MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
Ok, we all have our stories, I'll start.
I believe it was Jan/Feb 1982 and I had my driver licence for about a year now. At the time I was driving a 1955 Chevy but it was not running so I borrowed my mothers 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham, his car was fully loaded and a great car to drive.
Either way I was on my way home from school midday about 1:00 and cruising in the number 1 lane at maybe 65 (old 55 MPH days), this freeway is straight as an arrow for 10 miles but at the midpoint the whole freeway jogs over about 100' and continues, so first a right sweep then a left sweep after a 100 yard straight.
Well needless to say I made the first sweep but not the second, zzzzzzzzz bump, bam, awake now and fully aware of what just happened and where I was. At this point the landscape shoulder is a 20' drop down an embankment. Not wanting to end up in a houses backyard i turned the wheel with hopes that the car would turn. I managed to keep the car in the right of way and stop it gradually. I think it was about 150 yards.
Once stopped I get out of the car and step through the fence that just got pushed over and asked if I could use a phone. The lady was frantic, "is everybody ok!!?" "I'm fine" (calmly), "what about the driver!!?" "I'm fine" (still calm). I call my brother and head back out just to get the same spiel from someone from the freeway side. I circle the car the best I could with the front end nosed into a bush, hmm? doesn't look all that bad?
About this time the CHP shows up along with my brother and mother, I I speak with them briefly before talking with the officer. I backtrack with the officer telling him how I borrowed the car and must have been way to comfortable compared to my noisy 55 Chevy. We get to the point where I made the turn along the fence and there is this 20' sweeping furrow from where the front right wheel dug in. The office looks at me and say impressive, most people end up in this yard pointing to the house at that point. We turn to go up the embankment but there were no tracks leading into the sweeping furrow. We continue up the embankment and stop at a tree trunk that was about 3' high and ripped in shreds, it was about 9" in diameter, he tells me I didn't do that but probably cleared it, a week earlier a big rig sheared it off, most likely would have stopped me. Back up to the freeway we see the impact marks and they line directly with the number 1 lane, oops.
We walk back the shoulder and by this time the tow company was pulling the car up and I was trying to tell them to be careful pulling over the curb. My family needed to go so I didn't stay to see the car as it was loaded.
The next day I go to the body shop and look at the car, ouch!
The insurance totaled to car and my parents replaced it with a new 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham, my mother never liked that car as much and I'd have to agree.
My only injury was a sore thumb from hooking the steering wheel on impact. To this day I do not hold the steering wheel with my thumbs inside the wheel, keep them up on the face.
Not a great picture, driver side was almost straight, passenger side bent up about 9"
Ever since then I take every yawn, head nod very seriously.
Alan
I believe it was Jan/Feb 1982 and I had my driver licence for about a year now. At the time I was driving a 1955 Chevy but it was not running so I borrowed my mothers 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham, his car was fully loaded and a great car to drive.
Either way I was on my way home from school midday about 1:00 and cruising in the number 1 lane at maybe 65 (old 55 MPH days), this freeway is straight as an arrow for 10 miles but at the midpoint the whole freeway jogs over about 100' and continues, so first a right sweep then a left sweep after a 100 yard straight.
Well needless to say I made the first sweep but not the second, zzzzzzzzz bump, bam, awake now and fully aware of what just happened and where I was. At this point the landscape shoulder is a 20' drop down an embankment. Not wanting to end up in a houses backyard i turned the wheel with hopes that the car would turn. I managed to keep the car in the right of way and stop it gradually. I think it was about 150 yards.
Once stopped I get out of the car and step through the fence that just got pushed over and asked if I could use a phone. The lady was frantic, "is everybody ok!!?" "I'm fine" (calmly), "what about the driver!!?" "I'm fine" (still calm). I call my brother and head back out just to get the same spiel from someone from the freeway side. I circle the car the best I could with the front end nosed into a bush, hmm? doesn't look all that bad?
About this time the CHP shows up along with my brother and mother, I I speak with them briefly before talking with the officer. I backtrack with the officer telling him how I borrowed the car and must have been way to comfortable compared to my noisy 55 Chevy. We get to the point where I made the turn along the fence and there is this 20' sweeping furrow from where the front right wheel dug in. The office looks at me and say impressive, most people end up in this yard pointing to the house at that point. We turn to go up the embankment but there were no tracks leading into the sweeping furrow. We continue up the embankment and stop at a tree trunk that was about 3' high and ripped in shreds, it was about 9" in diameter, he tells me I didn't do that but probably cleared it, a week earlier a big rig sheared it off, most likely would have stopped me. Back up to the freeway we see the impact marks and they line directly with the number 1 lane, oops.
We walk back the shoulder and by this time the tow company was pulling the car up and I was trying to tell them to be careful pulling over the curb. My family needed to go so I didn't stay to see the car as it was loaded.
The next day I go to the body shop and look at the car, ouch!
The insurance totaled to car and my parents replaced it with a new 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham, my mother never liked that car as much and I'd have to agree.
My only injury was a sore thumb from hooking the steering wheel on impact. To this day I do not hold the steering wheel with my thumbs inside the wheel, keep them up on the face.
Not a great picture, driver side was almost straight, passenger side bent up about 9"
Ever since then I take every yawn, head nod very seriously.
Alan
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