Wednesday, October 28, 2009

17 Accidents Part 2 (#5 - #11)


Link to 17 Accidents Part 1

#5 & 6 Is it possible to get into two accidents in one night? Of course it is - All you need is an old Pinto with microscopic tail lights, Seattle rain, and one Grayquill with low blood sugar.
The evening started as I headed down Main Street looking for a place to eat. The car in front of me slows and stops. I stop behind him, he is trying to take a left hand turn across traffic into his drive way. Yip, the car behind me runs right into my back side. I am hungry, tired and driving a car that is hardly worth the cost of a new tail light. The right rear lens is now broken, but the bulb still works. NO real damage so, I got rid of the guy and proceeded on down the road. I take a left, and then another left. Still unable to make a decision of where and what to eat I am now heading south.
What’s that? A fire engine coming my way on a side street. Being the good law abiding citizen that I am, I stop in the right hand lane at a green light. Yip you guessed it the guy behind me couldn’t understand why I would be stopped at a green light. Being the intolerant driver that he was I guess he felt the need to smack me. Now my other tail light is broken. I send him on his way not wanting to fill out accident reports. Giving up and beginning to fear for my life, I decide to skip dinner and just go straight home.
#7 Driving down an arterial in Seattle drinking my morning coffee and minding my own business. A man attempting a left hand turn pulls out from a side street and hits the rear quarter panel of my little pickup. My truck does a complete 360 spin and stops in my correct lane. My little truck is pointed in the original direction. Hey – I get a bonus…I didn’t even spill a drop of my coffee - no lid; bet I can’t do that twice. The other driver tried and tried to say it was my fault. It took a top quality Seattle police office to write him a ticket explaining the rules of how stop signs are intended to work. Duh!
#8 It’s early, around 6:00 am, overcast but dry, going west on 80th Avenue a man fails to yield, turns left in front of me. I t-bone him good, both my knees are crunched a bit but I can walk with a small limp. The tow truck driver takes my pickup to the body shop. Another Seattle bonus – The Seattle police officer drives me to work – who said all cops are evil? NOw you know there is at least one decent one out there.
#9 Sitting at a stop light; a young man in a hurry, his first day on the job as a delivery courier; probably trying to impress his boss on how fast he is. Does he even see me or the red light? I guess no - D'OH!; The fella rear ends me, knocking me and my Maxima through the intersection up onto the sidewalk. The tow truck driver takes the Nissan directly to the junk yard. The young man? …I’m guessing he came up short impressing his boss at least in a positive light.
#10 Now comes a bit of problem – I was driving down the road minding my own business, a kid takes a left hand turn in front of me. I slam on my brakes but hit his rear passenger side door knocking him into a third car. A young woman in the third car was real sick; she was in the midst of chemotherapy treatment. She had to hang around for the police and I felt real bad for her. You could tell all she wanted to do was go home and climb into her bed. I sure hope she got better and survived her treatments; I have thought about her many times since that day.
#11 Driving my kids to school. Being the excellent father I am and one who never procrastinates; I figured it was a good time to help my daughter with your home work. While I was reading her story problem; the guy in front of me decides to turn into a parking lot. What was he thinking stopping? All he had to do was turn into the parking lot, how hard is that? My son yelled, I threw on the binders and helped the dough head out. I knocked him into the parking lot where he should have been in the first place; serves him right
.

DO we have a lesson here? Of course we do - Rear end Grayquill when he is hungry and he will send you on your way with no police, no insurance claim, and no ticket.

6 comments:

Sylvia K said...

I'm feeling pretty good tonight! I've only had one ticket and that was a parking ticket during a time I wasn't terribly with it -- going through a divorce (my only one) fortunately. And I was in the process of moving back to Texas with my kids. Twenty-five years later when I was trying to renew my license in Oregon, I was told I still owed $25 ticket in Salt Lake City! Pay or no license. Now, that seems just a bit excessive to me, but then it was in Utah -- what more can I say????

Fun posts.

Enjoy!

Sylvia

Arkansas Patti said...

Wow, I was all set to put you into the most unlucky person behind a wheel catagory but now I am rethinking. So far, out side of that poor lady suffering from the side effects of Chemo, you have been incredibly lucky. No real injuries except to all ready terminal cars.
Know you haven't finished yet so am anxious for the last on your list and am hoping they are just as innocent and painless.
ABC (always be careful) as bikers say.

Sumit said...

I'm so looking forward to the next set now. :D

Anita Jeyan said...

Now thats huge experience u have behind wheels..! Good to read..!

Grayquill said...

Sylvia: Gee…That just doesn’t seem quite fair, only one ticket. And heck only $25.00? No late fees? No, penalties? No Collection calls? Hmmm….I think if it was me that $25.00 would have grown to owing $2,500.00. I think you were lucky. I am pretty sure Utah has learned the art of making a single delinquent ticket capable of financing the states complete annual budget.

Arkansas Patti: Luck? What do you mean luck? You couldn’t tell all my luck as you call it was a result of my great driving ability?

Sumit: You will get your wish

Anita: Experience yes, but I am not sure I have learned much.

Blunt Edges said...

lesson learnt sir!