OT: Closest call you've ever had in a car

[Jerry]

OK, blame this thread on insomnia. I'll go first:

Summer 1981...a few months before I got married...Washington Beltway (I-495).

Drizzly Saturday morning, about 10:00, I'm driving my Mom (in her car) to an event in northern Virginia.

I'm doing 60-65 MPH or so in the third lane from the right at a curving section of the Beltway a few miles north of what was then the Cabin John (now the American Legion) Bridge where I-270 South merges with I-495.

The car in the lane to the right suddenly begins sliding, apparently a hydroplane, directly in front of me. I cut the wheel sharply to avoid a collision...and after that, it's in God's hands.

Our car swings wildly, doing a 360 and a half as I press the brake and fight the wheel...but no chance to regain control.

We see an embankment with trees in the median coming up on the left side of the highway. There's a guardrail, but it was unimaginable to me that it could stop us. My Mom sees it too and quietly says: Oh no. I'll never forget those words of hers.

Funny how time plays tricks on your brain at such moments. Everything is happening so fast...yet it also seems somehow like slow-motion.

We slam into the guardrail flat...you couldn't have parallel-parked with more precision...the force of the impact almost perfectly distributed along the length of the car...and come to a dead stop, the car on the left shoulder of the freeway, turned around, facing incoming traffic.

I was shocked that we were in one piece...not a scratch...and the car apparently driveable. So I took my chances that the vehicle would go and gunned it back across four lanes to the other side of the highway where we were at least facing the right direction. My knees were shaking.

The other car was over there too, seemingly not super damaged and nobody hurt. My Mom was a mess. She kept saying, you're going to be married...and you almost died. No argument there.

The other driver's insurance company called me days later, recorded my statement...and ended up paying for the damages to my Mom's car, which amounted mostly to scrapes and dents but was still a healthy piece of change.

Meanwhile, I was left to wonder how our car could slam with such mathematical precision so flatly into the guardrail when any other angle of impact would have severely damaged it or bounced us back into oncoming traffic or maybe even forced us through the rail into the trees...and also how in blue blazes there was an unlikely break for a few precious seconds in heavy Beltway traffic, which allowed us to 360-and-a-half across the highway without catastrophically colliding with any other vehicle.

Call it dumb luck, but I've always favored the explanation of angelic protection myself.

 

[Phil's Rug]

As a passenger in a vehicle(jeep liberty), driver ran a red light that they didn't see. Old Ford bronco was coming through the intersection to my right. I seen him right before the impact, next thing I know I'm lying in the middle of the intersection. He slammed into our engine and that impact then caused our vehicles to slam into each other passenger side to his drivers side. Some where in there I was thrown out of our car, either through passenger window or the door, don't really know. Somehow managed to miss the vehicles coming together the second time and potentially getting squished, woke up in the intersection. Been almost 20 years and I still can't figure out how I managed that, but I do know that one second either way and we would have T-boned him and I would have went through the front windshield or he would have T-boned us and right into my door and I probably wouldn't be here now in either one of those scenarios. The person driving our vehicle was at fault, and i was an idiot for not wearing my seatbelt. The other driver was also doing almost 60 through the intersection in the middle of town because he was late for work

 

[JWB389]

I was in the back seat of my friends 78 Camaro. Summer of ‘83. An old lady driving a Chrysler turned in front of us and we hit her head on. Again, from the back seat, I hit the windshield. Walked away with a bump on my head.

 

[harbest]

July, 1970. On a vacation I didn’t want to go on, 15 years old. We were in our Ford station wagon, headed to Niagara Falls on 81 North in New York State. We were driving through a Baptist summer thunderstorm when the wheels lost traction with the road. We did about 3 flat spin 360’s and came to a stop, fortunately there was no one else around us. We caught our breath and continued on with our family vacation.

 

[joeaubie21]

Somewhere around '72 after sitting behind a jackass at a green light, roared around the slap nuts. My cousin says turn here.

Did a 180 and stalled right near curb and steel pole. Traffic stopped, got Fury started again. The 383 got away from me. Wanted to kill cousin,

My dad would've killed me.

 

[Woodpecker]

i was an idiot for wearing my seatbelt.

Wait, you were wearing your seatbelt and that happened? Do you feel that if you didn't you'd be better off?

