lew Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 I had to go into town today for a 1:00 o'clock appointment and was heading down my road which ends at hwy 28. Just as I was approaching the hiway & stop sign a car that was southbound on the hiway crossed the centre line into the northbound bound lane, then went onto the shoulder, hit a snowbank and went past the stop sign and across my road right in front of me and EXACTLY where I would have been sitting 5 seconds later. He was still doing hiway speeds and hit another snowbank on the south side of my road, went airbourne across a 10 foot dropoff and flew about 40' before he hit the ground nose first, flipped and spun around a couple times before landing on his side with the drivers door facing up. I jumped outta my truck and ran down the hill fully expecting him to be dead or at least badly injured but as I got closer I could see him struggling inside the car. I called to see how he was and couldn't believe when he said he wasn't hurt. He was able to open the door and push it part way up then I was able to push it further open while he climbed up outta the car and jumped down to the ground. By this time a truck that had been following directly behind him and also witnessed the whole thing had made a u-turn and came back and had already called 911. The guy appeared to be totally unhurt and fully alert and said he must have fallen asleep and didn't remember anything about what just happened. Thank God for seatbelts and airbags. I had to leave for my appointment and the 2nd driver said he'd wait for the police. On my way home later on I stopped for a better look and saw how close I actually came to being nailed by this car doing probably at least 50 MPH. If I'd have been only 4-5 seconds earlier I would have been stopped in the very spot he came through and would have been clobbered broadside. Somebody was definetely looking out for both myself and the other fella today and for that, I'm absolutely thankful.
crappieperchhunter Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Glad your OK Lew... thats a little too close for comfort. I'd bet anyone that the driver has sleep apnea and hasn't got it diagnosed yet.
solopaddler Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Unbelievable! Amazing story Lew, glad to hear no one was injured.
I'mHooked Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Hmmm, you & BigCliff with close calls. Who's next ? Glad you were running 5 secs. late!
irishfield Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Took a little notch off of your Karma meter Lew.. nothing else!!
Live2fish85 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Well it's a good thing you were coming a bit late. Good to hear nothing tragic happened to you or the other fella.
adempsey Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 I'd bet anyone that the driver has sleep apnea and hasn't got it diagnosed yet. Do you mean narcolepsy? I am pretty sure sleep apnea has nothing to do with that, unless you're referring to this person being very tired as a result of poor sleep? Glad you were OK. I've been noticing as I have been getting older the times I nodded off at the wheel have increased. I now make a lot more frequent stops for coffee. I hope I don't ever put anyone else at risk like that person did. Don't forget your lottery tickets! Cheers.
ChrisK Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Wow,thank god your telling us this story Lew. Just shows ya how your life can change in seconds if fate has it. One of the reasons why I sold my motor bike. To many close calls....
kickingfrog Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Sliding Doors was a movie of little consequence, but it did look at how things could unfold differently based on whether someone missed a subway car or not. I had a car go through a red light (right to left) just before I went through an intersection. For the next 5 minutes I just played out the different things that could have put me 3-4 seconds farther up the road. In short; you just never know.
fishing n autograph Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 wow lew! glad you're okay! i've been there several times and it never ceases to amaze me that someone or something has to be watching out for people....
bucktail Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Thats wild!! I bet he wont be feeling to good tomorrow after the adrenaline goes away and all those muscles start hurting!
misfish Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Dont take this the wrong way Lew,it wasnt yer time my friend. I fell asleep at the wheel when I was younger, driving straight truck 14 hr day.Lucky for me,I just brushed a gaurd rail.Never did it again.Scared the crap out of me.
crappieperchhunter Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Do you mean narcolepsy? I am pretty sure sleep apnea has nothing to do with that, unless you're referring to this person being very tired as a result of poor sleep? No.. I mean sleep apnea. I was diagnosed 7 years ago with it. Before I had it in check I could not drive more then 45 minutes with out getting very tired and starting to node off behind the wheel.
Joey Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 Wow Lew, you are very lucky today. So very glad you are okay and a few seconds late today Yep, Karma comes through again
DRIFTER_016 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 No.. I mean sleep apnea. I was diagnosed 7 years ago with it. Before I had it in check I could not drive more then 45 minutes with out getting very tired and starting to node off behind the wheel. FYI Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop bretheing whil asleep. Narcolepsy is a condition where you fall asleep without warning.
