What a day!!
So today has proved to be extremely interesting. One of those days when you can lay your head on the pillow that night and know you’ve accomplished something.
Lets get to the good stuff first, shall we?
Ok. So my Spanish class at Pellissippi let out at around 7pm or so, about 2.5 hours early. I was hyped up on 4 cups of coffee with an entire pack of Sweet-n-low, so I was feeling pretty spontaneous. As I was driving home, I rounded the swooping left bank on I-75 just as I-40 and I-75 split. I looked to my right and noticed a red Dodge Ram 3500 extended cab dually off in the ditch between I-75 and the I-40 exit that continues with I-75. Confusing I know… Anyway, the truck was sitting in the triangle-shaped median with the driver’s door ajar and no one around. I drive for probably 5 to 7 seconds down I -75 before feeling the need to go back. I pulled over to the shoulder, put the trailblazer in reverse and started back towards the scene. Once I saw no one was coming on the I-40 exit ram, I crossed it getting into the median. I already had the hazard lights on so I got out to see what was going on.
As I approached the truck, a middle-aged man was sitting on the I-75 bank shaking. At first, I thought he was crying, maybe from a close call with another vehicle. I slowly walked up to him, asking if he was ok. Still shaking, he looked up at me with a blank stare and tried to say something. I repeated, “sir, are you ok? Are you hurt?” He then asked where he was. At that time, I knew a call to 911 was in order.
As I explained the situation to the female 911 dispatcher, I asked him his name and age. He couldn’t tell me either.
He then slowly stood up and acted like he was going to walk up the bank towards the interstate. I then guided him to his truck, and told him to sit down and rest. I took the keys from the ignition to keep him from potentially driving off.
As I continued to ask the man questions, the 911 operator had me ask him if he had medical problems. He was complaining of numbness in his head and pain in his arms when he moved his head. He seemed to be breathing normally. He said he had quit his medication the week before for diabetes. At that point, I asked the operator if a stick of gum would help raise his sugar level. She said that without seeing him, she couldn’t know but that the gum would probably help. I grabbed some Big Red gum from my backpack in the car. He chewed one piece as we waited for the police and EMS to arrive. I stayed on the phone with 911 until deputy 909 with the Loudon County Sheriff’s office arrived.
Once deputy 909 got out of his car, I introduced myself and started telling him about the situation. He then started asking the man the same questions I had. By that time, the man was able to remember his name and age. Robert, 48, from LaFollette, TN had - from what I understood - just attended a funeral for a friend’s dad and was driving home. Not sure why but he was headed to Lenoir City, not LaFollette.
Deputy 909 and I waited for what seemed like 10 minutes for a Rural/Metro bus to arrive. Once they showed up, they asked him his medical history and checked his blood sugar. I want to say I heard his blood sugar was 98 but I can’t remember nor do I know anything about blood sugar. I believe they then gave him a shot of insulin. They asked him if he wanted to go to the ER with them. He said no but was soon convinced that he couldn’t drive himself. He then started worrying about leaving his truck in the median of the interstate. He said he couldn’t afford to call a wrecker. I then pulled the deputy aside and proposed that I drive his truck to the hospital and he bring me back to my trailblazer. He agreed that would be a good idea and asked Robert if he would agree. Robert was very gracious that I would drive his truck for him.
Once Robert was secured in the ambulance, I got in the truck. Now thankfully, I had driven a Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel with a 5-speed before, so I knew what to expect. I was pretty sure I could get out of the ditch, but just to be sure, I locked it down in 4-high. The tires never spun as I climbed the embankment onto the I-40 exit ramp. As soon ask I had all six wheels on pavement, I came out of four wheel drive and started worrying about getting the lumbering beast up to interstate speeds. First….Second….Fifth…!!!, where did third go?!? I couldn’t find third! The shifter acted like it didn’t exits. At probably 30 miles an hour, the 5.9-liter Cummins TD pulled fifth gear like a champ! I was amazed to hear the engine’s RPMs raise and my speed increase as I merged into traffic.
