Chapter 21: Where Jack and cb escape certain death
October 21, 2008Jack was very nearly rear ended yesterday on the way to band rehearsal. And not in a good way, folks.
Jack (my MINI Cooper) and I were travelling west into the bright, setting sun yesterday evening on the way to rehearsal. It was one of those fall evenings when the sun is setting in your face and managing to almost completely blind you.
We were in a line of traffic, when suddenly the brakelights started appearing. Thankfully I was following at a good distance and was able to stop with little issue. It was sort of a hard stop, but there was no squealing of tires or anything dramatic. Just a more abrupt stop than I like.
Having experienced rear endings under similar circumstances before, my eyes immediately flicked to the rearview mirror. I see a woman in a white acura coming to a stop behind me. She was also following at a good distance, and she didn’t look like she had to struggle at all to stop. Phew.
The traffic ahead of me starts moving again, so I shift into gear and take off. And that’s when I hear it.
The squeal.
Then the loud bang- like a dishwasher being dropped from a crane in the middle of a parking lot.
I look into my rearview mirror just in time to see what appears to be an ambulance slamming into the back of a car, which then hit the back of another car, which then hit the back of the woman who was behind me.
As I had already started moving at this point, I was well clear of the domino effect. But I was close enough to see the woman in the car behind me get whiplashed a bit and start rubbing her neck.
What I feel slightly guilty about is that I just kept going. I did think about stopping and seeing if everyone was ok… but then I figured I would just be blocking more traffic and be useless as tits on a boar in the grand scheme of things.
At least Jack is ok. And I hope the others involved are ok, too.
I agree with you that there was no need for you to stop. Everyone has cell phones these days so somebody called for help. Unless you’re a doctor or nurse, you likely couldn’t have really helped. Your testimony isn’t necessary either, as all rear-end crashes are the same, legally. Everyone gets a ticket for failing to maintain proper following distance accept the last person to get hit in the crash line.
Mark
Considering there was an ambulance involved in the carnage I don’t believe your attendance was required on the scene, better to keep things clear and safer for other motorists. Glad you hear that you and Jack made it out alive!
That is scary. I, too have seen that happen and it scares the holy shit out of you. Glad you were in the right place at the right time. Take Care.
Finally! Someone else who uses “Worthless as tits on a boar!” I’m so excited!
Fleeing the scene of the crime are we?
I thought you were better than that!
I’m glad you and Jack are OK. I hate driving into the sun like that!