I Almost Died An Hour and a Half Ago....

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I had just gotten out of lacrosse practice (tomorrow’s our last game) and I was driving home in the trusty Jeep.

I feel a little drowsy as I drive, but nothing serious. I get on the Highway and start driving home. I have no memory of any driving past here, except that I was awakened when I hit something, and the air bag blew up. I was surrounded by smoke (I know now it was the air bag device) and there was a horrible noise coming from the engine. In my geniusness I leapt from the car is it rolled on to the median. It continued to roll, and I had to brake from outside the door. I put it in park, and spotted a clearly damaged Chevy Tahoe further down the highway. I meet up with the guy, and quickly learn what happened.

I was cruising down the highway, and at some point I just dropped off. This guy notices my swerving and strange driving, and then attempts to signal to me. Realizing that I was out of it, he accelerates to my speed and lets me bump him, which takes my speed away, wakes me up, and forces me on to the grassy median. I manage to contact a family member, and a squad of family arrives shortly after I have begun speaking to a scary, tall, bald, black officer who stops occasionally to spit at my feet.

We piece together the whole story, have the jeep towed to a body shop, and get home. The thing here is that I was driving in a place where traffic moves at 65, and along the edges of the highways are either rock walls or sharp dropoffs. By all logic I should have hit the shoulder and rolled into one of these, killing me or at least messing me up really bad.

Now, I have to deal with the whole extended fundamentalist family. Yes, I am thankful that I am not dead. No, I am not a born-again Christian. When I think about this, I do not thank god, I think of how lucky I was, and how this reminds me to live life to the fullest every day. Don’t waste your days on worry, because that would be so sad and pointless if it turned out to be your last. Be nice to the people around you, you might never get a chance to take it back before either you or them is gone. I can’t tell this to the extended family though, it would just seem too disrespectful to them after they leapt to my aid like that. And they’re having a thank-god fest over here.

Whoo. Holy shit. I walked away with only seat-belt injuries, some abrasions from the air bag, and a hell of a bruised left arm. Well, looks like I’ll be bumming rides from parents and friends for a while…

MarxBoy

2

Frightening stuff, Marx, I know I’ve driven drowsy a number of times. Good to hear you’re okay(-ish) but bummer about your Jeep.

3

Good to hear you came through it okay. You’re damned lucky, which is a good thing. (Historical anecdote… Napoleon, on considering an officer for promotion, was rumored to have always asked “But is he lucky?”)

I suggest getting all your friends together for an antifuneral, where they can all stand up and tell you what they really think of you to your face… :slight_smile:

I’m glad we still have you around. Stay that way, okay?

4

Thank god you haven’t left this earthly realm. I woulda missed you Marxie. I like the anti-funeral idea. Go for it.

5

Did I forget to mention my court date? I was cited for driving with expired registration (no biggie, if I register and fax it to the precinct within 10 days it comes off my record) and failure to control speed (there was a collision, so I can’t take defensive driving to get rid of it). That means insurance goes through the roof. Oh boy, insurance AND repairs to the Jeep. Yay!

I also am ordered to appear before the judge by the 30th of May. So now I have gotten my first speeding ticket, but I was asleep when it happened. WIERD.

MarxBoy

6

Man. Sorry to be the insensitive one, but all I gotta say is that’s a real shitter. Reminds me to be real careful for prom night in three weeks.

7

Yeah they like to stick it to you whenever you fall asleep at the wheel. I was put on probation, made to do community service, and had my license taken away for an accident that happened while I was asleep at the wheel. And I wasn’t even charged with anything. So yeah they do like to shove it in the ass and break it off on you on these kinds of things.

8

Well, I just got off the phone with my (nearly estranged) Dad.

He consoled me, called me “Rat” a few times (it’s a pet name, don’t ask) and related the story of him getting into a wreck the first day he had a license. Totaled the car on the first day. Ouch.

I also love the idea of the AntiFuneral. I don’t know how exactly I’m going to approach it. I also just noticed that my insurance expires tomorrow. If this had happened one day later I wouldn’t be covered. Ho-lee shitballs, I have had, from a certain point of view, a damned lucky day. Not dead, not responsible for other’s deaths, covered in my insurance, hey!

