I Nearly Died Tonight ...

Gatekeeper · May 23, 2003, 02:19

Everyone:

... I was returning to work from my supper break, and was making a left turn with a green light in my favor and no oncoming traffic. Vehicles, per usual custom, were waiting on the red-lighted highway.

I looked right and started to look left ... and just glimpsed an 18-wheeler roaring down the highway right at me. I hit my brakes, the car screeched to a halt, and the semi swept into a turning lane and screamed right by me right through the red light, missing my vehicle by maybe a foot.

The trucker had to be doing 40 mph (this is in the middle of town, BTW) and, had he hit me, would've slammed into me on the driver's side of my vehicle. IOW, I would've been crushed and my vehicle thrown/pushed down the highway for "x" amount of feet.

I sat in the intersection for about three seconds afterwards, just too damn stunned to do anything else. Other drivers around me were staring, their mouths hanging open. And that damn trucker went merrily along. Bastard's lucky he didn't nail me, and he's lucky there wasn't a vehicle sitting in highway's turn lane.

It could've been a horrible wreck. Jaws of Life-type wreck, except I'm sure I'd have been dead. And death would have claimed me right out of the blue, no warning whatsoever.

I'm still shaking a little bit.

Gatekeeper

Shi Huangdi · May 23, 2003, 02:21

Wow.... That's horrible.... Thank God you were not hurt

DinoDoc · May 23, 2003, 02:21

I'm glad you're OK.

notyoueither · May 23, 2003, 02:27

Close call. Good thing you looked, a lot of people would not have... soon enough.

Ned · May 23, 2003, 02:48

Gatekeeper, that was an amazing story.

It reminds me the time when I first began driving. I pulled out of a driveway near my high school. I looked left left. I looked right. I began accelerating. Something caught my eye and I hit the brake. When I looked straight ahead, there was a student draped over the hood of my car. Had I not stopped in that very instant, I would have killed him.

Gatekeeper · May 23, 2003, 03:01

Thanks, folks.

I've probably got too much time on my hands, since I'm still dwelling on the incident a bit. Thing is, the night was going so good, too! I had a great evaluation and have a raise coming my way ... and then this happens. I nearly died. It's just *weird* how that happens.

And, Ned, NYE, that's all the warning I had — a mere *glimpse* and a horrible sensation, then *instinct* kicked in. All in about a second or two ...

If I have a guardian angel, it was there tonight. That's all I can say. I came home tonight — safe trip, this time — but I walked into my apartment and I looked at things twice, thinking, "I might never have seen any of this again, had things been different by a second or two."

It also kind of angers me that someone else's irresponsibility —*in this case, that single trucker — could have resulted in tragedy. All because he probably wanted to get home for the holiday a bit quicker. I can only imagine how my family and co-workers would've responded had the news been dire.

I'm sorry for going on and on, but I'm really shook up. I definitely need a solid 7 hours of sleep now ...

Gatekeeper

Skanky Burns · May 23, 2003, 03:21

Wow. Glad to hear it didn't turn out as it could have.

MRT144 · May 23, 2003, 04:03

wow, thank god youre safe. personally i would have followed the SOB and reported him to the police

DRoseDARs · May 23, 2003, 04:30

That the thing these days: Semi drivers are getting far more aggressive and reckless on the road. Although still in the minority, plenty such drivers cause undue terror to unwary motorists. And we have our fellow motorists' aggressive/reckless driving habits to thank for that. Some truckers have had enough and are getting more gutsy and reckless. Few things (like your encounter, for instance) are more unnerving as doing 75mph in a 65mph and having an 18-wheeler catching up at +85mph and you can't change lanes yet.

Good to hear that f*cker didn't kill you or someone else...

...today. Give him time: With such willingness to drive like he did at that intersection, he'll kill someone yet.

I've had smaller freight trucks pull sh*t on regular roads too; couple near-misses.

Hurricane · May 23, 2003, 04:30

This reminds me of an accident I was in several years ago. I was sitting in my car, waiting to be able to turn left onto a highly trafficated road from a sideroad (no lights, but I had a triangle). Well, the road opens up to the right, and from the left is a truck heading my way. But I see it has its blinkers on, so I start accelerating up on the road. After about half a second I realise the truck hasn't got its blinkers on at all, but that it was just a glare of the sun. I slam the gas pedal to the bottom, but the truck is already so close that it hits around the back wheel of my car.

Now, I was lucky that the truck driver immediately hit the brakes when he saw what I was doing (the road was icy, too), otherwise it might not be writing this.