 

[Jerry]

As a passenger in a vehicle(jeep liberty), driver ran a red light that they didn't see. Old Ford bronco was coming through the intersection to my right. I seen him right before the impact, next thing I know I'm lying in the middle of the intersection. He slammed into our engine and that impact then caused our vehicles to slam into each other passenger side to his drivers side. Some where in there I was thrown out of our car, either through passenger window or the door, don't really know. Somehow managed to miss the vehicles coming together the second time and potentially getting squished, woke up in the intersection. Been almost 20 years and I still can't figure out how I managed that, but I do know that one second either way and we would have T-boned him and I would have went through the front windshield or he would have T-boned us and right into my door and I probably wouldn't be here now in either one of those scenarios. The person driving our vehicle was at fault, and i was an idiot for wearing my seatbelt. The other driver was also doing almost 60 through the intersection in the middle of town because he was late for work

I was in the back seat of my friends 78 Camaro. Summer of ‘83. An old lady driving a Chrysler turned in front of us and we hit her head on. Again, from the back seat, I hit the windshield. Walked away with a bump on my head.

Wow...glad you guys lived to tell the tale.

When I was teaching my kids to drive I told them all that if you follow some basic rules of the road you'll improve your odds...and that's the best you can hope for.

Because no matter how good a driver you are, a time may come when you're in the wrong place at the wrong time...and when that happens, your fate will be in the hands of a higher power.

And then there's the inevitable time that you make a mistake or do something dumb...and if you're lucky, you won't end up paying a high price for that.

 

[Phil's Rug]

Wait, you were wearing your seatbelt and that happened? Do you feel that if you didn't you'd be better off?

Typo lol, I wasn't wearing it

 

[AvalonJohn]

I've had a few, doing 85 and hydroplaned, but tires gripped again before hitting a stone wall. 90, didn't know the road came to and end and 130 didn't know the road came to an end. Been a couple others but those were the closest.

 

[87 Penn St8]

Spring Break 86 I did a tour of Southern Schools to visit friends. Was at Wake Forest seeing my sister and a high school buddy. Had another PSU guy from my hometown along.

Went to a bar in downtown Winston-Salem called the Safari Room. I overindulged and was delegated to the back seat of my '78 Yellowsubmarine Toyota Celica. PSU friend driving, high school bud in passenger seat.

I remember him slowing down, but not stopping as a red light at a pretty big intersection was turning green. Then I saw a flash to my left. A group of Salem College girls T boned us.

Impact was directly where I was seated. I didn't have a seatbelt on and was shot across the backseat. Car spun around a few times.

We all got out- shaken but ok. Went to help the girls-one of whom had hit the dash and was bleeding profusely. Fire, ambulance and police arrived quickly.

As far as I know everyone was not seriously injured. I had multiple insurance conversations with the driver of their car who was deemed at fault and intoxicated. Our driver was sober- so not a problem.

The Forsyth County Asst DA tried to compel me to testify in court. While trying to get out of it- as I was entering Finals, did not have a car, and it would've cost a lot of money to fly and stay in a hotel as Wake would be out of session- I called the Salem girl and asked if we could hang out if I was forced to go. She politely declined.

Bottom line was I was able to avoid the trip, my car was totaled, and it may have worked in my favor that I was not wearing my seat belt as it may have held me in the line of impact.

The fine line between life and death is omnipresent. I got lucky while being unlucky.

 

[Jerry]

Spring Break 86 I did a tour of Southern Schools to visit friends. Was at Wake Forest seeing my sister and a high school buddy. Had another PSU guy from my hometown along.

Went to a bar in downtown Winston-Salem called the Safari Room. I overindulged and was delegated to the back seat of my '78 Yellowsubmarine Toyota Celica. PSU friend driving, high school bud in passenger seat.

I remember him slowing down, but not stopping as a red light at a pretty big intersection was turning green. Then I saw a flash to my left. A group of Salem College girls T boned us.

Impact was directly where I was seated. I didn't have a seatbelt on and was shot across the backseat. Car spun around a few times.

We all got out- shaken but ok. Went to help the girls-one of whom had hit the dash and was bleeding profusely. Fire, ambulance and police arrived quickly.

As far as I know everyone was not seriously injured. I had multiple insurance conversations with the driver of their car who was deemed at fault and intoxicated. Our driver was sober- so not problem.

The Forsyth County Asst DA tried to compel me to testify in court. While trying to get out of it- as I was entering Finals, did not have a car, and it would've cost a lot of money to fly and stay in a hotel as Wake would be out of session- I called the Salem girl and asked if we could hang out if I was forced to go. She politely declined.

Bottom line was I was able to avoid the trip, my car was totaled, and it may have worked in my favor that I was not wearing my seat belt as it may have held me in the line of impact.

The fine line between life and death is omnipresent. I got lucky while being unlucky.