The big Dodge tracked fairly well on the interstate at about 60 miles an hour. The steering wheel was cocked to the right just a touch which made things even more interesting. As I exited the interstate with the Sheriff’s deputy trailing me, I came upon the ambulance. The EMS worker pointed out the window as Robert looked up to see his truck. I then followed the ambulance to the ER at Park West Hospital on highway 321. By this time, I had found third and fourth gears which made driving a lot easier. We came into the back side at Park West where the EMS guys were unloaded Robert. I parked the Ram in a corner space at the hotel next door. I made sure the doors were locked and all the lights were out.
Walking towards the ER entrance, they had Robert on a gurney and were wheeling him into the ER. I handed him his keys as he and the EMS guys thanked me. Robert then asked my name and wanted me to write it down. The deputy gave me some sort of accident card to fill out. I handed it to Robert as he scooted from the gurney to a bed inside a small room at the ER. He thanked me again as the deputy and I left.
At that point, the deputy drove me back to my Trailblazer which I had left sitting on the side of the road. We had to turn around at Watt road to come around the bend. He turned his lights on as he pulled over. I got in my Trailblazer and went home.
Sorry if this story is boring, way too detailed, or completely irrelevant to your lives, but I figured I should collect my thoughts on paper. I hate to sound rash, but I’m writhing this for two reasons. One is for me. I’d like to remember this event. Two is to “CMA”…if you catch my drift. I thought Robert was a really nice guy and I think he was genuinely thankful for the assistance I gave him, but if he ever decided to sue me for something, I’d have this blog as an account for my actions.
So, in other news… This morning started early. I woke up at around 6:30 for an 8:30 appointment with Sexton’s service department in Harriman. I had gotten a notice concerning a possible problem with the fuel tank having rusting issues on my Trailblazer. The shop checked it out and said nothing was wrong. They gave me a receipt for $0.00 and I left.
While at the dealership, I walked around the lot and saw a new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500….and it was unlocked. I hopped inside for my first look at the totally new interior. I must say, Dodge really stepped up their game this time. The switch gear felt extensive and husky. The surfaces felt like leather and looked the part too. This model had the 40-20-40 split bench up front with the column shifter. The dash layout was very nice and seemed to be pretty ergonomic. I was really impressed to find a two-pronged plug-in like you might find in your house. This would really come in handy for charging laptops, cell phones or any other device that doesn’t have the third prong ground.
The back seats had so much leg room it was crazy…way more than my dad’s Ford Explorer; maybe even more than his old Chevy Astro that the used to have! I was very impressed. I only found a couple to issues with the Dodge. One being access to the cab. This was a two-wheel-dive model yet needed a considerable jump to get in - especially in the rear. Another was the width of the rear seat arm rest. While seated behind the driver, my arms were spread almost uncomfortably to reach both armrests. If the center armrest were wider, this would eliminate this very minor problem.
After returning from the dealership, I stopped to get gas and a fuel filter for the Trailblazer. And if you can’t tell by now, I spent a lot of time in the Trailblazer today. Once I got home, Mom had me start working on the new walkway in front of the house. I used short sticks of rebar and string to mark out the path. Then, I started digging. After about 2 scoops with the shovel, I notice how daunting the task was which lay before me. However, being the smart, quick-thinking guy that I am, called upon the help of uncle Howard. I had the bright idea to use a rotor-tiller to break up the ground, making it easy to scoop up with a shovel.
After helping him finish working on the hay mowing machine, we loaded up the rotor-tiller in the S-10. We rotor-tillered that ground so much but to no avail. It was just too wet. The dirt was heavy and stuck together. I think tomorrow we are going to try a different method. I will keep you informed of the techniques….like you really care.
Well, the roughly 1,800 words I’ve typed here should keep you busy till I can post again.
And as I say at the end of every blog I post here, COMMENT!!! Especially if you actually read the entire thing.
