Please be careful this St Patrick's weekend. (Warning-Graphic)

[The Spin Meister]

Let me tell you about last year's for me;

I rarely drink, a case of beer will last me all football season. And St Patrick's Day was never an attraction for me. So as usual, I stayed home last year and decided to go to bed around 11:30 PM

Just got comfortable when I heard a loud rumbling noise that lasted 5-8 seconds. I knew right away there had been another wreck on the highway that I live on.

Got up, got dressed, and looked out the windows for the wreck. Saw someone with a cell phone in the middle of the road about 450' up the road so I knew that was where the wreck was. Grabbed cell phone, flashlight, put on jacket, and went out to see if I could help. As I walked down my driveway, I heard a neighbor's son yell to his girlfriend 'Don't go up there, it is really bad' so I prepped myself for an ugly scene. I walked up the road that was covered with debris....broken glass, plastic pieces, trim, a broken side mirror, tree branches.

As I approached the person w the cell phone... it was another neighbor with her husband..... fighting back tears, she said to me "911 wants me to do CPR but I told them it won't do any good" I pointed my flashlight to my left and saw a body lying ten feet from me, half on the street, half on the berm with its feet nearest me. As I walked over, my light went from his feet up his body. He was lying on his back and looked perfectly fine, like he was taking a nap....until I got to his head.

The top of his head had been sheared off right across the middle of his forehead. His brains were mashed like spaghetti and there was a surprisingly small pool of blood for such a massive injury. I said 'Nobody is going to help this poor guy'

I saw a smashed extended cab pickup truck on its roof against a neighbor's house. I asked another person on the scene if there was any one else in the truck and was told they haven't found anyone but there was a baby's seat in the back seat of the truck so that concerned everyone. After searching we couldn't find any one else.

I walked up the street to make sure that the gas meters/lines in the front of the houses that he crossed weren't damaged....somehow the truck missed them and they were fine. I then started to clear debris off the road so that emergency vehicles could get to the scene.

Cop was first to get there, told him what happened and to call out the coroner. Soon there were many fire, cops, EMTs, and more so I went down the road to redirect traffic. As I walked back down I saw a hole in the wall of the house across the street from me so I went over to see what happened. A wheel assembly....tire, rim, front knuckle had detached from the truck, traveled at least 200', and went through the wall of the house into the living room. Neighbor's son was upstairs when it hit, came down, saw a huge hole in the wall with dust everywhere....he thought someone bombed his house! Was there directing traffic until 2 AM when they blocked the road a half mile away.

Next day I went out to see what happened. There is a mild curve up the road where he went off the road. No sign off any skid marks on road, berm, or grass. He went into a ditch, hit a culvert pipe of a driveway, and went airborne, flipping end over end. Tore out a number of tree branches 20' high, crossed entire yard in air, and hit at next driveway. Went airborne again, crossed half that yard in air, landed and rolled several times stopping against another house. Wheel came off somewhere in that melee, crossed an empty lot and into neighbor's house, doing $10,000 in damages.

Poor kid was only 26. From a messed up family...mother dead and dad in jail. He had joined the military, served in Iraq, and was working in construction. By all accounts was doing well for his life. He had bought a house a couple miles away, pretty rare for someone that young to buy a house. He also left behind a one year old son. A son that will not have a dad.

Found out he had been drinking. Apparently passed out and never saw the curve. Betting he never knew what hit him.

Please don't drink and drive. And make sure that your kids and friends don't either.

Have a safe and happy St Patrick's Day.

 

[Howie'81]

Let me tell you about last year's for me;

I rarely drink, a case of beer will last me all football season. And St Patrick's Day was never an attraction for me. So as usual, I stayed home last year and decided to go to bed around 11:30 PM

Just got comfortable when I heard a loud rumbling noise that lasted 5-8 seconds. I knew right away there had been another wreck on the highway that I live on.

Got up, got dressed, and looked out the windows for the wreck. Saw someone with a cell phone in the middle of the road about 450' up the road so I knew that was where the wreck was. Grabbed cell phone, flashlight, put on jacket, and went out to see if I could help. As I walked down my driveway, I heard a neighbor's son yell to his girlfriend 'Don't go up there, it is really bad' so I prepped myself for an ugly scene. I walked up the road that was covered with debris....broken glass, plastic pieces, trim, a broken side mirror, tree branches.

