My Wreck (Fruitville, Osprey, Nokomis: insurance, home, live)

[Trebruchet]

I’ll bet my day was more exciting than yours. I was in a wreck on I-75.

It’s about 2:30 in the afternoon and I’m heading home from an appointment for work. Traffic is medium, the weather is perfect, and everyone’s being cool except the guy I see in the corner of my eye passing in the right berm. “Damn, dude, what’s your problem?”

He starts fishtailing, but the berm pass goes from bad to worse when he makes a hard left perpendicular to the other three lanes. My windshield seems to disappear and suddenly I’m watching a Schwarzenegger movie where you have to suspend belief to make it through. “No good can come of this.” I think just before he catches the right front corner of a white SUV, setting it spinning across the e-way and into the median.

Like the drunken loudmouth at the bar that manages to connect his fist to your jaw, like it or not, “It’s on.” As the blue Toyota causing the mayhem spins down the center lane, I know I’m gonna get a kiss. I gently veer right to soften the blow, but the thump on my side confirms my unwilling participation. I cross a small bridge, put on my flashers, and park. No marks on my van?

I walk right past Blue Toyota guy; he seems fine. Heading for the SUV, I find a 60-year-old woman and her mother, upright but clearly in shock with the side air bags blown. She asks to use my cell; I dial the number, but insist on speaking to her husband first. “Hello, Mr. X? I’m calling to tell you that everyone seems fine, but your wife has been in a wreck on I-75. Everyone is fine.” Redundancy is required sometimes. He arrives just in time to see the ambulance take grandma away for a precautionary examination.

A pretty blonde Florida Highway Patrol person notes my story, takes my license, insurance, and registration. If you ever have to be arrested and frisked you could do a lot worse than her, believe me. No such luck today. I check my van a second time and find creases from the kiss. Her partner tells me Blue Toyota guy passed field sobriety, but probably has medical issues. After copious thank-yous from SUV husband and wife, I’m on my way.

As I’m driving home, I think of how but for a few split seconds and semi-trucks, the FHP could be calling Lynn Anne with some very bad news. Not my time, apparently.

[kab0906]

Glad you're ok.

I had something similar happen coming out of Georgia once. I hear your fear and relief.

[wondermint2]

Yeah with the older population down here I've read about a bunch of accidents caused by "medical issues". Then there are the hit & runs where many are caused by people with lowered vision. I've noticed traffic is really picking up on Hwy 41 - especially going South from Osprey Walmart towards Nokomis. Yep the Snowbirds have arrived. Hope I can live through another season LOL

[Obrero]

Interesting....I was driving home on 75 N around 3:30 and saw your wreck - It was by Fruitville right? Glad everyone was OK. Traffic was a bear....

[TamiamiTrailBlues]

A few weeks ago we were passed numerous times on 75 by a couple of ding dongs playing catch-up or something around 5pm in rush hour traffic. One guy was driving a newer Toyota Tundra 4x4 and the other a Mustang GT. They were passing in the berm too - both sides. We were passed by them at least twice, and we passed them at least twice. The third time they roared by, I pulled off the highway just to get out of the pattern with them. I told my wife we're lucky they didn't take out the whole freeway.

Friggin nutcases.

[OKCSteel]

Glad to hear you are OK. Accidents like that are scary to say the least - especially when you have no control over the situation.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

That was very nice of you to help the ladies. Traffic around here is strange - there are either little old ladies going slow in the fast lane or hotshot old men hopped up on Viagra racing each other in their spotscars. LOL

[kiggy]

Glad you're okay. It could have ended differently.

[Trebruchet]

Originally Posted by Obrero

Interesting....I was driving home on 75 N around 3:30 and saw your wreck - It was by Fruitville right? Glad everyone was OK. Traffic was a bear....

Yep. That was us.

[joeyddog]

Phew! Close call. In NJ, they have a phone number posted on highways to report dangerous drivers- but it doesn't sound like it would have done you any good.