I Have Freak Accidents
2nd... from December 2011...
I was driving on a road that turns from City/45mph and from 2-3 lanes each way to country/55mph and 1 lane.
Even before we left the city the line of traffic was narrowed down to 1 lane but it doesn't speed up to 55 until the county. Well during that lag of slow, but narrow the vehicle second in the line seemed to have a problem with the number one car. I was fourth or fifth in line and could watch from that vantage while the second tried again and again to pass on the left over the dotted yellow line. Each time he did get over to the left he wound up face to face with another car and had to jump over; It was obvious that the number one car was not speeding up to a billion mph fast enough for him.
So I hung back. I had my kids with me and I didn't want to get into some road-rager's accident and get shot for it in the end. Well, in time we all got to the intersection with US 17 and the road we were on slows down and fans out into straight and turn lanes. The two fun-boys at the front of the road got into the right turn lanes and I was going to be going left, and good riddance... but something was wrong, other drivers were stopping suddenly and changing lanes suddenly, and I saw a pair of backing lights. In fact someone was backing up, oh maybe they were just adjusting their position in lane. BUT I decided that even though is seemed far from my car I should stop to keep out of it. Now other cars were stopping before getting in line for the light; this was bizarre. Sure enough the number two car from above was full on backing up.
Because they had gotten into the right turn lane the 4runner was backing at an angle that took them across all the lanes. And it just kept a comin'. I could trace it's trajectory; he's coming at my front end. I tapped the horn, no response, I laid on the horn, not even a tap on the brake lights. The slow inexorable roll gave me enough time to weigh options, but other cars had stopped beside and behind me. I had time to turn to the kids and tell them "Hold On," then the blue Forerunner, which had a higher bumper than my Corolla, landed it's rear bumper in my headlamp assembly and climbed up a bit onto my hood. It's engine revved.
I called the Sheriff's department right away to get them out there for safety; honestly I had no idea why this asshole would back over a hundred feet across busy lanes at a busy intersection unless he was drunk or enraged so I wanted to be on the phone with semi-witnesses for when he got out to shoot me and my kids. He came a runnin' around his vehicle laughin' and a smilin' and saying "I'm sorry," like it twarn't nuthin', and explained in the same breath that he was indeed in road rage at the driver ahead of him just for not speeding up. Then he continued that he got out of the vehicle to yell at the guy when they stopped at the intersection and thought he put it into park but, gosh, musta put 'er in reverse. I was confused enough that I didn't really register until the next morning that that means that he got out and let the car DRIVE ITSELF into mine. His vehicle was higher than mine and it was dark so I didn't see that there was no driver to be honking at. So he's nearly killed people and laughing about it. I mean you have to be able to laugh about yourself sometimes, but this was not one of those times; other cars were in even more dangerous situations and if it hadn't been for me he would have gone over to the Other Side of Traffic and rolled into someone that didn't even have a change to brace.
He went on while the trooper was processing the accident about how good Nationwide (his insurance) was going to be about fixing up my car, etc. I reported the accident that night to both our insurance companies. Nationwide was not interested in even helping me get a rental until he contacted his insurance company, which didn't happen for almost 2 weeks. Sure they could have started when they got the trooper's report, but this was around the Christmas Holiday so the communications people that would have handled these things were off more than they were on and getting the report early would have cost me money i didn't have. In fact nationwide and my insurance were both like... OK well you can get repairs started and get yourself a rental car, but just get it on your own money and we'll reimburse you.
Uh, huh. Heard of poor?
I was driving on a road that turns from City/45mph and from 2-3 lanes each way to country/55mph and 1 lane.
Even before we left the city the line of traffic was narrowed down to 1 lane but it doesn't speed up to 55 until the county. Well during that lag of slow, but narrow the vehicle second in the line seemed to have a problem with the number one car. I was fourth or fifth in line and could watch from that vantage while the second tried again and again to pass on the left over the dotted yellow line. Each time he did get over to the left he wound up face to face with another car and had to jump over; It was obvious that the number one car was not speeding up to a billion mph fast enough for him.
So I hung back. I had my kids with me and I didn't want to get into some road-rager's accident and get shot for it in the end. Well, in time we all got to the intersection with US 17 and the road we were on slows down and fans out into straight and turn lanes. The two fun-boys at the front of the road got into the right turn lanes and I was going to be going left, and good riddance... but something was wrong, other drivers were stopping suddenly and changing lanes suddenly, and I saw a pair of backing lights. In fact someone was backing up, oh maybe they were just adjusting their position in lane. BUT I decided that even though is seemed far from my car I should stop to keep out of it. Now other cars were stopping before getting in line for the light; this was bizarre. Sure enough the number two car from above was full on backing up.
Because they had gotten into the right turn lane the 4runner was backing at an angle that took them across all the lanes. And it just kept a comin'. I could trace it's trajectory; he's coming at my front end. I tapped the horn, no response, I laid on the horn, not even a tap on the brake lights. The slow inexorable roll gave me enough time to weigh options, but other cars had stopped beside and behind me. I had time to turn to the kids and tell them "Hold On," then the blue Forerunner, which had a higher bumper than my Corolla, landed it's rear bumper in my headlamp assembly and climbed up a bit onto my hood. It's engine revved.
I called the Sheriff's department right away to get them out there for safety; honestly I had no idea why this asshole would back over a hundred feet across busy lanes at a busy intersection unless he was drunk or enraged so I wanted to be on the phone with semi-witnesses for when he got out to shoot me and my kids. He came a runnin' around his vehicle laughin' and a smilin' and saying "I'm sorry," like it twarn't nuthin', and explained in the same breath that he was indeed in road rage at the driver ahead of him just for not speeding up. Then he continued that he got out of the vehicle to yell at the guy when they stopped at the intersection and thought he put it into park but, gosh, musta put 'er in reverse. I was confused enough that I didn't really register until the next morning that that means that he got out and let the car DRIVE ITSELF into mine. His vehicle was higher than mine and it was dark so I didn't see that there was no driver to be honking at. So he's nearly killed people and laughing about it. I mean you have to be able to laugh about yourself sometimes, but this was not one of those times; other cars were in even more dangerous situations and if it hadn't been for me he would have gone over to the Other Side of Traffic and rolled into someone that didn't even have a change to brace.
He went on while the trooper was processing the accident about how good Nationwide (his insurance) was going to be about fixing up my car, etc. I reported the accident that night to both our insurance companies. Nationwide was not interested in even helping me get a rental until he contacted his insurance company, which didn't happen for almost 2 weeks. Sure they could have started when they got the trooper's report, but this was around the Christmas Holiday so the communications people that would have handled these things were off more than they were on and getting the report early would have cost me money i didn't have. In fact nationwide and my insurance were both like... OK well you can get repairs started and get yourself a rental car, but just get it on your own money and we'll reimburse you.
Uh, huh. Heard of poor?
51-55, M