As I approached the person w the cell phone... it was another neighbor with her husband..... fighting back tears, she said to me "911 wants me to do CPR but I told them it won't do any good" I pointed my flashlight to my left and saw a body lying ten feet from me, half on the street, half on the berm with its feet nearest me. As I walked over, my light went from his feet up his body. He was lying on his back and looked perfectly fine, like he was taking a nap....until I got to his head.

The top of his head had been sheared off right across the middle of his forehead. His brains were mashed like spaghetti and there was a surprisingly small pool of blood for such a massive injury. I said 'Nobody is going to help this poor guy'

I saw a smashed extended cab pickup truck on its roof against a neighbor's house. I asked another person on the scene if there was any one else in the truck and was told they haven't found anyone but there was a baby's seat in the back seat of the truck so that concerned everyone. After searching we couldn't find any one else.

I walked up the street to make sure that the gas meters/lines in the front of the houses that he crossed weren't damaged....somehow the truck missed them and they were fine. I then started to clear debris off the road so that emergency vehicles could get to the scene.

Cop was first to get there, told him what happened and to call out the coroner. Soon there were many fire, cops, EMTs, and more so I went down the road to redirect traffic. As I walked back down I saw a hole in the wall of the house across the street from me so I went over to see what happened. A wheel assembly....tire, rim, front knuckle had detached from the truck, traveled at least 200', and went through the wall of the house into the living room. Neighbor's son was upstairs when it hit, came down, saw a huge hole in the wall with dust everywhere....he thought someone bombed his house! Was there directing traffic until 2 AM when they blocked the road a half mile away.

Next day I went out to see what happened. There is a mild curve up the road where he went off the road. No sign off any skid marks on road, berm, or grass. He went into a ditch, hit a culvert pipe of a driveway, and went airborne, flipping end over end. Tore out a number of tree ranches 20' high, crossed entire yard in air, and hit at next driveway. Went airborne again, crossed half that yard in air, landed and rolled several times stopping against another house. Wheel came off somewhere in that melee, crossed an empty lot and into neighbor's house, doing $10,000 in damages.

Poor kid was only 26. From a messed up family...mother dead and dad in jail. He had joined the military, served in Iraq, and was working in construction. By all accounts was doing well for his life. He had bought a house a couple miles away, pretty rare for someone that young to buy a house. He also left behind a one year old son. A son that will not have a dad.

Found out he had been drinking. Apparently passed out and never saw the curve. Betting he never knew what hit him.

Please don't drink and drive. And make sure that your kids and friends don't either.

Have a safe and happy St Patrick's Day.

Fantastic post and a good lesson for us all.

I have a somewhat similar story. A few years back, I was driving in New Jersey on a Friday night towards Pennsylvania and my parent's house. I was going to a Penn State football game the next day. All of a sudden near the exit for Lake Hopatcong, the traffic ground to a standstill. We inched forward, but it took me roughly an hour to go a mile. Finally, I got to the reason for the delay. There were 3 or 4 cars on the eastbound side of the highway and they had white sheets over the windows. There was about 20 feet of grass median between the eastbound and westbound lanes. I wasn't sure at the time, but I surmised that there must be bodies in the cars. I was right. More than one of the cars had caught fire and whoever was in those cars must have been roasted if they weren't already dead. It was an ugly scene.

Curious, I searched the news the following week for anything about the accident. Sure enough, I found out what happened. A woman and her friend were in the westbound lane driving normally. A drunk driver came up behind them and hit them from behind. The woman in the car that was hit lost control and careened across the grass median into the oncoming traffic of the east bound lane into a head on collision. As I said, 3 or 4 cars as I recall were involved and if I remember correctly there were at least 4 fatalities. The drunk driver who initated the whole thing went up the westbound lane a little further and pulled over. Authorities found him drunk and slumped over his steering wheel, but otherwise unhurt. He was arrested immediately and charged. 4 people lost there lives because of the irresponsibility of this man.

Also, a cousin of my wife, when she was college age, got drunk one night and drove onto an exit ramp of a highway. Someone coming off the highway ran into her head on and was killed. My wife's cousin was also very banged up, but survived. She served 5 years in prison for this. She's in her 50's now and her life has never been the same.

Thanks again for your admonition.

 

[Obliviax]

Let me tell you about last year's for me;

I rarely drink, a case of beer will last me all football season. And St Patrick's Day was never an attraction for me. So as usual, I stayed home last year and decided to go to bed around 11:30 PM

Just got comfortable when I heard a loud rumbling noise that lasted 5-8 seconds. I knew right away there had been another wreck on the highway that I live on.