Fine line indeed.

I experienced a lesser version of my Beltway incident in the winter of 1974...on the way to school one morning (University of Scranton) on Business Route 6 just south of Carbondale.

Driving an old Chevy Impala...rear-wheel drive...all the weight in the back...hit a large patch of black ice. The car 360'd right there in the middle of the highway.

I remember seeing a telephone pole swing by, but the vehicle stayed on the road itself and when it came to a stop, I was facing the right direction in the right lane...a seemingly perfect 360 in a tight radius...so I stepped on the gas and continued on my merry way while thinking did that really just happen??

Again, dumb luck...or whatever...that the car didn't slide off the road into the pole or any other stationary object...or another vehicle if there had been one at that moment on busy Route 6 during drive-time on a weekday morning.

Learned a lesson that morning about black ice.

 

[87 Penn St8]

Fine line indeed.

I experienced a lesser version of my Beltway incident in the winter of 1974...on the way to school one morning (University of Scranton) on Business Route 6 just south of Carbondale.

Driving an old Chevy Impala...rear-wheel drive...all the weight in the back...hit a large patch of black ice. The car 360'd right there in the middle of the highway.

I remember seeing a telephone pole swing by, but the vehicle stayed on the road itself and when it came to a stop, I was facing the right direction in the right lane...a seemingly perfect 360 in a tight radius...so I stepped on the gas and continued on my merry way while thinking did that really just happen??

Again, dumb luck...or whatever...that the car didn't slide off the road into the pole or any other stationary object...or another vehicle if there had been one at that moment on busy Route 6 during drive-time on a weekday morning.

Learned a lesson that morning about black ice.

Ha - I learned a similar lesson driving over a small run in between where my folks lived and where the high school buddy from other incident lived. Never really noticed that there was a pipe running under the road there.

My mom's 2 door Buick Century w rear wheel drive hit black ice there and we did a 360+....ending up with the back wheels at the top of a ditch- but pointing towards the road.

After exhaling- I hit the gas and drove on. Every time that I go by there I think of all of the things that could have gone wrong. Literally threaded a needle.

Our Township finally agrees with me- and they recently cleared some trees and put a guide rail. Better lucky than good as a 16 year old!

 

[brupsu]

Funny one here.It was fall 1971 and I was invited to a party in the ft washington area. So hanging with the chick who invited me there was so much smoke inside that house you did not need to buy any weed just breathe.

Anyway time to go and I took rt. 309 back to Philly.Long story short I could not understand why even old folks were honking their horns at me.I look at my buddy and tell him man people drive way to fast and he looks back at me and says “Well I am pretty sure the speed limit is not ten miles an hour”

 

[Obliviax]

I bought a 1964 push-button automatic Plymouth Vallient from my sister-in-law. As you might guess, it had crappy tires and didn't handle very well. Top speed was ~ 90 mph. I was driving on a back road one afternoon and got it up to ~ 70mph. This was way too fast for a back road, residential neighborhood but I was young and naive. Suddenly I see a ball bounce into the road and out of the corner of my eye I see a young kid chasing after it. He was a boy around 8 years old. At that closing speed, I wasn't sure he saw me or that he anticipated how quickly I'd get up on the ball. As he approached the road I slid my foot from the gas to the brake. But I knew it was too late. Fortunately, at the last second, the kid saw me and skidded to a stop before entering the road. I flew by and had just enough time to stop before becoming unglued. I could picture that kid coming apart on the hood and windshield of my car. I was shaking, sweating and nauseated. I had to sit by the side of the road for ten minutes to get my shit together. I never did that again. I suddenly realized how, even if I was able to control the car, the speed of it could set off a chain reaction to cause a tragedy. It was a good lessen to learn and I see that kid, in my mind, on the hood of my car at least once a week.

 

[The Spin Meister]

I bought a 1968 push-button automatic Plymouth Vallient from my sister-in-law. As you might guess, it had crappy tires and didn't handle very well. Top speed was ~ 90 mph. I was driving on a back road one afternoon and got it up to ~ 70mph. This was way too fast for a back road, residential neighborhood but I was young and naive. Suddenly I see a ball bounce into the road and out of the corner of my eye I see a young kid chasing after it. He was a boy around 8 years old. At that closing speed, I wasn't sure he saw me or that he anticipated how quickly I'd get up on the ball. As he approached the road I slid my foot from the gas to the brake. But I knew it was too late. Fortunately, at the last second, the kid saw me and skidded to a stop before entering the road. I flew by and had just enough time to stop before becoming unglued. I could picture that kid coming apart on the hood and windshield of my car. I was shaking, sweating and nauseated. I had to sit by the side of the road for ten minutes to get my shit together. I never did that again. I suddenly realized how, even if I was able to control the car, the speed of it could set off a chain reaction to cause a tragedy. It was a good lessen to learn and I see that kid, in my mind, on the hood of my car at least once a week.

