As fate would have it...
Posted: March 28th, 2006, 9:50 am
...I was driving home from D.C. yesterday. My daughter, who works at the British Embassy and goes by her married name was told to find an in inspector to inspect fourteen British Diplomatic and Military Attache residneces they own. So naturally she suggested they contact good old dad. (Hey,watch that 'old' part LR. I meant to say 'ole! wink.) So anyway, they interviewed me and not knowing of any father/daughter possible conflict of interest they interviewed and hired me at a very lucrative contract for all 14 homes. More about those homes later.
I finished one in McLean yesterday and returned to within three miles of Front Royal, my home town. Suddenly, on this very sharp curve this guy passes into my lane, forcing me partially off the road and onto the shoulder to avoid a collision. After he got back over there was a concrete bridge abutment looming large in front of me and I had to get back in the westbound land fast to avoid hitting it. I overcorrected and began several S patterns, waving from eastbound to westbound line, out of control. On the last curl of the third S I flipped my truck onto its side. Because it became parallell with the road it did not continue to roll but stayed on its side and skidded another, I don't know, thirty to fifty feet, sparks flying and giving me a new perspective on driving - sideways. I ended up doing a 180 and was back in my original westbound lane but facing east and comepletey on my side. Fortunately I was buckled up. 90% of the time I am not. (Did IIIIIiiiiiii saaayyyy ttthhhaaaatttt???)
It was so weird, I did not panic or anything like that, no shaking, nothing. My very first thought was 'Huh. I just had an accident. I am in an accident.' It was as matter of fact as thinking something like 'Huh. I just bought groceries.' or 'I just saw a movie.' or something like that. The second thought was to kill the ignition in case of dripping gas. Since I had no jam with me I thought lenny toast a rather distasteful proposition. Then suddenly I saw, sideways, out the front windshield, cars zooming directly at me at 55 mph or whatever their idea of 55 mph meant. I realized I had to get out of there pronto. I undid my seat belt and pushed all the contents of my truck off of me and struggled to stand up. I was able to push the passenger door open but was not able to open it enough due to my height, reach, and its weight (having to push up and not sideways), and extricate myself at the same time. Suddenly a passerby appeared and together we got the door open wide enough and he held it while I stood on the steering column for added height and hoisted myself out, all the time praying no one was going to hit me coming around that corner in the road. I walked along the side of the truck to near the rear wheel and jumped off.
Suddenly I was infused with great strength and ran out and acted as a cop, directing traffic around the lane my truck was now blocking until someone with a cell phone finally called the cops and tow truck. I never did find my cell. The clip was still on my belt but I could not find the phone anywhere when the towtruck pulled it off the road to a safer area. I was not charged with any offense, thank God. The occifer, seemingly a rookie, asked me if I was under the influence of anything - alcohol, drugs, etc. I replied, with eyebrows arched in feigned surprise, "No. Of course not. Check me for anything you like right here and now if you like." He declined and answered almost apologetically, "It's just a standard question I have to ask." and let it go. I was glad, LR.
The amazing thing is that no glass shattered at all after sliding all the way and then hitting up against the guard rail for the final halt and bouncing back out into the lane. My face, having been forced against the glass of my closed window which was, as I said, drivers side down, would have been shredded. Has that window broken it would have at a minimum lacerated my ugly mug severely or, even worse, scraped it raw against the grinding asphalt from which sparks were flying from the grinding metal of the truck. The Moody Blues were still singing Night in white satin...never reaching the end...when I killed the ignition.
So anyway, after the cop left and the tow truck took my truck I awaited a cab from Front Royal, five miles away, to take me home. For the first time after a good 45 minutes as I stood there my neck began to really hurt, my head started pounding (like a splitting mall on a chunk of red oak), and the whole left side of my torso and rib cage began to ache. When the taxi arrived I told him my address but he said, "Man. You should go to the emergency room. Even if you don't feel too bad now you never know what may show up tomorrow or the next day and then your insurance won't cover it because you didn't follow through at the time of the accident and they can claim it came from something else. Two years ago I fell on my motorcycle going only about 20 mph and just shook it off and got back on and rode home. The next morning at 4 a.m. I awoke in terrible pain, went to the emergency room and found I had a cracked rib. Weird, I know, but true. So to make a long story even longer I let him take me there.
By that time (I had to wait 5 (read FIVE) hours to see a doctor, I was really hurting all over my left side and my headache was an 11 on a scale of 10. X-rays revealed no broken bones but a slightly dislocated cervical vertebrae. Of course the rest of my left side had severe contusions. The doctor insisted I take something called Percocet, which LR knows I fiercely declined, but after the doctor twisted my arm I acquiesced and that is why this post is so long! ls. He also wrote me a letter saying I would not be able to work for a few days. Hope fully the British Embassy will take this into consideration and allow me to finish the last four houses of the contract next week, even though their budget cycle from Mama England ends at March 31st., my signed contract deadline for completion. Extra, extra, read all about it, (If your haven't already left the thread in utter boredom!), Sarah Pugh, Accomodation Manager, Defence Human Resources just called as I was typing this and told me to just get better and the four remaining houses will be waiting for me next week! Somebody up there must love me! I doubt it has very much to do with living right. ls.