Got up, got dressed, and looked out the windows for the wreck. Saw someone with a cell phone in the middle of the road about 450' up the road so I knew that was where the wreck was. Grabbed cell phone, flashlight, put on jacket, and went out to see if I could help. As I walked down my driveway, I heard a neighbor's son yell to his girlfriend 'Don't go up there, it is really bad' so I prepped myself for an ugly scene. I walked up the road that was covered with debris....broken glass, plastic pieces, trim, a broken side mirror, tree branches.

As I approached the person w the cell phone... it was another neighbor with her husband..... fighting back tears, she said to me "911 wants me to do CPR but I told them it won't do any good" I pointed my flashlight to my left and saw a body lying ten feet from me, half on the street, half on the berm with its feet nearest me. As I walked over, my light went from his feet up his body. He was lying on his back and looked perfectly fine, like he was taking a nap....until I got to his head.

The top of his head had been sheared off right across the middle of his forehead. His brains were mashed like spaghetti and there was a surprisingly small pool of blood for such a massive injury. I said 'Nobody is going to help this poor guy'

I saw a smashed extended cab pickup truck on its roof against a neighbor's house. I asked another person on the scene if there was any one else in the truck and was told they haven't found anyone but there was a baby's seat in the back seat of the truck so that concerned everyone. After searching we couldn't find any one else.

I walked up the street to make sure that the gas meters/lines in the front of the houses that he crossed weren't damaged....somehow the truck missed them and they were fine. I then started to clear debris off the road so that emergency vehicles could get to the scene.

Cop was first to get there, told him what happened and to call out the coroner. Soon there were many fire, cops, EMTs, and more so I went down the road to redirect traffic. As I walked back down I saw a hole in the wall of the house across the street from me so I went over to see what happened. A wheel assembly....tire, rim, front knuckle had detached from the truck, traveled at least 200', and went through the wall of the house into the living room. Neighbor's son was upstairs when it hit, came down, saw a huge hole in the wall with dust everywhere....he thought someone bombed his house! Was there directing traffic until 2 AM when they blocked the road a half mile away.

Next day I went out to see what happened. There is a mild curve up the road where he went off the road. No sign off any skid marks on road, berm, or grass. He went into a ditch, hit a culvert pipe of a driveway, and went airborne, flipping end over end. Tore out a number of tree ranches 20' high, crossed entire yard in air, and hit at next driveway. Went airborne again, crossed half that yard in air, landed and rolled several times stopping against another house. Wheel came off somewhere in that melee, crossed an empty lot and into neighbor's house, doing $10,000 in damages.

Poor kid was only 26. From a messed up family...mother dead and dad in jail. He had joined the military, served in Iraq, and was working in construction. By all accounts was doing well for his life. He had bought a house a couple miles away, pretty rare for someone that young to buy a house. He also left behind a one year old son. A son that will not have a dad.

Found out he had been drinking. Apparently passed out and never saw the curve. Betting he never knew what hit him.

Please don't drink and drive. And make sure that your kids and friends don't either.

Have a safe and happy St Patrick's Day.

awesome post....

 

[PS4814]

With the rise of Uber, Lyft, and other companies of the sort there is zero reason to drive drunk - not that there was one before but I always hear stories of cops letting people drive home back in the "good'ol days".

Heck there's even a service called Dryver that sends out 2 people - one to drive you home and the other to drive your car home.

 

[PS4814]

Curious on peoples' thoughts on this kind of story

https://www.chicagotribune.com/busi...nition-interlocks-mandate-20190315-story.html

"The former head of a federal traffic safety agency on Thursday accused the auto industry of dragging out the implementation of a technology that could keep thousands of drunk drivers off the road.

Joan Claybrook, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, urged Congress to pass a law that would require automakers to include passive ignition-interlock systems in all new motor vehicles within as little as three years. She said the notion of using technology to effectively immobilize drunk drivers has been around at least since 2006 and has been in use for several years now. The systems should be incorporated into all new vehicles, along with seat belts, rearview cameras and other lifesaving devices, she said."

Would you support having to prove you're not inebriated every time you start your car if it meant reducing drunken driving accidents by 85% (per a study at the U of M referenced in the article)?

 

[razpsu]

Simple rule don’t party on amateur nights or take a damn taxi!