Driving through N Lima Ohio. Just took foot off gas as I was going to turn right about 100 yds ahead. Suddenly a car full of five high school kids pulled right out in front of me from behind a tree, driver sees me too late and hit brakes….. big mistake as he stopped dead in front of me. No way could I stop in time and since there was no traffic coming in the other lane I tried to swerve around him.

Thought I had it made when my front right bumper went by but his bumper hit me at the front tire a tour down the side of the car, spinning me around. Fortunately no one was hurt but my car was totaled. If I hadn’t swerved I would have t-boned that car doing serious harm.

Can still see the look of fear in his eyes when he saw me beating down on them.

 

[Obliviax]

Driving through N Lima Ohio. Just took foot off gas as I was going to turn right about 100 yds ahead. Suddenly a car full of five high school kids pulled right out in front of me from behind a tree, driver sees me too late and hit brakes….. big mistake as he stopped dead in front of me. No way could I stop in time and since there was no traffic coming in the other lane I tried to swerve around him.

Thought I had it made when my front right bumper went by but his bumper hit me at the front tire a tour down the side of the car, spinning me around. Fortunately no one was hurt but my car was totaled. If I hadn’t swerved I would have t-boned that car doing serious harm.

Can still see the look of fear in his eyes when he saw me beating down on them.

I had a similar experience, not as bad, while at work driving a Toyota Camry. (10th anniversary edition and one of the sweetest cars I ever owned as it had a 40W amplifier with a manual equalizer in the dash. my friends used to say it was the only car that downshifted when I turned the column up). Anyway, I just missed a car that pulled out in front of me. I drove to the Saab dealership and traded my car in on a Saab 900S turbo due to the 30 page safety brochure that they handed out. This included the engine on rails so that, in a headon collision, the engine would get pushed under the driver's seat below the legs. Cool idea.

 

[diontechristmas]

Nothing too wild. Best or worst story I have is driving to my high school graduation. My buddy was driving, I was shotgun and another friend was in back. The driver was partying the night before and nodded off driving down a county road (the drive to graduation was 15 minutes tops). I noticed he nodded off too late, and just as I was opening my mouth we hit a gentle curve in the road and went straight into the cornfield. We missed a telephone pole by a few feet (thank got) but managed to get about 20 yards into the cornfield. We made it to graduation unscathed, but man was my buddy’s old man pissed when he saw the car!

 

[Obliviax]

Nothing too wild. Best or worst story I have is driving to my high school graduation. My buddy was driving, I was shotgun and another friend was in back. The driver was partying the night before and nodded off driving down a county road (the drive to graduation was 15 minutes tops). I noticed he nodded off too late, and just as I was opening my mouth we hit a gentle curve in the road and went straight into the cornfield. We missed a telephone pole by a few feet (thank got) but managed to get about 20 yards into the cornfield. We made it to graduation unscathed, but man was my buddy’s old man pissed when he saw the car!

Dang. But for the grace of God......

When my son graduated an independent driving school, a young gal (very pretty) was introduced. She came up and talked about being young and pretty and going to college. She then said in high school she went to a party with her best friend. They had a couple of beers and drove home. She hit a pothole, went sideways and flipped over. Her friend, who did not put on her seatbelt, went through the sunroof and got cut in half. By this time, she was crying. She walked away almost unscratched but can never get the image of her friend out of her mind and thinks of it several times a day. She is in counseling and has been for years. She just got out of prison. She got 18 months for manslaughter, she got five years probation (and gets urine tested once a month), has a felony conviction, and her parents lost their retirement money. By this point, not a single person in the audience was able to keep from crying including my 16-year-old and 18-year-old sons (at the time).

Every story told here could have gone either way.

 

[diontechristmas]

Dang. But for the grace of God......

When my son graduated an independent driving school, a young gal (very pretty) was introduced. She came up and talked about being young and pretty and going to college. She then said in high school she went to a party with her best friend. They had a couple of beers and drove home. She hit a pothole, went sideways and flipped over. Her friend, who did not put on her seatbelt, went through the sunroof and got cut in half. By this time, she was crying. She walked away almost unscratched but can never get the image of her friend out of her mind and thinks of it several times a day. She is in counseling and has been for years. She just got out of prison. She got 18 months for manslaughter, she got five years probation (and gets urine tested once a month), has a felony conviction, and her parents lost their retirement money. By this point, not a single person in the audience was able to keep from crying including my 16-year-old and 18-year-old sons (at the time).

