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How does this happen?!? Or, tales from the highway

Started by Monsterlover, August 24, 2015, 07:40:39 AM

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Monsterlover

So an interesting thing happened to me yesterday.

I was a corner worker at New York Safety Track all weekend. I left for home about 5:30 with a 375 mile drive ahead of me.

A good while after dark its me and one other car heading west on 86 at about 75 mph.

There is traffic in the east bound lane and one set of headlights looked funny.

They looked funny because they were in the left lane where I was, pointed directly at me.

That's right. There was a car going the wrong way on the highway. And itnwas in my lane.

I swerved over into the right lane and they just continued on at what I'm guessing was 40-50mph like they were right where they were supposed to be.

I was speechless.

How does that happen?!?!?

If ever the black flag needed thrown it was then.
"The Vincent was like a bullet that went straight; the Ducati is like the magic bullet in Dallas that went sideways and hit JFK and the Governor of Texas at the same time."--HST    **"A man who works with his hands is a laborer.  A man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman.  A man who works with his hands, brains, and heart is an artist."  -Louis Nizer**

ducpainter

A waitress at a local restaurant was headed to get some medication for her child and was hit head on by a driver on 93 going the wrong way.

She lived, but has some serious injuries. The other driver was drunk...go figure.

How'd you like corner working?
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the_Journeyman

Quote from: ducpainter on August 24, 2015, 07:43:18 AM
The other driver was drunk...go figure.

This is usually the case with wrong way drivers.

There's always this joke to think about:
As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on 280. Please be careful!"

"Hell," said Herman, "It's not just one car. It's hundreds of them!"


Here's another one oddball case:  I was driving by bus down a 4-lane highway.  F150 pulling either a too heavy or poorly loaded Uhaul tandem trailer was coming around me.  He got a couple car lengths past and  I see a rather large puff of smoke from the right rear fender area.  I figured he blew a tire.  Nope.  The bearings or end of the axle housing BROKE.  It even spit a little fire it looked like.  Luckily the tire got wedged under in the fender area and didn't go flying.  He was dragging it along, leaving a smoke screen, all the while trying to get from the passing lane to the emergency lane.

JM
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Quote from: r_ciao on January 28, 2011, 10:30:29 AM
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During a storm this winter I saw something similar on Route 3 North just south of NH. Biggest difference was traffic was bumper to bumper and going maybe 20 mph. The person driving managed to not see the dump truck plowing next me until the last second. The clipped the end of the plow and proceeded to go in between me and the dump truck, and continue down the highway, southbound.
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1.21GW

Quote from: Monsterlover on August 24, 2015, 07:40:39 AM
(snip)... I left for home about 5:30 with a 375 mile drive ahead of me.

(snip)


Don't you ever just drive locally?  That truck must've had 100k in the first year.
"I doubt I'm her type---I'm sure she's used to the finer things.  I'm usually broke. I'm kinda sloppy…"

Monsterlover

Quote from: 1.21GW on August 24, 2015, 12:28:37 PM
Don't you ever just drive locally?  That truck must've had 100k in the first year.

[laugh]

I guess not, huh.  I go where the fun things are, which just so happens to normally not be near home.  Go figure.

I actually took my Accord for this one and drove non stop to and from since I didn't need to get gas en route.

Quote from: ducpainter
How'd you like corner working?

Duuuudde.  It was awesome.
"The Vincent was like a bullet that went straight; the Ducati is like the magic bullet in Dallas that went sideways and hit JFK and the Governor of Texas at the same time."--HST    **"A man who works with his hands is a laborer.  A man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman.  A man who works with his hands, brains, and heart is an artist."  -Louis Nizer**

kopfjäger

I witnessed one some years ago on 95 north of Baltimore. It was after midnight, and I noticed this pickup on the opposite side of the barrier. I had my girlfriend at the time (Damn she was hot) get on the cellphone and call th police and start reading off mile markers. Meanwhile I got the window down yelling and blowing the horn. (How do they know where we're going) Several cars swerved to miss him, we were going 70 or so then BAMM. The back of his truck came at least 5ft off the ground. I skidded to a stop and ran back jumped over the jersey barrier and started to help the car that got hit, took 3 of ust to pull the door open. We got him out and laid him on the ground. I went over to the truck...dead as a door nail. The driver of the car got on his cellphone and called his dad. "Dad, you'll never guess what just happened." The rest of the trip home I kept thinking other cars were on my side of the road.
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Monsterlover

Quote from: kopfjäger on August 24, 2015, 01:24:58 PM
I witnessed one some years ago on 95 north of Baltimore. It was after midnight, and I noticed this pickup on the opposite side of the barrier. I had my girlfriend at the time (Damn she was hot) get on the cellphone and call th police and start reading off mile markers. Meanwhile I got the window down yelling and blowing the horn. (How do they know where we're going) Several cars swerved to miss him, we were going 70 or so then BAMM. The back of his truck came at least 5ft off the ground. I skidded to a stop and ran back jumped over the jersey barrier and started to help the car that got hit, took 3 of ust to pull the door open. We got him out and laid him on the ground. I went over to the truck...dead as a door nail. The driver of the car got on his cellphone and called his dad. "Dad, you'll never guess what just happened." The rest of the trip home I kept thinking other cars were on my side of the road.

I'll admit that for a few seconds after I swerved to miss this guy, my brain was checking and double checking that I was on the correct side of the road :P
"The Vincent was like a bullet that went straight; the Ducati is like the magic bullet in Dallas that went sideways and hit JFK and the Governor of Texas at the same time."--HST    **"A man who works with his hands is a laborer.  A man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman.  A man who works with his hands, brains, and heart is an artist."  -Louis Nizer**

cokey

What I noticed here in TX is the line markers shine with your lights.  White on correct side, red for wrong way. 

Back about 6 years ago, driving back to Brooklyn from long island after hanging with the car club.  Late at night, on on the LIE I see something shining a bit up ahead in the middle lane I was in.  Of course it was at a spot where the highway lights went out.  Going about 70, then noticed it was an SUV turned sideways with no lights on.  Swerved and missed him by about 5 ft.  Car behind me wasn't so lucky. 
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the_Journeyman

Quote from: cokey on August 24, 2015, 09:00:33 PM
What I noticed here in TX is the line markers shine with your lights.  White on correct side, red for wrong way.   

NC has these in the interstates.  They're even on highway ramps, if you are going the right way, they're white, red if the wrong way.

JM
Got Torque?
Quote from: r_ciao on January 28, 2011, 10:30:29 AM
ADULT TRUTHS

10. Bad decisions make good stories.