 

[MJG-90]

Would you support having to prove you're not inebriated every time you start your car if it meant reducing drunken driving accidents by 85% (per a study at the U of M referenced in the article)?

I wouldn’t mind having it as an option. I’m not sure about it being required though. Then again, driving is a privilege, not a right.

 

[Obliviax]

Curious on peoples' thoughts on this kind of story

https://www.chicagotribune.com/busi...nition-interlocks-mandate-20190315-story.html

"The former head of a federal traffic safety agency on Thursday accused the auto industry of dragging out the implementation of a technology that could keep thousands of drunk drivers off the road.

Joan Claybrook, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, urged Congress to pass a law that would require automakers to include passive ignition-interlock systems in all new motor vehicles within as little as three years. She said the notion of using technology to effectively immobilize drunk drivers has been around at least since 2006 and has been in use for several years now. The systems should be incorporated into all new vehicles, along with seat belts, rearview cameras and other lifesaving devices, she said."

Would you support having to prove you're not inebriated every time you start your car if it meant reducing drunken driving accidents by 85% (per a study at the U of M referenced in the article)?

why would the auto industry resist this? My guess is that it would increase the cost of a car. But to me, those things are relative. If you want to sell a car in the USA, you have to have this device. On the other hand, easily defeated...have a friend defeat it and drive away. bottom line: I don't really no why not unless it would substantially increase the cost of bringing a car to market.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Curious on peoples' thoughts on this kind of story

https://www.chicagotribune.com/busi...nition-interlocks-mandate-20190315-story.html

"The former head of a federal traffic safety agency on Thursday accused the auto industry of dragging out the implementation of a technology that could keep thousands of drunk drivers off the road.

Joan Claybrook, a former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, urged Congress to pass a law that would require automakers to include passive ignition-interlock systems in all new motor vehicles within as little as three years. She said the notion of using technology to effectively immobilize drunk drivers has been around at least since 2006 and has been in use for several years now. The systems should be incorporated into all new vehicles, along with seat belts, rearview cameras and other lifesaving devices, she said."

Would you support having to prove you're not inebriated every time you start your car if it meant reducing drunken driving accidents by 85% (per a study at the U of M referenced in the article)?

---
Do any other countries use it? If so what is the track record? Does it trigger if I have a beer or two during the course of a three hr game? Or does it go by blood/breathe alcohol level?

There have been ten fatalities along this stretch of road in 30 yrs. Six have been drunk driving...and I mean hammered like over .25. Don't know of any caused by some at .08 or below.

Certainly put it on cars of people convicted of DUIs. Probably wouldn't mind seeing it on all vehicles.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Wow, over 1,100 views but only a few comments. I knew it was a heavy thread but an important one so.......

Bump

 

[ralphster]

Someday the cars will all be self-driving and auto accidents will be as rare as airline crashes. People of that time will all look back on us poor barbarians who drive (and frequently crash) our own cars with pity.

 

[PS4814]

Someday the cars will all be self-driving and auto accidents will be as rare as airline crashes. People of that time will all look back on us poor barbarians who drive (and frequently crash) our own cars with pity.

While I would love to believe that someday we’d get there for the fact that traffic would move more efficiently, plus fewer accidents as you mentioned, the only way we’d get 100% self driving cars on the road is through governmental intervention. That is the hurdle I don’t think will ever be passed, especially not in the freedom loving and patriotic US of A. Maybe somewhere like China that kind of law may take hold, or perhaps S. Korea, but not here.

 

[SheldonJoe2215]

While I would love to believe that someday we’d get there for the fact that traffic would move more efficiently, plus fewer accidents as you mentioned, the only way we’d get 100% self driving cars on the road is through governmental intervention. That is the hurdle I don’t think will ever be passed, especially not in the freedom loving and patriotic US of A. Maybe somewhere like China that kind of law may take hold, or perhaps S. Korea, but not here.

It will happen because of insurance. My guess is that insurance companies will jack up the price of non-autonomous vehicle insurance so much that only the wealthy will be able to afford it.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Bump;

Just a reminder.

Be careful and wise.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Bump;

Just a reminder.

Be careful and wise.

And that’s ALL THE TIME.....not just on St. Paddy’s Day!

 

[Waltwam]

Let me tell you about last year's for me;

I rarely drink, a case of beer will last me all football season. And St Patrick's Day was never an attraction for me. So as usual, I stayed home last year and decided to go to bed around 11:30 PM

Just got comfortable when I heard a loud rumbling noise that lasted 5-8 seconds. I knew right away there had been another wreck on the highway that I live on.