The lesson? Sometimes people do the strangest things in traffic, so be on your watch. Especilally for those 18-year olds.

Eli · May 23, 2003, 04:34

Quote:

The lesson? Sometimes people do the strangest things in traffic, so be on your watch. Especilally for those 18-year olds.

Hey...

Urban Ranger · May 23, 2003, 04:36

Next time, don't leave home without anti-tank missiles.

FrustratedPoet · May 23, 2003, 05:06

Glad to hear you're OK, Gatekeeper. That's some scary stuff.

Proteus_MST · May 23, 2003, 05:13

Glad you´re O.K.

Did you tell the police about it, so they at least try to find this reckless trucker?
Maybe the next person who encounters this Trucker won´t have so much luck like you.

Tingkai · May 23, 2003, 05:48

Quote:

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
Thanks, folks.

I've probably got too much time on my hands, since I'm still dwelling on the incident a bit.

Nah, I think what you're doing is completely natural.

Good to hear the bastard missed you.

Bereta_Eder · May 23, 2003, 08:41

You should taken out your pistol and shoot him

JohnT · May 23, 2003, 08:46

Glad to hear you're safe, Gatekeeper!

Quote:

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
That the thing these days: Semi drivers are getting far more aggressive and reckless on the road. Although still in the minority, plenty such drivers cause undue terror to unwary motorists. And we have our fellow motorists' aggressive/reckless driving habits to thank for that. Some truckers have had enough and are getting more gutsy and reckless. Few things (like your encounter, for instance) are more unnerving as doing 75mph in a 65mph and having an 18-wheeler catching up at +85mph and you can't change lanes yet.

Oh, please. Believe it or not, truckers say the same damned things about you. Your problem lies that fact that you are "unwary" - your words, man.

Az · May 23, 2003, 08:58

Some scary ****. Things like this happen. I almost got killed some time ago while trying to avoid running over a cat.

How was the adrenalin Rush, btw?

JohnT · May 23, 2003, 09:07

Actually, reading the DOT's Fatality Analysis Reporting System you will see that semi's are, at worst, just slightly more likely to be involved to be involved in accidents:

http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/4.pdf

"In 1999 large trucks accounted for 4% of all registered vehicles and 8% of total vehicle miles driven.... In 2000, large trucks accounted for 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4% of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes."

Otoh, as one would guess, these accidents tend to be more fatal, with 12% of all auto fatalities coming at the hands of the laws of physics which argues that big, steel boxes will tend to crush aluminum framework.

In short, I just don't see the evidence that supports the assertion that truck drivers are inherently more dangerous than any other class of driver... but I do see plenty of evidence that trucks are more dangerous than any other class of vehicle.

Arrian · May 23, 2003, 09:16

Close call, man. Glad you're ok.

-Arrian

monkspider · May 23, 2003, 09:25

Wow, glad you're okay Gatekeep.

DaShi · May 23, 2003, 09:28

Bah, you'd probably have survived.

Shi Huangdi · May 23, 2003, 13:04

"Oh, please. Believe it or not, truckers say the same damned things about you. Your problem lies that fact that you are "unwary" - your words, man."

Well the thing is truck drivers are supposed to be alot better then all of us since they are professionals.

Az · May 23, 2003, 13:11

AND they drive trucks.

OneFootInTheGrave · May 23, 2003, 14:19

That's life, one minute on the other one off...

good that you were lucky

make the most of the remainder of your life...

or should we all

Spiffor · May 23, 2003, 14:24

Wow, glad you are ok

I hope you'll be able to get over it

Zopperoni · May 23, 2003, 14:26

Good to see that you're fine, Gatekeeper. How are you feeling today?

Chris 62 · May 23, 2003, 14:33

Was that YOU?

Richelieu · May 23, 2003, 15:26

Yep. You missed him Chris.

chequita guevara · May 23, 2003, 15:30

First, glad you're okay. Dying tend to ruin your weekend.

When I drove down to Florida in my rental truck, people tailgaited me constantly, would cut me off with no warning, zip into my safe zone that I had established so that if traffic stopped suddenly I wouldn't smash into the car in front, etc. People tend to be idiots around trucks. On top of this, truckers get **** for pay, have penalties for late delivery, mandatory overtime, etc.

None of which excuses what almost happened. You migh wish to consider the possibiity that 1), the driver misjudged the light (it happens), 2) his brakes failed. You don't mention if he honked his horn. He could have just been zoning out, which isn't a mitigating factor. Just saying there are other possibilities than his simply beng an aggressive driver.