Every story told here could have gone either way.

I hear you. Another time, just driving home from high school. We just left school, and about a 1/2 mile down the road there were a set of tracks among some fields (what else). In front of me was a very responsible classmate of mine that I’ve known since kindergarten. She was not driving super fast from what I could tell. But hit those tracks in her late 80’s Cherokee, bounced a bit and veered on the shoulder, over corrected and flipped the Cherokee 3 or 4 times. Me and another person coming in the opposite direction witnessed it all and ran right over. I feared the worst, but thankfully by the time I got to get she was already climbing out of the window of her overturned vehicle.

 

[Dylan Callaghan-Croley]

I was a young driver at the time but was actually headed to State College. It was in the winter and some slight flurries at night. I noticed the right line of cars was slowing down and then I look in front of me in my lane that there is a spun out truck with their lights off in my lane. Well I'm going 70 mph and headed straight for this truck, so I have to act fast. I see a small gap between the truck and the cars in the right lane and I say a quick prayer and gunned it, had just enough room to spare on both sides. Was by far the most dangerous situation I've found myself in and also the coolest, I felt like I was in a movie afterwards. Look back at on it a lot and think what could've happened. Had some luck with me that day.

 

[Obliviax]

I was a young driver at the time but was actually headed to State College. It was in the winter and some slight flurries at night. I noticed the right line of cars was slowing down and then I look in front of me in my lane that there is a spun out truck with their lights off in my lane. Well I'm going 70 mph and headed straight for this truck, so I have to act fast. I see a small gap between the truck and the cars in the right lane and I say a quick prayer and gunned it, had just enough room to spare on both sides. Was by far the most dangerous situation I've found myself in and also the coolest, I felt like I was in a movie afterwards. Look back at on it a lot and think what could've happened. Had some luck with me that day.

It is amazing what the body does in those seconds. All of my close calls feel like they happened in slow motion and I can recall every one-tenth of a second in amazing detail. Also, to amazing what the mind does, I used to fly a lot. One night, I had a dream that I got upgraded to first class and the plane crashed. The level of detail in my mind was amazing. We had just been served dinner when some kind of crash happened in my dream. I recall seeing the silverware flying up off of my tray and flying through the fuselage. I have no idea how I imagined that in such great detail.

 

[Lion84]

Worst I had was diving back from my bus boy job in King of Prussia one day in my 68 Barracuda - I usually get off at the Audubon exit of 422 but as I approached I see a car in the far LEFT hand shoulder across from the exit and then they decided to shoot over 2 lanes to the exit right in front of me - I slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel over and skidded one way and then the next heading right into the concrete bridge support under the off ramp - to this day I have no ideas how A - I missed t-boning that car and B how I missed slamming into the bridge support - was already past my exit by this time but I think I went about 5 miles an hour to the next exit in a pool of sweat - no damage to anything but could have been a disaster. To this day I tell my kids to expect every driver to do the dumbest thing possible at any given time and be prepared for it - unfortunately they both have had cars totaled by drivers doing just that - one had an older lady running a red light and an the other an illegal turn in front of her - neither was their fault and no one was hurt thankfully.

 

[Fac]

This doesn't compare to the other stories but here is a funny one that my sister and I still laugh at.

Was riding in the back seat with my sister, Dad was driving. I am guessing I was 5 or 6. I was sitting Indian style. Remember this was before seatbelts. We were going down a pretty steep hill and I rolled headfirst to where your feet should be. My head got stuck under my Dad's seat. So, here I am still sitting Indian style upside down with my thighs still on the seat and my head under my Dad's seat.

 

[Jerry]

This doesn't compare to the other stories but here is a funny one that my sister and I still laugh at.

Was riding in the back seat with my sister, Dad was driving. I am guessing I was 5 or 6. I was sitting Indian style. Remember this was before seatbelts. We were going down a pretty steep hill and I rolled headfirst to where your feet should be. My head got stuck under my Dad's seat. So, here I am still sitting Indian style upside down with my thighs still on the seat and my head under my Dad's seat.

That brings to mind an episode with our youngest when he was about 2 years old and needed a child's car seat.

One day I buckled him in the seat and drove off. We had traveled a short distance when I made a turn and heard sort of a thumping noise from the back.

