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...when you suddenly are facing the direction you just came from?
So this actually happened last year, I'd just finished running errands and was on my way back and took my usual route. At one of the lights on the way home, there's a blindspot caused by a huge funeral home sign (Mr. Hero, if he's reading this, might be able to guess which one). Back then, when the light would change, I'd give the intersection a cursory glance in both directions to quickly determine if there was a car that wasn't stopping. I've since started doing careful looks.
I accelerate into the intersection when the light turns green, and I'm about halfway through when I get that little tiny glimmer of movement out of my peripheral vision, and have enough time to think, "Oh, shit," before experiencing a jarring impact and realizing I am now facing the bridge that I just passed underneath.
I performed the mental diagnostics, "What just happened? Am I okay? What the FUCK just happened?" And after collecting myself, I looked over at the other car, which, as it was still moving, meant what seemed like 45 seconds was really about 3. After memorizing their license plate, and then realizing they weren't going anywhere, I got out of my car to make sure they were okay (yes, I did, the person who got creamed).
Got up to the window, and there's a little old lady sitting there, obviously stunned, phone in hand, and I ask, "Are you ok?" Her response, "Yes, I think so. Should we call the cops?"
Her Mitsubishi Lancer is about 75% the length it used to be, and rear driver's side wheel on my Subaru Forester is sitting at a nice 45 degree angle from the up and down it should be so, neither of us are going anywhere unassisted. So all I can say is, "Yes, we probably should."
Thankfully, as I'm talking to her, two drivers who had pulled into a nearby parking lot exited their vehicles and came up to me saying they saw everything, and that she had run the light (the one behind her also stated that her speed was erratic, lots of slowing down and speeding up).
She was taken by ambulance to the hospital (where she had apparently just left from having foot surgery) to get checked out due to her age, but her son showed up, and I exchanged insurance info with him after he gave me a ride home (roommates weren't answering phones), and her insurance company bought me a new car after determining that she managed to do $7800 worth of damage (which could have been worse, considering a half a second later and she would have hit my door).
I still remember what one of the cops said to me after arriving on scene and getting accounts: "We're definitely writing a ticket today. Not to you! You're fine, your rates shouldn't even increase."
So this actually happened last year, I'd just finished running errands and was on my way back and took my usual route. At one of the lights on the way home, there's a blindspot caused by a huge funeral home sign (Mr. Hero, if he's reading this, might be able to guess which one). Back then, when the light would change, I'd give the intersection a cursory glance in both directions to quickly determine if there was a car that wasn't stopping. I've since started doing careful looks.
I accelerate into the intersection when the light turns green, and I'm about halfway through when I get that little tiny glimmer of movement out of my peripheral vision, and have enough time to think, "Oh, shit," before experiencing a jarring impact and realizing I am now facing the bridge that I just passed underneath.
I performed the mental diagnostics, "What just happened? Am I okay? What the FUCK just happened?" And after collecting myself, I looked over at the other car, which, as it was still moving, meant what seemed like 45 seconds was really about 3. After memorizing their license plate, and then realizing they weren't going anywhere, I got out of my car to make sure they were okay (yes, I did, the person who got creamed).
Got up to the window, and there's a little old lady sitting there, obviously stunned, phone in hand, and I ask, "Are you ok?" Her response, "Yes, I think so. Should we call the cops?"
Her Mitsubishi Lancer is about 75% the length it used to be, and rear driver's side wheel on my Subaru Forester is sitting at a nice 45 degree angle from the up and down it should be so, neither of us are going anywhere unassisted. So all I can say is, "Yes, we probably should."
Thankfully, as I'm talking to her, two drivers who had pulled into a nearby parking lot exited their vehicles and came up to me saying they saw everything, and that she had run the light (the one behind her also stated that her speed was erratic, lots of slowing down and speeding up).
She was taken by ambulance to the hospital (where she had apparently just left from having foot surgery) to get checked out due to her age, but her son showed up, and I exchanged insurance info with him after he gave me a ride home (roommates weren't answering phones), and her insurance company bought me a new car after determining that she managed to do $7800 worth of damage (which could have been worse, considering a half a second later and she would have hit my door).
I still remember what one of the cops said to me after arriving on scene and getting accounts: "We're definitely writing a ticket today. Not to you! You're fine, your rates shouldn't even increase."
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