAG AND ONLY THE STEERING WHEEL AND SEAT BELT STOPPED ME. W/ O THE AIR BAG MY LOWER BACK SKIPPED FORWARD IN THE SEAT AS MY UPPER CHEST SLAMMED INTO THE WHEEL AND RIPPED BACK INTO THE SEAT AFTER. I TOTALED MY JEEP AND DID NOT GET ONE AIRBAG. THESE JEEP RENEGADES BOAST A PLETHORA OF 10 + AIRBAGS I DIDN'T GET ONE. *DT *JB