Last night when my parents and I saw we had to deal with the nasty beginnings of last night's Nor'Easter on our drive home from a nice evening out, we weren't too worried since we have a vehicle that's 4WD. However, as usual, it's not just your driving abilities you have to worry about in this weather. It's the other morons on the road as well. Last night was a prime example.
We and our neighboring drivers were going along fine, driving at a weather appropriate speed along the barely plowed highway. We were a little more than an exit away from ours when a car passed us with a pickup truck from NY tailgating right behind them. We shook our heads at the nerve of the pickup truck and watched as it sped along trying to bully the car into the right lane.
As if tailgating wasn't a stupid enough move in these conditions, the pickup truck then decided to try to squeeze in between the car in the left lane it was tailgating and the car ahead of ours that was in the right lane. That's when the truck spun out of control, knocking the car behind it into the guardrail and nicking the other car. We pulled over immediately so we could serve as eyewitnesses.
We jumped out of the car, ready to strangle the reckless pickup truck driver. The driver was a girl who looked to be about 18 or so and the car she helped total carried a husband and wife. While we started walking back to check out the damage, we saw another car come around the bend and crash into the guardrail. It immediately drove off, with its bumper sadly hanging off the car, as if defeated by the terrible road conditions.
After a few of us called the police, we all milled around waiting for them to show up. My parents and I were back at our car when I saw the scariest thing in my life. A truck was in motion, jacknifing as he drove around the bend. To give you an idea, check out this photo and imagine that coming right at you, completely unstoppable.
The feeling I had was of course, total fear. I stood there for a moment, trying to process what I was looking at, jaw dropped, thinking "Is this really happening?"
Like a broom, the truck's trailer began to sweep along the shoulder we were all parked on. My parents and I dove over the guardrail as I frantically repeated "Oh-my-god-oh-my-god" and tried our best to get ourselves to a safe spot away from the road, ready to kiss our van goodbye. We saw the trailer nail the car that was already totaled. Then by some crazy luck, it immediately straightened out before it got to any of the rest of our cars. After wreaking that brief havoc, it just drove off. Like nothing happened.
I tell myself that someone behind him got his plates and reported him. But I'll never know. One could argue that maybe the driver didn't even know it hit anything since the trailer was so long. But who knows.
We thought everything was ok, until we heard a woman screaming. It turns out that the wife who was in the totaled vehicle had been standing near it and had gotten pinned against the guardrail by her own car when the truck hit it.
Imagine this? You and your husband are minding your own business, driving as safe as you can. When a dumbass girl, driving like she's got Andretti in her blood, during a straight up old school style New England Nor'Easter no less, comes along and ruins your night. Your car is destroyed, and as if that isn't bad enough, you are hit by your OWN CAR just because you were standing in the wrong spot at the wrong time!
Anyway, I guess if there is any "good news" for this unfortunate couple, the woman ended up with a broken femur. I was actually glad that's all it was because I had visions of her paralysis in my head. As for the rest of us, we all got out fine, just a bit shaken up from the stress one experienced momentarily fearing for your life.
I've definitely taken my chances and driven in such weather, knowing I could handle it. But it's nights like this that will remind me that not everyone respects the risks involved and will behave as if it's a bright sunny day made for stunt driving. Jerks.