I glance back and: WHERE THE F--- IS JOE!!!

I hurriedly pull over, scamper out of the car, open the back door...and there he is strapped in and lying on the floor of the back seat.

The funny thing is the kid didn't cry or scream out at all. He's just lying there with a confused look on his face, like, uh, Dad why am I on the floor of the car?

Of course the answer was that although he was buckled into the car seat, the car seat itself was not latched in properly...or at all. Of course I hadn't realized that when I deposited him in the seat.

Now his Mom would have picked up on it immediately had she been in the vehicle. That woman is a car-seat wizard to this day.

 

[Jerry]

Dang. But for the grace of God......

When my son graduated an independent driving school, a young gal (very pretty) was introduced. She came up and talked about being young and pretty and going to college. She then said in high school she went to a party with her best friend. They had a couple of beers and drove home. She hit a pothole, went sideways and flipped over. Her friend, who did not put on her seatbelt, went through the sunroof and got cut in half. By this time, she was crying. She walked away almost unscratched but can never get the image of her friend out of her mind and thinks of it several times a day. She is in counseling and has been for years. She just got out of prison. She got 18 months for manslaughter, she got five years probation (and gets urine tested once a month), has a felony conviction, and her parents lost their retirement money. By this point, not a single person in the audience was able to keep from crying including my 16-year-old and 18-year-old sons (at the time).

Every story told here could have gone either way.

Re your "every story told here could have gone either way," amen to that, brother.

For some of those stories, to include mine in the OP, you might even say should have gone the other way.

In front of one of the six Catholic churches, one for each group of miner-immigrants who founded their own ethnic parish in the small NEPA town where I grew up, there was a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a prayer etched in stone:

Our Lady of the Highway
Be with us on our journey
For thy ways are beautiful
And all thy paths are peace.

I memorized that prayer as a teenage driver and said it before any long trips at the wheel. I still do.

She was with me that morning in 1974 on the Scranton-Carbondale Highway...and again seven years later on the Washington Beltway...and more often than that over the years. Not a doubt in my mind.

As for the statue and the church, St. Michael's (Slovak), both are long gone...along with those times...those values...and the town that used to be.

 

[Obliviax]

Re your "every story told here could have gone either way," amen to that, brother.

For some of those stories, to include mine in the OP, you might even say should have gone the other way.

In front of one of the six Catholic churches, one for each group of miner-immigrants who founded their own ethnic parish in the small NEPA town where I grew up, there was a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a prayer etched in stone:

Our Lady of the Highway
Be with us on our journey
For thy ways are beautiful
And all thy paths are peace.

I memorized that prayer as a teenage driver and said it before any long trips at the wheel. I still do.

She was with me that morning in 1974 on the Scranton-Carbondale Highway...and again seven years later on the Washington Beltway...and more often than that over the years. Not a doubt in my mind.

As for the statue and the church, St. Michael's (Slovak), both are long gone...along with those times...those values...and the town that used to be.

Yep...and why a) as you get older you get more conservative. You've seen it before and know you are tempting fate. It is just a matter of time until your luck runs out. and b) why this is such a great thread. Everyone needs to be reminded of that time when you were really lucky and didn't deserve it.

 

[Jerry]

Yep...and why a) as you get older you get more conservative. You've seen it before and know you are tempting fate. It is just a matter of time until your luck runs out. and b) why this is such a great thread. Everyone needs to be reminded of that time when you were really lucky and didn't deserve it.

Amen again.

OK, you've got me on a roll here. This is one where I wasn't driving but rather a passenger in the back seat.

As teenagers, my brother and I traveled with my uncle (mother's brother) from our home in Pennsylvania to Massachusetts to help him and one of his employees -- my uncle was a pilot who ran a helicopter company -- load up a U-Haul trailer with flight equipment from a warehouse up there.

We finished the job and started back home, but shortly after we got on the Interstate there was big trouble: the U-Haul had been improperly loaded with most of the weight toward the back.

Therefore, when we got up to speed on the freeway and went around a curve, the trailer started dragging the car back and forth across the highway.

I remember going across an overpass with the car being dragged from one side to the other and saying calmly to my brother: This would be a good time to pray. There was no point in screaming or panicking as it wouldn't have done any good.

To my uncle's credit, he quickly understood what was happening...and while watching the rear-view mirror as the trailer veered from side to side, he gradually slowed the car down while steering in the direction of the trailer's sway to regain control.

Meanwhile, all the other cars on the road, presumably gawking at the scene in horrified fascination, slowed down to give our out-of-control vehicle maximum leeway to do whatever it was going to do.

