Accumulator
Well-known member
Short story long as opposed to long story short 
Driving home from an outing with the dogs, I was stopped in traffic just over the crest of a hill. Precipitous drop-off to my right, oncoming traffic to my left, about ten feet behind the car in front of me.
I saw a white Cadillac in the rearview, closing at speed, and I just *knew* it wasn't gonna stop in time. Nowhere to go on either side, and I decided that the impact was likely to be severe enough that I shouldn't try moving up to give more stopping distance. Told the dogs to "hold on" (they know that means something's gonna happen) and I prepared for impact as per the Security Driver's Training I took last October, with my foot firmly on the brake and the wheels pointed perfectly straight, my arms and neck firm but not locked, etc.
Counted it down "5..4..3.." watched the Caddy's nose dip, could almost hear the ABS cycle...it hit me as I counted "2". The impact was not hard enough to drive me into the car ahead of me, but did push me enough that I was glad I hadn't moved up.
I pulled up to where I could get out of traffic and ascertained that the dogs were OK. I got out and ascertained that the elderly woman who hit me was also OK and I told her not to worry, I wasn't injured. She made a prayer-like gesture about everyone being OK and got back in her car. I called it in.
While I was describing the situation to the 911 operator, she *drove off*! I was able to memorize her plate and related this information to the operator. Then I waited for the (very nice, female) Highway Patrol officer to arrive in her new Crown Vic P-71.
I told the trooper that yeah, I was positive about the make/model/plate/driver ID/etc. They were able to figure out who the driver was and (eventually) contact her at home. I said it was OK with me if they didn't write her up for the "leaving the scene" if she'd come back. She agreed to do so. I took the dogs home and returned to the scene.
While waiting for the woman's return, I cleaned the windshield of the otherwise *very* clean Crown Vic, to the amusement of the lady trooper
When the woman returned in her (quite smashed up) Cadillac, I ID'ed both her and the car and waited around while the trooper wrote her up.
So now I gotta get the MPV's rear hatch, rear bumper cover, and gas tank replaced. Think I'll have the holes on the new hatch welded up for a "decked"/debadged look.
Should I have stopped further back than I did, to give enough room to pull up out of the way? Perhaps, but I was already farther back than anybody else in the line of traffic. Still, I was the driver and it was my job to handle the situation...note to self: gotta leave more distance....
Driving home from an outing with the dogs, I was stopped in traffic just over the crest of a hill. Precipitous drop-off to my right, oncoming traffic to my left, about ten feet behind the car in front of me.
I saw a white Cadillac in the rearview, closing at speed, and I just *knew* it wasn't gonna stop in time. Nowhere to go on either side, and I decided that the impact was likely to be severe enough that I shouldn't try moving up to give more stopping distance. Told the dogs to "hold on" (they know that means something's gonna happen) and I prepared for impact as per the Security Driver's Training I took last October, with my foot firmly on the brake and the wheels pointed perfectly straight, my arms and neck firm but not locked, etc.
Counted it down "5..4..3.." watched the Caddy's nose dip, could almost hear the ABS cycle...it hit me as I counted "2". The impact was not hard enough to drive me into the car ahead of me, but did push me enough that I was glad I hadn't moved up.
I pulled up to where I could get out of traffic and ascertained that the dogs were OK. I got out and ascertained that the elderly woman who hit me was also OK and I told her not to worry, I wasn't injured. She made a prayer-like gesture about everyone being OK and got back in her car. I called it in.
While I was describing the situation to the 911 operator, she *drove off*! I was able to memorize her plate and related this information to the operator. Then I waited for the (very nice, female) Highway Patrol officer to arrive in her new Crown Vic P-71.
I told the trooper that yeah, I was positive about the make/model/plate/driver ID/etc. They were able to figure out who the driver was and (eventually) contact her at home. I said it was OK with me if they didn't write her up for the "leaving the scene" if she'd come back. She agreed to do so. I took the dogs home and returned to the scene.
While waiting for the woman's return, I cleaned the windshield of the otherwise *very* clean Crown Vic, to the amusement of the lady trooper
When the woman returned in her (quite smashed up) Cadillac, I ID'ed both her and the car and waited around while the trooper wrote her up.
So now I gotta get the MPV's rear hatch, rear bumper cover, and gas tank replaced. Think I'll have the holes on the new hatch welded up for a "decked"/debadged look.
Should I have stopped further back than I did, to give enough room to pull up out of the way? Perhaps, but I was already farther back than anybody else in the line of traffic. Still, I was the driver and it was my job to handle the situation...note to self: gotta leave more distance....
).
about that. She'd also said (to the cops on the phone) that she wan't sure she'd been driving on that road, but then she made it back to the scene just fine after they warned that they'd come arrest her.
Yes, men like us do hate to admit that we can't/don't control every aspect of our earthly lives...but we don't. But I do suspect (with a great deal of certainty