Is our building invisible?

[MadMike]

My parents house, same deal, road, curve, drunk driver this time, about 6am Fathers Day.

That reminds me of what happened to this one family that used to live near my home town. Their house was in front of a "T" intersection. One night, a tractor trailer came, whose driver turned out to be drunk off his ass, caim flying down the street toward the intersection, and instead of turning left or right, plowed straight into their house. Luckily, this was late at night, and everyone was upstairs asleep.

The homewoner heard the noise, came downstairs to investigate, and found a truck in his living room. The driver was nice enough to offer him a beer.

What really sucked was, before the police got there, the driver chugged a few beers, and was still drinking when the police arrived. They weren't able to get him for DUI, because they couldn't prove that he was already drunk when the accident happened. This was almost 30 years ago, so I imagine that wouldn't be the case today.

[air914]

Maybe when you go into a bar you should have to hand the bartender your keys - then when you get ready to leave - the bartender decides if you're sober enough - maybe has some kind of sobriety test - yes, I know there's legal issues here - but man sometimes I just wish there was something - there ARE people out there responsible enough to have a glass of wine at dinner and drive - but there seem to be sooo many people that aren't responsible enough to stop at that one glass - that's the point where I wouldn't mind if the government or bars or something made some kind of policy like taking your keys and making you take a sobriety test before you drive - it not only saves the other people that you may hit - it could also save you..... but I understand the people who are responsible enough would hate that kind of "law" and I also understand the whole "where will the gov't stop" if that kind of thing happened - I just sometimes think if a whole ton of people can't be responsible, then they lose their privileges - unfortunately good people lose their privileges too but if we can save lives, then I'll suffer a bit by not having that 8th drink.....

I think sometimes people who don't feel really drunk and drive home and get there safe start to feel they are "invincible" too and can do that the next time they drink and the next time - when in fact they are just lucky they got home and didn't hit anyone or anything..... it just really angers me that people are so irresponsible by drinking and driving. I got drunk one time and knew I shouldn't drive - so even though it was 2 AM - I called my mom and had her come get me. She'd much rather come pick me up then have me drive home when I shouldn't - and possibly injure myself or someone else.....

I also think old people should have to go for driver's license testing at least every 3 years past the age of 60 - annoying, yes, possibly save some lives by taking away their driver's license? Maybe. Of course there are those that will drive w/out the license - but then maybe thier punishment can be worse if they hit someone or something.... b/c they're driving illegally on top of driving badly....

okay I'm done - rant over.

[sportsmom]

My mother in law lives on a very sharp curve with a short space before a sharp dropoff into the river. She's seen a few cars miss the turn and a couple even go into the river, but this one takes the cake.

Several years ago she was woken up in the middle of the night by the sounds of a crash. Some drunk bastard missed the turn, crashed through the rail, apparently it was just wood at that time, and went straight into the river. All the neighbors came outside to see if they could help before the cops and fire department got there. The guy who had been driving managed to dragged his ass from the car and start climbing up the bank, so a couple of neightbors went to help him up while others got blankets and such.

As the neighbors were helping him up the bank they asked him if anyone else had been in the car with him and he replied "no." He was asked by other neighbors once they got to the to of the hill and again by the police and the firemen. Everythime he answered "no." When they recovered the car from the river, they found his date inside. That assmunch left her behind and admitted that he did not even try to help her when they police asked him about it after they recovered the car.

I will never understand some people.

On a lighter note, but with serious results, my hubby's uncle, who is in his middle 90's and was still coming to work at the age of 92, mostly just to answer the phone but he was still there, should.not.be.driving. He has finally realized that.

When G drives, you can hear the engine racing even though the car is only going 10 miles an hour because he drives with one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake at all times. His van is covered in scrapes and dents. Luckily, he has never hit another person, just buildings and pylons.

A few weeks ago, on one of the rare occasions hubby was actually in the shop instead of at a call, they are talking about something, hear a very large BOOM and then the building starts shaking. They go running outside and see that Uncle G has managed to punch a very large hole into the 100 year old brick building by running into it with his van. His airbag did not go off and he has NO IDEA that he has hit anything. They got G out of the van and called the police and EMT's to check on everything. G was fine, just too old to be driving. The damage to the building was cosmetic, not structural, and G's daughter has taken away his keys and his van and he now lives in an assisted community. He needed to do it years ago, but his dd didn't want to take that away from him. This was the last straw and she knew she couldn't put it off anymore. I just thank gord he never hurt anyone.

[blas]

I was out to eat at a local family restaurant when there was a thunderous crash. Some dumb old bitty had went up and over the curb, and then bashed and smashed her landyacht into the wall of the restaurant. Thankfully it was all brick, so there was no major damage.

Is dumb old bitty still driving around, with the potenital of at any second crashing into something and killing someone (or herself?!)?? Most likely.

Old people are the majority of people who vote. If ANYONE dared try to make it a law for the elderly to take driving tests annually or to surrender their keys or put limitations on their licenses, that person would not have a dead mooses' last shit chance in HELL getting anywhere with that idea. Old people refuse to understand just what a danger they are on the roads. Just as bad if not worse than 16 year olds.