Big Cliff Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 I had to go into town today for a 1:00 o'clock appointment and was heading down my road which ends at hwy 28. Just as I was approaching the hiway & stop sign a car that was southbound on the hiway crossed the centre line into the northbound bound lane, then went onto the shoulder, hit a snowbank and went past the stop sign and across my road right in front of me and EXACTLY where I would have been sitting 5 seconds later. He was still doing hiway speeds and hit another snowbank on the south side of my road, went airbourne across a 10 foot dropoff and flew about 40' before he hit the ground nose first, flipped and spun around a couple times before landing on his side with the drivers door facing up. I jumped outta my truck and ran down the hill fully expecting him to be dead or at least badly injured but as I got closer I could see him struggling inside the car. I called to see how he was and couldn't believe when he said he wasn't hurt. He was able to open the door and push it part way up then I was able to push it further open while he climbed up outta the car and jumped down to the ground. By this time a truck that had been following directly behind him and also witnessed the whole thing had made a u-turn and came back and had already called 911. The guy appeared to be totally unhurt and fully alert and said he must have fallen asleep and didn't remember anything about what just happened. Thank God for seatbelts and airbags. I had to leave for my appointment and the 2nd driver said he'd wait for the police. On my way home later on I stopped for a better look and saw how close I actually came to being nailed by this car doing probably at least 50 MPH. If I'd have been only 4-5 seconds earlier I would have been stopped in the very spot he came through and would have been clobbered broadside. Somebody was definetely looking out for both myself and the other fella today and for that, I'm absolutely thankful. Boy, I sure am glad to hear that you both lived to tell the tale! Be safe my friend!
crappieperchhunter Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 FYI Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop bretheing whil asleep. Narcolepsy is a condition where you fall asleep without warning. I know..and I understand the driver could possibly have had either or neither...but sleep apnea does drastically effect your alertness and energy throughout the day...as your body never receives enough sleep to replenish itself. And it is far more common then narcolepsy.
camillj Posted March 15, 2011 Report Posted March 15, 2011 (edited) wow .. guess it wasnt your time Lew ... I have had one or two like that over the years ... it sure puts you in 'reset' mode and makes you remember just what everything in life is really about .. and how quickly everything can suddenly change ! Glad you (and he) are all right bud ! Edited March 15, 2011 by camillj
Rod Caster Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Crazy story... nobody was seriously hurt. wow.
lew Posted March 16, 2011 Author Report Posted March 16, 2011 Thanks for the comments folks. The more I think about what may have happened yesterday, the more thankful I feel today.
crappieperchhunter Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Good morning Lew. We all need a little reminder sometimes just how nice it really is on the green side of the lawn. Have a good day
lew Posted March 16, 2011 Author Report Posted March 16, 2011 We all need a little reminder sometimes just how nice it really is on the green side of the lawn. Ain't that the truth !!
Tarzan's Jane Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) Hi Lew - what an experience - glad to hear that all ended well. Reminds me of a close call I had...I still don't know how it happened that a head-on was avoided. I just remember closing my eyes and thinking 'this is it'. But it wasn't it and I'm sure people think I'm a little nuts when I talk about it for I still to this day wonder what happened, how was it that we did not collide. Someday when I am home I am gonna ask about that. :-) Have a great day, the world still needs you. Edited March 16, 2011 by twilight
lew Posted March 16, 2011 Author Report Posted March 16, 2011 One thing that I found really sad about this whole incident was the fact that NOBODY, except myself and the guy in the 2nd truck, stopped to see if everybody was OK. The over turned car was only 50' off the hiway and perfectly visible to the dozens of vehicles that went by in the 15 minutes I was there. Lotsa folks are sqeamish or afraid of badly injured people and avoid accident scenes and that's understandable, but at least check to see if an ambulance has been called and if not, please do it yourself. Not everyone carries a cell phone and if nobody at the scene is able to call for help at least you could do that. Something else you can do if you don't want to get involved with the injured is to offer blankets, especially in the winter, even if you have to just leave them there. Blankets are cheap and you could easily buy another one. And please carry at least one fire extinguisher in your car. Again, you may not want to get involved but you can still give the extinguisher to someone else to use if needed. Again, their cheap but could definetely save someones life. Maybe with me being a retired fireman I look at these situations differentely than many, but folks just have to learn to get involved sometimes and help others who are in very serious danger or badly injured. Sorry for the early morning rant but it's terrible to hear of people dying because nobody wants to get involved.
motv8tr Posted March 16, 2011 Report Posted March 16, 2011 Glad to hear everything worked out and no one was seriously hurt. As far as people not stopping to help, I see it all too often these days. I carry everything you mentioned with me along with a few other items in the back of the car. I have used the extinguisher once, and thankfully have not needed any other emergency equipment...but have given rides to a few. I think a lot of people are afraid to stop these days for various reasons....sad really Again glad things weren't more serious. Maureen
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