The other
day, I looked death in the eye, and cheated it… by some fast thinking. What
happened was this. I was rounding a curve on a narrow stretch of road between
my house and the lake. I was headed to the water’s edge for some much needed
solace. It had started to drizzle. So the road was slick. I was traveling in
accordance with the speed limit, so I wasn’t overly concerned. Then… out of the
blue, I saw something that shook me to my core, and damn near gave me a heart
attack. Coming straight towards me, hogging the entire road, with no room to
spare, was a house. You heard me, a house. A ranch house… sitting on top of a flatbed
truck, overhanging on all sides, obviously too big for this mode of transport. I
saw no customary warning vehicle in front of it, to give me a heads up... this
monstrosity was there. All my eyes could focus on, was just this big house… headed
right at me, going faster than the speed of light. It looked like it might tip
over on top of me, if it did not hit me first. Suddenly, I saw my life flash before my eyes. A line from an
old Mary Chapin Carpenter song came to mind. “Everything can change in the blink of an eye.
One minute you’re the windshield. One minute you’re the bug.” I looked for someplace to go. There was only one
option, the grassy berm. So… with seconds to spare, I jerked my car in that
direction, hard right, skidding to a complete stop. Then, I held my breath and
mumbled a prayer. I was certain the end was here. The car vibrated and I clung
to the seat. The house missed me by a hair. It was that close. I sat there for
a moment taking in what had just happened. It was surreal. That driver’s load
and reckless behavior had almost gotten me killed. Shaken, but still alive… I
pulled away and continued on to the lake. I needed to decompress. I had just been
spared and I was going to make the most of it… starting right then and there. The road is dangerous. Do not take it for granted. Defensive driving saves
lives. PRACTICE it, religiously. PS) Further down that road… where it became a
double hwy… was another house, similar to the one I had had a close encounter
with. It was sitting there waiting to make that perilous journey around that same
narrow curve. I prayed nobody got in it's way. I pulled over and snapped a photo… because seeing is believing.
14 comments:
Wow that would have been quite terrifying! :(
Driving is getting more and more scary over here. The amount of people texting and driving astounds me. I have seen people on the complete wrong side of the road because they are so busy with their phone. :/
My God, what a horrifying experience - - and so completely unexpected. Your quick thinking (and maneuvering) saved your life. I can't imagine what I would do if I saw a house coming at me! That driver was not only reckless, he was also insane.
I'm so glad you escaped unharmed - and were able to take a photo.
So glad you are ok! That is scary! They needed flag men or something!
I'm thankful you are safe. The older I get, the more cautious I become. There are many folks (like this driver) who disregard all the safety rules and endanger innocent people.
Oh yes, it is a blessing that you are safe. I've always believed in defensive driving, but that takes the cake. I've seen houses on the highway before but you are right, they usually have a warning vehicle front and back of them. I can only imagine that you needed the lake for some peace and quiet more than ever.
That must have been nerve racking.
gosh how scary ...glad you were not hurt
Wow, what a terrifying experience!! I too can't imagine why there wasn't a warning vehicle in front of this very wide load! Glad you were okay, though I am sure you indeed were shaken up for a bit after this!
betty
OK, I'm truly horrified. Did you alert the authorities?
Ya, it might have just come to, 'he said, she said.'
'Just thanking God you're OK and had the presence of mind to react instinctively!
... and just because I'm the grandma and have license to nag (smile), I want to share this with my granddaughters who regularly traverse the rural byways.
This was one of the scariest things that ever happened to me. If there was a warning vehicle it was out of sight somewhere further down the road, no where near the house (on the truck) to do it's job. I never saw this coming until danger was imminent. It has been a life altering experience for me. PS) the house pictured at the top of my blog post was NOT the same one that almost collided with me. It was another house headed in the same direction. PPS)Thanks for all the comforting comments.
I'm so sorry you were scared like that and happy that you survived the ordeal! There is a law about those kinds of moving vehicles requiring a Wide Load warning vehicle ahead of them. Hope they got where they were going without hurting anyone. Again, I'm so glad you are okay! Take care!
Wow, glad you dodged the bullet (or the house). I have seen the guide vehicle get too far ahead on interstates, but I cannot imagine it on a narrow road. Good driving and glad you B ok.
This incident must have been terrifying! Thank God you are ok, thinking of you x
Taryterre, someone was watching over you that day. What a close call. I'm so glad that you were able to drive in the other direction and pull off the side of the road. Thanks for the reminder of driving safely my friend.
love, ~Sheri
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