A bit of a fright...

[JohnRN]

I was driving home down the I-55 earlier today. I'd dropped my cousin off at the Midway airport near Chicago.

Things have been crazy of late - someone in the family I'm staying with has been diagnosed with cancer and just had surgery. The cancer is more aggressive than expected so we're awaiting the start of chemo and radiation. One of my cousins has severe emotional problems and the fact that I still don't have a job has been plying through my mind.

It happened just as I had passed Lexington and was approaching Towanda. There was a large trailer-truck in the right lane and I was driving a comfortable 70 mph in the left lane, passing the truck in one clear shot.

I guess I must not have been paying close attention - because as I began my approach, this other SUV guy came out of nowhere from the rightlane, cut in between ME and the Trailer and went on forward! I had to swerve left to avoid his ass end hitting my front end and found myself, half on the median and half still on the left shoulder of the road.

As I was in the process of cussing the idiot and slowly edging back onto the road, it happened. I was slowly edging back because I knew that if I rapidly swung back onto the road, I was going to fish tail and at the speed I was at, I might even flip and barrel roll.

Well, my left front tyre hit something - large rock, dead animal... I dunno. Whatever it was, shoved the front end of the car waaaaaaaay too far and that's when I started spinning. Before I could say "What the ****!", I had spun around once. I distinctly remember braking intermittently while wrestling with the wheel with semi-force... hard enough to maintain some control but not hard enough to lock the wheel in one direction. One corner of my eye saw the trailer truck roar by inches away from me as I was doing the second spin.

By the time my brain was screaming "Don't let the car ROLL!" I was in my third spin... and once I was out of it, I found myself facing the right way ... now in the RIGHT lane... with a knocking engine (low speed on high gear) and a smell of burnt rubber overpowering the interior. I clutched and shifted to 2nd, looked in the rear view mirror and safely rolled the car to the right shoulder.

Parked. Put on emergency lights.

And then remembered to breathe!

I looked at the hood for signs of smoke. Check
I looked left and right and in the mirrors to see if I'd lost any part of the car. Check.
Mosied over my gear stick and got/tumbled out of the car from the passenger side. Looked underneath my car under the chassis. Looked like something was leaking.

Without thinking that it could be boiling hot, I stuck a finger in the dripping stream to find out if it was oil or gas. Didn't feel like either so I figured it might have been coolant (or water from the washer reservoir).

I got back in the car and thought I was ok to drive and I tried turning the keys untill I realised I couldn't because my hands were shaking so much. It was only then that I became aware of the fact that my hands were quaking, my heart was thumping so hard I could hear it and my vest was sweat soaked. A corner of my brain was wondering how I hadn't pee'd all over myself.

So I got back out and re-inspected my car - paying closer attention to my tyres. Other than the shearing that they'd all gone through (and my left front tyre seemed to have lost some pressure from the impact) - the car looked fine.

So I got back in, started the engine. And drove slowly back home (just about 40 miles to go).

I got home, poured myself a scotch and soda and slammed it down. Poured myself a second and downed that one too. After than, I drank a full half litre of water.

I think I was rather lucky - and a fact as simple as the wide wheelbase of my Neon was the difference between a bad spin and a bad spin that ended in a roll over barrel-roll....

So yeah, that's kinda my news for the day...

[Woodmonkey]

Wow, John! What a horrid experience and I'm glad that you're alright.

[Snowden]

Thank God you're okay, John! That was a terrible experience!

Well, yes - thank God. I pray for you every day, you know.

[conlor]

I'm so glad you're okay, John! Someone was definitely watching over you.

[BrianK]

Looking at it now as a bit of a fright should last you quite awhile. Thankfully you learned somewhere about vehicle control.

Your mental distraction from a variety of issues comes across in what you wrote. There is a lesson in every thing that happens. What I take as my lesson from your experience even at my age is that lifes problems can distract. A you put it [as I began my approach, this other SUV guy came out of nowhere from the rightlane, cut in between ME and the Trailer ].

Needless to say I am glad you are home and doing some laundry.

[sfga6970]

That was definitely a frightening experience and another reason for my case that SUV drivers are mostly idiots.