MarxBoy

9

Whether or not you thanked God, I sure hope you thanked the guy in the Tahoe…he saved your ass.

10

Congrats on the good luck, and hope your jeep gets fixed soon.I have a 110 mile round trip commute, and I often get drowsy. Sometimes it’s quite a challenge on the way TO work let alone on the way home… Be careful lest you used up all your good fortune in one fell swoop.

OBTW, they make nice 12v coffeemakers for your car now, plug into the lighter… might be a good idea when you can get back on the road. Safer than amphetamines too!

b.

11

I don’t know you well but I am so glad you are all right. You literally could have been killed. Thank God that the guy in the Tahoe cared enough to try to help you, a lot of people wouldn’t have bothered.

I used to work 7pm to 7am. Once after work I had to stay for a staff meeting and then I ran into road construction so I didn’t get home until about an hour and a half after my usual time. I remember passing a store about 2 miles from my home the next thing I remember is turning the car off and waking up. I must have driven the last bit in my sleep. I mean I have absolutely no recollection at all of driving home until the music went off. And this is on a busy state highway.

12

Welcome to being undead.

I’ve been living on borrowed time since December 3, 1991, when I was hit by an 18-wheeler on the highway. Every year I celebrate, and hey! my 10-year-anniversary is coming up. I’ll hoist a glass in your honour Marxboy.

and next time… pull over and take a nap :slight_smile: All of you 4-wheelers do have a blanket in your glove compartment, right?

13

That’s scary - I’ve fallen asleep behind the wheel many times (I had a 130 mile round-trip commute for a while, AND worked weird shifts) but I never ran off the road - in fact once I drove for at least 5 miles before I came to.

14

[sub]sorry for the hijack…[/sub]

Imagine that. :rolleyes:

I’m glad you’re still kicking, MarxBoy. Now no more late night posting, you hear?! [/mom]

15

How badly damaged is the Jeep? :eek: :smiley:

16

Now, if you’d been at the dopefest Sunday, things would have been ever so slightly different, and you’d never have gotten into the mess in the first place.

Congrats on not being dead, though. Was this on 360? The description of the road sounds a bit like that.

17

Ditto on that, Marxboy- would’ve really sucked if you’d died after we missed you at the BatFest.

And the guy in the Tahoe? The man is now my personal hero. I’d like to think that if I’d been in his situation, I would’ve thought of doing the same. Probably not, though. sigh

Sheer genius coupled with empathy for his fellow human beings. Send the guy some flowers, or invite him to the anti-funeral. I’ll go if you have it, and I’d like to shake his hand.

18

Don’t thank God that that guy in the Tahoe.

But I wonder? By his own admission the Tahoe driver caused the collision between he and MarxBoy so can MarxBoy be at fault. How did he know you were asleep? Maybe you should sue the pants off that Tahoe driver. Yeah, that’s what you should do.

19

I guess this tops the 270[sup]o[/sup] spin I did across 3 lanes of traffic during rush hour last week.
Glad you’re safe.

20

I blacked out in my car once. I don’t remember blacking out (obviously), just one minute I was in one place and the next minute I was a few miles down the road, snapping my head up and opening my eyes. It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me, and I didn’t even get into an accident. I have no idea what woke me up. I didn’t hit anything, there was no one around to honk their horn at me, nothing. I just did. Right before a corner. On a bridge.

My best friend killed herself and seriously hurt another driver because she fell asleep behind the wheel. I could have done the same thing. So could all you other people talking about falling asleep behind the wheel in this thread. So could all the people who aren’t talking about falling asleep behind the wheel in this thread.

I drive tired everyday. I work graves and it’s impossible for me to sleep during the day. I binge sleep. I stay up all week and then crash on my days off. I can’t wait until Thursday. I started making little bets with myself on when I’m going to seriously injure myself/someone else/total my car/kill myself/someone else because I’m driving so tired.

Driving is dangerous. Just be careful, people.