To boot, many times I've seen old people back out of parking spots and bump other vehicles, and bump and bump again, not realizing that they are NOT in drive gear. On the same note, I have witnessed old people blow stop signs and red lights and nearly get themselves plowed by oncoming traffic on the highway.

There was a little old lady that went to the church that I went to as a child with my family. She drove a big old piece of junk land yacht. Everyone did the best they could to park as FAR away from her as possibe, because I shit you not, this old lady would judge when it was time to shift back into drive once she had backed INTO someone's car. Honestly, she'd hit reverse and hit the gas until bumpers crunched together. Then she'd merrily drive away.

[Alephcat]

I also think old people should have to go for driver's license testing at least every 3 years past the age of 60 - annoying, yes, possibly save some lives by taking away their driver's license? Maybe. Of course there are those that will drive w/out the license - but then maybe thier punishment can be worse if they hit someone or something.... b/c they're driving illegally on top of driving badly....

As far as I remember from my Granddad getting to that age I think they do in this country although I think it might be 70 not 60 after which they have to get re-tested

[draftermatt]

When I was getting some PT done on my knees the therapist told me that an elderly woman drove through the front of the building... twice.

Months apart. They fixed the damage, and she went and did it again.

[Becks]

My opinions on some elderly drivers would be better suited to Fratching, so I'll refrain from mentioning them here.

However, a constant favorite story I tell at work is about the old lady who mixed up the gas and brake pedals and took a handicapped parking sign (embedded in concrete!!!) across a parking lot aisle and smashed into another car. I wonder if the tape is still available in the security office...

For some reason, I'm picturing the Simpsons episode where a plane crashed into the side of a building that had just been painted sky-blue.

That was classic.

[Tria]

As it is, he managed to get loose from the ties and drive off. They never caught him.

To hell with "they", he's lucky YOU never caught him.

[AFpheonix]

I was on a training horse one time in the arena at my trainer's barn, and the stall cleaner was getting ready to head out. Well, he thought he had the car in reverse, but it was really in drive, so when he hit the gas he drove right into the side of the barn, snapping a support post in two
I managed to stay on the horse I was on, amazingly enough, because it turned and ran pretty darn hard, and I didn't blame it.

The worst one that I know of in our area didn't involve any old people, but a young guy who had just bought a GSX-R600 (veeery fast little crotch-rocket bike, not a beginner's ride, as he found out the hard way). I'm not sure what happened entirely, but I think he popped the clutch, the bike scared him, and he curled into the fetal position, rolling on the accelerator more. That sent him across the highway, over a big ditch, through a parkinglot and into the front of a gas station.

Death by Slurpee machine.

[protege]

Dont mess with a Volvo. Those things can take a pounding.

I second that. Shortly after my parents bought a new 1981 245DL wagon, some idiot hit us. We were sitting at a stop sign in South Park (no, not *that* one ) when the driver coming towards us ran his stop sign...went into the intersection, T-boned a big Chevy sedan, and pushed it into us We barely felt it. The other two cars were pretty messed up, and undriveable. Our Volvo wasn't--the entire driver's side was bashed in, but the doors still opened. That thing was built like a tank...and I was sorry to see it go Had to comfort myself with the fact that it sucked in snow

...and now that I've gone *totally* off-topic...let me go back to it.

When I first started working full-time, someone actually hit the building where I worked. At the time, our building was on one of the busier streets of town. Even though the speed limit was only 25, it didn't stop people from peeling away from the corner stoplight (about 100 feet away), and roaring down the hill. What makes things bad, is sometimes you get water or ice right there. Most people know to slow down when it's nasty out, but those who don't....usually end up hitting the building. Imagine my surprise when I'm trying to get some reports, and I heard a loud noise in the next office. I looked out the window, and there's a Buick sticking out of the building's corner! Turns out the guy (some kid) was speeding, ran, the light, hit the puddle and lost control. Needless to say, the cops were *not* happy with him!

[skeptic53]

Hard to beat this:



Or this:


The latter guy did it on purpose, he had an outstanding warrant and was arrested after his photo appeared in the paper. What a moron.

[MadMike]

Hard to beat this:

Holy hell!

I don't know how either of them did it, and I'm not sure I want to know.

But of the first pic, I have to say that standing behind the trick and putting your hands on it doesn't seem too bright. It looks like the truck could decide to slide back off the roof without warning. I wouldn't be getting anywhere near it.

[skeptic53]

I don't know how either of them did it, and I'm not sure I want to know.

#1:
http://www.offroaders.com/readers/pickup-on-roof.htm

#2:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/truk27.shtml &
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/truk01.shtml

[Doodad]

And the worst part they always get, probably at their family's insistence, a nice SAFE car. The size of a river barge.

[Noelegy]

For some reason, I'm picturing the Simpsons episode where a plane crashed into the side of a building that had just been painted sky-blue.

Almost everything in life can be related to a Simpsons episode.