The narrator was on his way to London at the beginning of the story.

The narrator remembers everything clearly from the time he got out at the little country station.

The narrator asked Perkins, his chauffeur, to drive.

The new 30 horsepower Robur had been delivered that same day.

Perkins offered to drive because the gears were different.

The drive home normally took them down Claystall Hill.

According to the narrator, one often does foolish things, and one always gets into trouble for them.

One problem the narrator encountered was that the gears stuck just as they started down Claystall Hill.

Another problem that the narrator encountered was that both brakes gave way before they even got to Claystall Hill.

Throughout the crisis, Perkins behaved splendidly and was perfectly cool and alert.

Both the narrator and the chauffeur offered to keep the car steady while the other jumped.

The car made it safely around the three terrible curves of Claystall Hill and through the narrator’s park gate.

After the crash, the narrator regained consciousness in the shadow of the oak trees on the lodge side of the drive.

The man standing beside him was Perkins, who reminded him of Stanley, an old college associate.

The narrator could see the wreck of the motor and the crowd of people who were attempting to free Perkins from the car.

When Perkins asked for him, the narrator answered, but no one seemed to hear him.

Everyone was bent over something which lay in front of the car.

The narrator suddenly realized that Stanley had died in the Boer War.

Both Perkins and the narrator survived the car crash.