Anyway, all's well that ends well. Now I just have to lay around on these darned percocets for the next few days. Poor, poor me. Maybe I can write some slurred poetry and call it Percs Verse.
Take care all, and DO buckle up. Had I not been buckled each of those S's would have flipped me from door to door and it would have been a lot worse.
Love in your hearts and peace in your heads,
lucky lenny
I finished one in McLean yesterday and returned to within three miles of Front Royal, my home town. Suddenly, on this very sharp curve this guy passes into my lane, forcing me partially off the road and onto the shoulder to avoid a collision. After he got back over there was a concrete bridge abutment looming large in front of me and I had to get back in the westbound land fast to avoid hitting it. I overcorrected and began several S patterns, waving from eastbound to westbound line, out of control. On the last curl of the third S I flipped my truck onto its side. Because it became parallell with the road it did not continue to roll but stayed on its side and skidded another, I don't know, thirty to fifty feet, sparks flying and giving me a new perspective on driving - sideways. I ended up doing a 180 and was back in my original westbound lane but facing east and comepletey on my side. Fortunately I was buckled up. 90% of the time I am not. (Did IIIIIiiiiiii saaayyyy ttthhhaaaatttt???)
It was so weird, I did not panic or anything like that, no shaking, nothing. My very first thought was 'Huh. I just had an accident. I am in an accident.' It was as matter of fact as thinking something like 'Huh. I just bought groceries.' or 'I just saw a movie.' or something like that. The second thought was to kill the ignition in case of dripping gas. Since I had no jam with me I thought lenny toast a rather distasteful proposition. Then suddenly I saw, sideways, out the front windshield, cars zooming directly at me at 55 mph or whatever their idea of 55 mph meant. I realized I had to get out of there pronto. I undid my seat belt and pushed all the contents of my truck off of me and struggled to stand up. I was able to push the passenger door open but was not able to open it enough due to my height, reach, and its weight (having to push up and not sideways), and extricate myself at the same time. Suddenly a passerby appeared and together we got the door open wide enough and he held it while I stood on the steering column for added height and hoisted myself out, all the time praying no one was going to hit me coming around that corner in the road. I walked along the side of the truck to near the rear wheel and jumped off.
Suddenly I was infused with great strength and ran out and acted as a cop, directing traffic around the lane my truck was now blocking until someone with a cell phone finally called the cops and tow truck. I never did find my cell. The clip was still on my belt but I could not find the phone anywhere when the towtruck pulled it off the road to a safer area. I was not charged with any offense, thank God. The occifer, seemingly a rookie, asked me if I was under the influence of anything - alcohol, drugs, etc. I replied, with eyebrows arched in feigned surprise, "No. Of course not. Check me for anything you like right here and now if you like." He declined and answered almost apologetically, "It's just a standard question I have to ask." and let it go. I was glad, LR.
The amazing thing is that no glass shattered at all after sliding all the way and then hitting up against the guard rail for the final halt and bouncing back out into the lane. My face, having been forced against the glass of my closed window which was, as I said, drivers side down, would have been shredded. Has that window broken it would have at a minimum lacerated my ugly mug severely or, even worse, scraped it raw against the grinding asphalt from which sparks were flying from the grinding metal of the truck. The Moody Blues were still singing Night in white satin...never reaching the end...when I killed the ignition.
So anyway, after the cop left and the tow truck took my truck I awaited a cab from Front Royal, five miles away, to take me home. For the first time after a good 45 minutes as I stood there my neck began to really hurt, my head started pounding (like a splitting mall on a chunk of red oak), and the whole left side of my torso and rib cage began to ache. When the taxi arrived I told him my address but he said, "Man. You should go to the emergency room. Even if you don't feel too bad now you never know what may show up tomorrow or the next day and then your insurance won't cover it because you didn't follow through at the time of the accident and they can claim it came from something else. Two years ago I fell on my motorcycle going only about 20 mph and just shook it off and got back on and rode home. The next morning at 4 a.m. I awoke in terrible pain, went to the emergency room and found I had a cracked rib. Weird, I know, but true. So to make a long story even longer I let him take me there.
By that time (I had to wait 5 (read FIVE) hours to see a doctor, I was really hurting all over my left side and my headache was an 11 on a scale of 10. X-rays revealed no broken bones but a slightly dislocated cervical vertebrae. Of course the rest of my left side had severe contusions. The doctor insisted I take something called Percocet, which LR knows I fiercely declined, but after the doctor twisted my arm I acquiesced and that is why this post is so long! ls. He also wrote me a letter saying I would not be able to work for a few days. Hope fully the British Embassy will take this into consideration and allow me to finish the last four houses of the contract next week, even though their budget cycle from Mama England ends at March 31st., my signed contract deadline for completion. Extra, extra, read all about it, (If your haven't already left the thread in utter boredom!), Sarah Pugh, Accomodation Manager, Defence Human Resources just called as I was typing this and told me to just get better and the four remaining houses will be waiting for me next week! Somebody up there must love me! I doubt it has very much to do with living right. ls.
Anyway, all's well that ends well. Now I just have to lay around on these darned percocets for the next few days. Poor, poor me. Maybe I can write some slurred poetry and call it Percs Verse.
Take care all, and DO buckle up. Had I not been buckled each of those S's would have flipped me from door to door and it would have been a lot worse.
Love in your hearts and peace in your heads,
lucky lenny
