weirdness today

[Bertha Venation]

I posted in a "quirk" thread a few days ago about this weird déjà vu-like thing that I experience almost daily. I get these "coincidences." It happened again today in an unusually bizarre manner.

Mrs. V. and I were driving down Branch Ave. in Prince George's County, MD, on our way home from work. The very busy six-lane stretch we were on is just south of the Capitol Beltway. We were in the left lane, going about 65, and suddenly, coming at us over the jersey wall from the other direction, and going probably at least 50 MPH itself, was an entire wheel that had evidently just come off of a vehicle in oncoming traffic. It didn't come close enough to do anything but scare me, but it was on its way into the traffic lanes and it'll be a miracle if it didn't cause any wrecks.

About three hours later (about an hour ago), I heard a traffic accident on an unlit two-lane country road not far from our house. I wondered if I should call the sheriff, or go out there to see if people were hurt. I decided to do both. It took about 90 seconds to get there, but I saw no wreck. Turning around, I went in the other direction, and eventually came upon a man in a reflective vest, shining his flashlight into the tall grass as he walked down the road. I saw his truck at a distance; getting closer, I saw heavy skid marks and thought, maybe he hit a deer -- and then I saw the cause of all the noise and suddenly understood what he was looking for: his left rear wheel had come off.

Two loose wheels in one day. Weird.

[roguevalley]

1. Reminds me of a joke a first grader once told me:

what did the trucker say to the wheel that feel off? You took a fine time to leave me, loose wheel.

Pa-dum!

I'm glad you're safe. My dad's steering wheel once came off. Scary stuff.

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. Freaky, Bert!

I hate that powerless feeling you get when you are moving really fast and see something hurtling towards you--it could be a car, or a piece of wood or something-- but at that speed it can be really dangerous!

Several years ago I was driving from school to work on I-35, one of our big interstates. I was in the left lane hauling ass, when I noticed with a start that the truck in front of me had 2 ladders in the back.

I always get a little antsy, and move away from them instinctually. I moved over two lanes and speeded up. Sure enough, a fraction of a second later, BOTH ladders came HURTLING out of the back of that truck, and I heard squealing brakes back behind me.

Scared the living crap out of me. Now I'm even more afraid of ladders in trucks than ever.

I'm glad you guys are okay!

[Tom_Foolery]

3. That happened to my mother...

She was heading south on our main drag when she saw the left rear wheel come off a Volkswagen that was heading north. For some reason, the tire started to bounce; and it was heading right at her car. She decided to swerve out of its way, but there was a light pole in her way. She decided to go ahead and sideswipe the pole. My dad told her that she did the right thing because she sure didn't want that tire bouncing through the windshield. The driver's side of the car was damaged, but mom was all right.

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. Glad your mom is OK!

[pagerbear]

5. We seldom think how scary and dangerous

...driving can really be. You know how race cars bounce around like toys when they hit the wall? That could be us. I saw it happen one night on an expressway to a car going in the other direction. (I'm not proud to say I didn't stop.)

Stories abound of scary things coming at you on the road. When I was a kid there was a story of some stupid kids dropping an orange safety cone off an overpass and it going through the windshield of a school bus loaded with kids. The driver had glass in her eyes, but was able to safely bring the bus to a halt on the side of the road.