Got up, got dressed, and looked out the windows for the wreck. Saw someone with a cell phone in the middle of the road about 450' up the road so I knew that was where the wreck was. Grabbed cell phone, flashlight, put on jacket, and went out to see if I could help. As I walked down my driveway, I heard a neighbor's son yell to his girlfriend 'Don't go up there, it is really bad' so I prepped myself for an ugly scene. I walked up the road that was covered with debris....broken glass, plastic pieces, trim, a broken side mirror, tree branches.

As I approached the person w the cell phone... it was another neighbor with her husband..... fighting back tears, she said to me "911 wants me to do CPR but I told them it won't do any good" I pointed my flashlight to my left and saw a body lying ten feet from me, half on the street, half on the berm with its feet nearest me. As I walked over, my light went from his feet up his body. He was lying on his back and looked perfectly fine, like he was taking a nap....until I got to his head.

The top of his head had been sheared off right across the middle of his forehead. His brains were mashed like spaghetti and there was a surprisingly small pool of blood for such a massive injury. I said 'Nobody is going to help this poor guy'

I saw a smashed extended cab pickup truck on its roof against a neighbor's house. I asked another person on the scene if there was any one else in the truck and was told they haven't found anyone but there was a baby's seat in the back seat of the truck so that concerned everyone. After searching we couldn't find any one else.

I walked up the street to make sure that the gas meters/lines in the front of the houses that he crossed weren't damaged....somehow the truck missed them and they were fine. I then started to clear debris off the road so that emergency vehicles could get to the scene.

Cop was first to get there, told him what happened and to call out the coroner. Soon there were many fire, cops, EMTs, and more so I went down the road to redirect traffic. As I walked back down I saw a hole in the wall of the house across the street from me so I went over to see what happened. A wheel assembly....tire, rim, front knuckle had detached from the truck, traveled at least 200', and went through the wall of the house into the living room. Neighbor's son was upstairs when it hit, came down, saw a huge hole in the wall with dust everywhere....he thought someone bombed his house! Was there directing traffic until 2 AM when they blocked the road a half mile away.

Next day I went out to see what happened. There is a mild curve up the road where he went off the road. No sign off any skid marks on road, berm, or grass. He went into a ditch, hit a culvert pipe of a driveway, and went airborne, flipping end over end. Tore out a number of tree branches 20' high, crossed entire yard in air, and hit at next driveway. Went airborne again, crossed half that yard in air, landed and rolled several times stopping against another house. Wheel came off somewhere in that melee, crossed an empty lot and into neighbor's house, doing $10,000 in damages.

Poor kid was only 26. From a messed up family...mother dead and dad in jail. He had joined the military, served in Iraq, and was working in construction. By all accounts was doing well for his life. He had bought a house a couple miles away, pretty rare for someone that young to buy a house. He also left behind a one year old son. A son that will not have a dad.

Found out he had been drinking. Apparently passed out and never saw the curve. Betting he never knew what hit him.

Please don't drink and drive. And make sure that your kids and friends don't either.

Have a safe and happy St Patrick's Day.

Very interesting to me that the way people celebrate a Christian who was called by God to take the gospel to Ireland would be celebrated by drinking.

 

[PSU_522]

Reasons I don’t like to go into work early at 2 am when asked, half hour drive with people coming home from the bars. Came across a head on accident with 3 cars a few months ago where someone was driving in the wrong lane got on the off ramp. Not worth the extra money to me..

 

[Waltwam]

Someday the cars will all be self-driving and auto accidents will be as rare as airline crashes. People of that time will all look back on us poor barbarians who drive (and frequently crash) our own cars with pity.

ralphster, I have to say, from my experience, that I hope it never happens. I have an expensive computer setting on my office desk that gives me constant problems. I cannot imagine trusting any computer with my life, traveling at 70mph! Of course, there are so many nuts on the road, I would trust their faulty computer more than them.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Ok, so last night about 1 AM I awoke to the sounds of multiple emergency vehicles going past the house. 'Oh no, hear we go again, exactly two years later' I thought. Got up and looked around couldn't see anything but an ambulance and a fire truck go by. After 45 minutes all went quiet. Turns out it was a fire in a house trailer. One guy had some burns and is the hospital's burn unit.

Didn't get much sleep......