Today was update worthy
Before I begin, just let me make sure you know that I am 100% unharmed (except for a small bruise on my right hand).
Today was a very icy day. Dudley was sanding the roads lastnight, and this morning both. I fell asleep and awoke to the sound of a sander outside. When I left for work, I left 20 minutes early (15 minutes for the ice, and 5 minutes to buy gas)
And so it was, I'm driving down a main backroad to get to the highway. A road I've been driving every day for the past 2 months. A road that I've known quite well for the past decade. I know exactly where the bad spots are, and where I need to slow down. I don't drive fast on this road. I haven't since I had an accident back in '97. (and I wasn't driving fast then, either)
Shortly after you cross the town line from Dudley into Oxford, by 50 feet or so, you'll go over the top of a small hill, and then down a long, relatively steep hill.
I never made it down the hill.
It's my belief (I never found out for sure) that Oxford had failed to sand their roads as well as Dudley did. It's almost *always* the reverse situation. I didn't get a chance to go down the hill. I lost control at the top as I was going over.
My front end slid to the left, and I knew it was a slide I would not have been able to fix. In retrospect, I think that if I had tried, I might have gone off the right side of the road instead of the left. The right side has a much steeper drop-off.
My front end slid to the left, and it didn't take long before I realised I could do nothing but brace myself. The right side of my engine hit a tree on the left side of the road. I had almost turned around. In the time I flinched, my truck had turned itself on its right-side and lay there on the ground. I do not remember the airbags going off, and I think they're to blame for the bruise on my hand.
Thank goodness I was wearing my seatbelt.
A man was home at the next house down from where I hit the tree. He saw the whole thing. He's willing to vouch for my speed. He came over just as I was pulling myself out through the rear window, and gave me a hand. He kept telling me to sit down while he was calling 911.
Cop showed up. Then a fire truck. *Then* two sander trucks showed up. Thanks guys. A little earlier would've been nice. Then an ambulance. I told them I was fine, but they decided that the accident was bad enough, so after I walked into the ambulance (under my own strength), they strapped me down to a board and told me i couldn't move in case i had spine injuries. After I walked in the ambulance, explaining that I had felt great and had no injuries. But procedure is procedure, and if they had found something I couldn't feel, then I'd be glad they followed procedure, so I just went with it.
The two hospitals I know in the area are full, so they took me to one in Worcester, which I'd never heard of. St. Vincent's. The whole time I'm there, all the nurses are going crazy looking for stretchers, and I'm stuck on one... with a bruised hand. I keep trying to catch someone to tell them I don't need it, but there's no use, so I just gave up and tried to relax.
Anyway, I finally got out of there around 3pm. (I went in at 11am), and called my father for a ride. Unfortunately, neither my parents nor I have a clue where I am, and I don't have anyone else to call for a ride, but my dad manages to find me, and I get home at 4.
And then I was able to call work to say I wasn't coming in today. Only 5 hours late.
All is okay for the moment. I've yet to hear back from the insurances. I'm still a bit too excited to fall asleep at the moment.
The positive side of the story: I wanted to sell the truck anyway. Now I don't have to. I still need to research what sort of car I'd like, but I just won't have as much time as I had wanted to put into it.
Also... is anyone interested in a used Western 8' snowplow? I'm not able to move it anymore, given the lack of a working truck...
Today was a very icy day. Dudley was sanding the roads lastnight, and this morning both. I fell asleep and awoke to the sound of a sander outside. When I left for work, I left 20 minutes early (15 minutes for the ice, and 5 minutes to buy gas)
And so it was, I'm driving down a main backroad to get to the highway. A road I've been driving every day for the past 2 months. A road that I've known quite well for the past decade. I know exactly where the bad spots are, and where I need to slow down. I don't drive fast on this road. I haven't since I had an accident back in '97. (and I wasn't driving fast then, either)
Shortly after you cross the town line from Dudley into Oxford, by 50 feet or so, you'll go over the top of a small hill, and then down a long, relatively steep hill.
I never made it down the hill.
It's my belief (I never found out for sure) that Oxford had failed to sand their roads as well as Dudley did. It's almost *always* the reverse situation. I didn't get a chance to go down the hill. I lost control at the top as I was going over.
My front end slid to the left, and I knew it was a slide I would not have been able to fix. In retrospect, I think that if I had tried, I might have gone off the right side of the road instead of the left. The right side has a much steeper drop-off.
My front end slid to the left, and it didn't take long before I realised I could do nothing but brace myself. The right side of my engine hit a tree on the left side of the road. I had almost turned around. In the time I flinched, my truck had turned itself on its right-side and lay there on the ground. I do not remember the airbags going off, and I think they're to blame for the bruise on my hand.
Thank goodness I was wearing my seatbelt.
A man was home at the next house down from where I hit the tree. He saw the whole thing. He's willing to vouch for my speed. He came over just as I was pulling myself out through the rear window, and gave me a hand. He kept telling me to sit down while he was calling 911.
Cop showed up. Then a fire truck. *Then* two sander trucks showed up. Thanks guys. A little earlier would've been nice. Then an ambulance. I told them I was fine, but they decided that the accident was bad enough, so after I walked into the ambulance (under my own strength), they strapped me down to a board and told me i couldn't move in case i had spine injuries. After I walked in the ambulance, explaining that I had felt great and had no injuries. But procedure is procedure, and if they had found something I couldn't feel, then I'd be glad they followed procedure, so I just went with it.
The two hospitals I know in the area are full, so they took me to one in Worcester, which I'd never heard of. St. Vincent's. The whole time I'm there, all the nurses are going crazy looking for stretchers, and I'm stuck on one... with a bruised hand. I keep trying to catch someone to tell them I don't need it, but there's no use, so I just gave up and tried to relax.
Anyway, I finally got out of there around 3pm. (I went in at 11am), and called my father for a ride. Unfortunately, neither my parents nor I have a clue where I am, and I don't have anyone else to call for a ride, but my dad manages to find me, and I get home at 4.
And then I was able to call work to say I wasn't coming in today. Only 5 hours late.
All is okay for the moment. I've yet to hear back from the insurances. I'm still a bit too excited to fall asleep at the moment.
The positive side of the story: I wanted to sell the truck anyway. Now I don't have to. I still need to research what sort of car I'd like, but I just won't have as much time as I had wanted to put into it.
Also... is anyone interested in a used Western 8' snowplow? I'm not able to move it anymore, given the lack of a working truck...