After a hair-raising minute or two, my uncle brought the car under control and steered gently to the shoulder where we all got out and repacked the trailer...this time correctly...with the weight toward the front. The rest of the drive back to Pennsylvania was uneventful.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Left lane of the George Washington Parkway heading home at night from Tysons Corner/McLean Va where I worked to South of the Pentagon. About 2002 or so. Both lanes on my side were pretty packed but moving along at 50 or 60. If you know the road, it’s pretty tight with almost no shoulder and not much buffer until you’re into rocks or trees heading east toward DC. Anyway, traffic in left lane just stops suddenly for no reason. Slight delay on my part and now I’m going to slam into back of car in front doing at least 50. No chance to glance and I quickly swerve into the right lane and have just enough time to break to be okay in slowed traffic in that lane. I generally check my rear view mirror pretty frequently so it was a gamble but I had space last I had checked. When I was slowing it was clear I had just enough of a gap to do what i did.

Just after I’m in right lane, car that was behind me and about 4 others slam accordion style into the car that I would have hit - they had no chance with no room to the right like I had. I see that and pull over next safe chance I get and just sit there wired for 10 minutes. No one died, but 6 people got really banged up in the cars involved.

 

[GSPMax]

Ten year high school class reunion. Way to much beer to drink. The driveway from the event ended in a tee at the main road. I sailed thru the tee and ended in a farmer's field (took out electric fence). The field was about 4-5 feet below the main road grade. I had a 4 wheel drive blazer and had some experience driving over uneven terrain. I put it in 4 wheel drive gunned it, went up the bank and back on the road. The fun was just the beginning. I hugged the center line as best I could. I had to go thru a small town on that road. In the town after a pretty steep downgrade the road split at a Y. The centerline I was hugging ended about 10 yards from the split. I was going too fast and did not see the split, sideswiped a sign or two weaved about a quarter mile and finally got stopped at a red light. Made it home with only damage to my truck, a few road signs, and farmer's fence. I went to the police the next day to confess. I had some connections to the police chief and since no one was hurt and no private property damage, all was forgotten. So many things could have gone wrong that night. My guardian angel was on my shoulder that night.

 

[Jerry]

Ten year high school class reunion. Way to much beer to drink. The driveway from the event ended in a tee at the main road. I sailed thru the tee and ended in a farmer's field (took out electric fence). The field was about 4-5 feet below the main road grade. I had a 4 wheel drive blazer and had some experience driving over uneven terrain. I put it in 4 wheel drive gunned it, went up the bank and back on the road. The fun was just the beginning. I hugged the center line as best I could. I had to go thru a small town on that road. In the town after a pretty steep downgrade the road split at a Y. The centerline I was hugging ended about 10 yards from the split. I was going too fast and did not see the split, sideswiped a sign or two weaved about a quarter mile and finally got stopped at a red light. Made it home with only damage to my truck, a few road signs, and farmer's fence. I went to the police the next day to confess. I had some connections to the police chief and since no one was hurt and no private property damage, all was forgotten. So many things could have gone wrong that night. My guardian angel was on my shoulder that night.

Wow. So switching up then to Dumbest Thing I've Ever Done In A Car -- granted, lots of times Closest Calls are connected with Dumbest Things -- on my way to work one morning...hadn't gotten on the freeway yet and was only a couple miles from home on a local 4-lane road with no divider...suddenly realized I'd forgotten my security badge that I needed to get in the building. Damn!

Traffic is light...I see no cars coming in my direction nor any in the rear-view mirror behind me...so I did an abrupt and illegal U-Turn in the middle of the road in order to head back to the house. Problem was, there was a car behind me, in the lane to my left, in the mirror's blind spot. Or maybe I just missed it in my haste.

The car lightly clips me. I pull over and run over to the vehicle, which is a proverbial hunk of junk driven by a young woman who is now badly shaken up but not in the least injured...nor was I. Also, neither car was apparently damaged much...though hers was so beat-up that it was hard to tell.

I apologized profusely and took full responsibility for the incident. She seems a bit dazed and calls somebody on her phone...I don't know who. She declined to give me any personal or insurance information. We did exchange phone numbers but following her phone conversation, she seems mainly interested in leaving the scene as quickly as possible.

That evening I called the phone number she gave me. No answer. Left a message. She never returned the call or otherwise contacted me. I'm guessing she had no insurance...maybe no license either. Hell, for all I know, the car was stolen. In any case, I escaped without damages to me, my vehicle, or my insurance bill. Definitely a classic case of better being lucky than good.