Lets get to the good stuff first, shall we?
Ok. So my Spanish class at Pellissippi let out at around 7pm or so, about 2.5 hours early. I was hyped up on 4 cups of coffee with an entire pack of Sweet-n-low, so I was feeling pretty spontaneous. As I was driving home, I rounded the swooping left bank on I-75 just as I-40 and I-75 split. I looked to my right and noticed a red Dodge Ram 3500 extended cab dually off in the ditch between I-75 and the I-40 exit that continues with I-75. Confusing I know… Anyway, the truck was sitting in the triangle-shaped median with the driver’s door ajar and no one around. I drive for probably 5 to 7 seconds down I -75 before feeling the need to go back. I pulled over to the shoulder, put the trailblazer in reverse and started back towards the scene. Once I saw no one was coming on the I-40 exit ram, I crossed it getting into the median. I already had the hazard lights on so I got out to see what was going on.
As I approached the truck, a middle-aged man was sitting on the I-75 bank shaking. At first, I thought he was crying, maybe from a close call with another vehicle. I slowly walked up to him, asking if he was ok. Still shaking, he looked up at me with a blank stare and tried to say something. I repeated, “sir, are you ok? Are you hurt?” He then asked where he was. At that time, I knew a call to 911 was in order.
As I explained the situation to the female 911 dispatcher, I asked him his name and age. He couldn’t tell me either.
He then slowly stood up and acted like he was going to walk up the bank towards the interstate. I then guided him to his truck, and told him to sit down and rest. I took the keys from the ignition to keep him from potentially driving off.
As I continued to ask the man questions, the 911 operator had me ask him if he had medical problems. He was complaining of numbness in his head and pain in his arms when he moved his head. He seemed to be breathing normally. He said he had quit his medication the week before for diabetes. At that point, I asked the operator if a stick of gum would help raise his sugar level. She said that without seeing him, she couldn’t know but that the gum would probably help. I grabbed some Big Red gum from my backpack in the car. He chewed one piece as we waited for the police and EMS to arrive. I stayed on the phone with 911 until deputy 909 with the Loudon County Sheriff’s office arrived.
Once deputy 909 got out of his car, I introduced myself and started telling him about the situation. He then started asking the man the same questions I had. By that time, the man was able to remember his name and age. Robert, 48, from LaFollette, TN had - from what I understood - just attended a funeral for a friend’s dad and was driving home. Not sure why but he was headed to Lenoir City, not LaFollette.
Deputy 909 and I waited for what seemed like 10 minutes for a Rural/Metro bus to arrive. Once they showed up, they asked him his medical history and checked his blood sugar. I want to say I heard his blood sugar was 98 but I can’t remember nor do I know anything about blood sugar. I believe they then gave him a shot of insulin. They asked him if he wanted to go to the ER with them. He said no but was soon convinced that he couldn’t drive himself. He then started worrying about leaving his truck in the median of the interstate. He said he couldn’t afford to call a wrecker. I then pulled the deputy aside and proposed that I drive his truck to the hospital and he bring me back to my trailblazer. He agreed that would be a good idea and asked Robert if he would agree. Robert was very gracious that I would drive his truck for him.
Once Robert was secured in the ambulance, I got in the truck. Now thankfully, I had driven a Dodge Ram Cummins Turbo Diesel with a 5-speed before, so I knew what to expect. I was pretty sure I could get out of the ditch, but just to be sure, I locked it down in 4-high. The tires never spun as I climbed the embankment onto the I-40 exit ramp. As soon ask I had all six wheels on pavement, I came out of four wheel drive and started worrying about getting the lumbering beast up to interstate speeds. First….Second….Fifth…!!!, where did third go?!? I couldn’t find third! The shifter acted like it didn’t exits. At probably 30 miles an hour, the 5.9-liter Cummins TD pulled fifth gear like a champ! I was amazed to hear the engine’s RPMs raise and my speed increase as I merged into traffic.
