Yes, happy to be alive. Five or ten (or maybe less) minutes later and I might be in the hospital or no longer among the living. It was a very busy night for local emergency services as I was driving home from Curly's place. First, I passed five local cop cars lined up across from an adult night club and restaurant (known for really great steaks) with all their lights flashing (the police cars around here are light ornate xmas trees) and a few minutes later those same local cops are wizzing by me and into a parking lot to, I found out later, get to a bar fight. Then, a few miles further, one of the biggest intersections in this area is blocked off completely from all four directions by more than a dozen emergency vehicles (four fire trucks, four ambulances, at least ten county police cars, and a couple or few supervisor SUVs) and I see car parts, including an engine, sitting on the road about twenty feet from the largest collection of car parts, and I am re-routed.
Being the curious sort who does not take detours that keep me from my appointed rounds lightly, I circled around the intersection taking a photos or two (though the camera battery was near gone so not much came out) and viewed the scene from each corner parking lot (malls on all four corners, yes, one of those ten lane by ten lane intersections). When I got to the fourth corner which was where I was intending to go (a simple left turn was made by turning right, then U-Turning, then turning into a gas station in front of a mall to turn right again, then U-turning, then turning into a mall to turn right again, then U-turning, then turning into the parking lot of a larger mall that lead to the bank on the corner, my destination). All this while I am driving home from Curly's.
I spoke with a couple of odd fellows just standing off to the side in the bank parking lot and they told me they were witnesses so they were waiting for the police paperwork because at least one of them may have had some tired damage as the accident happened right in front of him and his one week old car tires might be no longer new. He also had to wait for the local cops who had juristiction but they were tied up at the bar fight. From his eye witness account, a large SUV was stopped for a traffic stop and the cop just finished the transaction and pulled away. Apparently pissed off, the SUV driver peeled out into a major intersection, broadsiding a passenger car.
The odd fellow described it as an explosion and parts flew in all directions, including the engine. His voice took on the tone of Arlo Guthrie for a moment as he explained about all the various car parts going in all the different directions (nerds are such wonderful storytellers) creating the detailed debrie field that was mostly blocked now by all the emergency vehicles and how hungry he was because he had just finished his part time job which is taking drunks home from local bars and he was hoping to get to taco bell before they closed. I let him know there was one less than a mile away and it was open until 4am and he was very appreciative. He explained how they had to cut off the top of the car and use the jaws of life on both vehicles to get the people out and to everyone's amazement, everyone was conscious. Four were taken to the local emergency room by ambulance and one actually walked away, wobbly, but was able to climb out of the passenger window on his own. There was oil and gas sprewed everywhere and a live power line down, which is why so many fire trucks were out. The power company was there too.
Well, all that excitement did not go unrewarded (sarcasm, in case you missed it). I stopped at WaWa and got a meatball sub with extra cheese, tomatoes, roasted red pepers, and a smear of sun-dred tomato spread. Also purchased a long john, a star shaped donut, and a half gallon of chocolate milk. Total ridiculous irresponsibility and self-indulgence but by then I had been awake for way more than 24 hours and away from home for almost 24 hours and so judgment was anything but crystal clear. Ate half the sandwich and drank some chocolate milk and passed out in the recliner.
I will insert another entry in dated before this one to actually provide the day and evening summary cuz there is more to share as this just covered the last two hours of the long day away from home.
If we're not having fun with words yet, try standing on your head and humming nights in white satin. :)
Make every moment of your life fun and exciting and meaningful, m'ok? :)
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