 

[GSPMax]

Probably more dumb than close call. One saturday in winter after an ice storm I decided to take a load of firewood to my cabin. Once off the maintained roads I came to a pretty steep climb. The road was completely covered with solid ice. I decided I could make if I maintained momentum. Nearly at the top of the hill I lost momentum and started sliding backwards down the long hill. I don't remember if I did a 180 or 360. Ended up in a shallow ditch (other side of road was a drop off). Chained up and went up the hill. At the top of the hill there were two other trucks watching the show.

 

[psulongago]

OK, blame this thread on insomnia. I'll go first:

Summer 1981...a few months before I got married...Washington Beltway (I-495).

Drizzly Saturday morning, about 10:00, I'm driving my Mom (in her car) to an event in northern Virginia.

I'm doing 60-65 MPH or so in the third lane from the right at a curving section of the Beltway a few miles north of what was then the Cabin John (now the American Legion) Bridge where I-270 South merges with I-495.

The car in the lane to the right suddenly begins sliding, apparently a hydroplane, directly in front of me. I cut the wheel sharply to avoid a collision...and after that, it's in God's hands.

Our car swings wildly, doing a 360 and a half as I press the brake and fight the wheel...but no chance to regain control.

We see an embankment with trees in the median coming up on the left side of the highway. There's a guardrail, but it was unimaginable to me that it could stop us. My Mom sees it too and quietly says: Oh no. I'll never forget those words of hers.

Funny how time plays tricks on your brain at such moments. Everything is happening so fast...yet it also seems somehow like slow-motion.

We slam into the guardrail flat...you couldn't have parallel-parked with more precision...the force of the impact almost perfectly distributed along the length of the car...and come to a dead stop, the car on the left shoulder of the freeway, turned around, facing incoming traffic.

I was shocked that we were in one piece...not a scratch...and the car apparently driveable. So I took my chances that the vehicle would go and gunned it back across four lanes to the other side of the highway where we were at least facing the right direction. My knees were shaking.

The other car was over there too, seemingly not super damaged and nobody hurt. My Mom was a mess. She kept saying, you're going to be married...and you almost died. No argument there.

The other driver's insurance company called me days later, recorded my statement...and ended up paying for the damages to my Mom's car, which amounted mostly to scrapes and dents but was still a healthy piece of change.

Meanwhile, I was left to wonder how our car could slam with such mathematical precision so flatly into the guardrail when any other angle of impact would have severely damaged it or bounced us back into oncoming traffic or maybe even forced us through the rail into the trees...and also how in blue blazes there was an unlikely break for a few precious seconds in heavy Beltway traffic, which allowed us to 360-and-a-half across the highway without catastrophically colliding with any other vehicle.

Call it dumb luck, but I've always favored the explanation of angelic

Probably more dumb than close call. One saturday in winter after an ice storm I decided to take a load of firewood to my cabin. Once off the maintained roads I came to a pretty steep climb. The road was completely covered with solid ice. I decided I could make if I maintained momentum. Nearly at the top of the hill I lost momentum and started sliding backwards down the long hill. I don't remember if I did a 180 or 360. Ended up in a shallow ditch (other side of road was a drop off). Chained up and went up the hill. At the top of the hill there were two other trucks watching the show.

I know off track, almost bought a Jag, stick, had no idea how to drive the thing, sales guy told me I would learn, drove around the block, car wasn't for me. Did not buy,

 

[Jerry]

I know off track, almost bought a Jag, stick, had no idea how to drive the thing, sales guy told me I would learn, drove around the block, car wasn't for me. Did not buy,

Good stuff.

When I got out of the military in 1979, my aunt gave me her old used car which was in good condition. It was a huge help to me when I got a job in Maryland and moved down there.

But one little problem: the concept of changing the oil was not established in my mind...so I never did. I just kept putting oil in the thing, never stopping to wonder why the beast guzzled it so quickly or why the dipstick looked like it was coated in tar.

Finally, one afternoon on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway the engine just balked and I rolled the vehicle to the side of the road where I made the fatal mistake of attempting to start it again. The engine seized. Bye-bye, car.

Fortunately, by then I was engaged to my future wife who was driving around in a 1980 Datsun with a stick shift. She was generous enough to give me the car while she got a ride to and from work every day from one of the girls with whom she shared a rental townhouse.

The only hitch was that I didn't know how to drive a stick...so she taught me. Driving lessons provided in parking lots. I caught on pretty quick but was still hell on the clutch for a good while. Absolutely dreaded stopping on a hill. Good times...