The big Dodge tracked fairly well on the interstate at about 60 miles an hour. The steering wheel was cocked to the right just a touch which made things even more interesting. As I exited the interstate with the Sheriff’s deputy trailing me, I came upon the ambulance. The EMS worker pointed out the window as Robert looked up to see his truck. I then followed the ambulance to the ER at Park West Hospital on highway 321. By this time, I had found third and fourth gears which made driving a lot easier. We came into the back side at Park West where the EMS guys were unloaded Robert. I parked the Ram in a corner space at the hotel next door. I made sure the doors were locked and all the lights were out.
Walking towards the ER entrance, they had Robert on a gurney and were wheeling him into the ER. I handed him his keys as he and the EMS guys thanked me. Robert then asked my name and wanted me to write it down. The deputy gave me some sort of accident card to fill out. I handed it to Robert as he scooted from the gurney to a bed inside a small room at the ER. He thanked me again as the deputy and I left.
At that point, the deputy drove me back to my Trailblazer which I had left sitting on the side of the road. We had to turn around at Watt road to come around the bend. He turned his lights on as he pulled over. I got in my Trailblazer and went home.
Sorry if this story is boring, way too detailed, or completely irrelevant to your lives, but I figured I should collect my thoughts on paper. I hate to sound rash, but I’m writhing this for two reasons. One is for me. I’d like to remember this event. Two is to “CMA”…if you catch my drift. I thought Robert was a really nice guy and I think he was genuinely thankful for the assistance I gave him, but if he ever decided to sue me for something, I’d have this blog as an account for my actions.
So, in other news… This morning started early. I woke up at around 6:30 for an 8:30 appointment with Sexton’s service department in Harriman. I had gotten a notice concerning a possible problem with the fuel tank having rusting issues on my Trailblazer. The shop checked it out and said nothing was wrong. They gave me a receipt for $0.00 and I left.
While at the dealership, I walked around the lot and saw a new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500….and it was unlocked. I hopped inside for my first look at the totally new interior. I must say, Dodge really stepped up their game this time. The switch gear felt extensive and husky. The surfaces felt like leather and looked the part too. This model had the 40-20-40 split bench up front with the column shifter. The dash layout was very nice and seemed to be pretty ergonomic. I was really impressed to find a two-pronged plug-in like you might find in your house. This would really come in handy for charging laptops, cell phones or any other device that doesn’t have the third prong ground.
The back seats had so much leg room it was crazy…way more than my dad’s Ford Explorer; maybe even more than his old Chevy Astro that the used to have! I was very impressed. I only found a couple to issues with the Dodge. One being access to the cab. This was a two-wheel-dive model yet needed a considerable jump to get in - especially in the rear. Another was the width of the rear seat arm rest. While seated behind the driver, my arms were spread almost uncomfortably to reach both armrests. If the center armrest were wider, this would eliminate this very minor problem.
After returning from the dealership, I stopped to get gas and a fuel filter for the Trailblazer. And if you can’t tell by now, I spent a lot of time in the Trailblazer today. Once I got home, Mom had me start working on the new walkway in front of the house. I used short sticks of rebar and string to mark out the path. Then, I started digging. After about 2 scoops with the shovel, I notice how daunting the task was which lay before me. However, being the smart, quick-thinking guy that I am, called upon the help of uncle Howard. I had the bright idea to use a rotor-tiller to break up the ground, making it easy to scoop up with a shovel.
After helping him finish working on the hay mowing machine, we loaded up the rotor-tiller in the S-10. We rotor-tillered that ground so much but to no avail. It was just too wet. The dirt was heavy and stuck together. I think tomorrow we are going to try a different method. I will keep you informed of the techniques….like you really care.
Well, the roughly 1,800 words I’ve typed here should keep you busy till I can post again.
And as I say at the end of every blog I post here, COMMENT!!! Especially if you actually read the entire thing.