Sometimes trying to help is more dangerous than leaving well enough alone…

MaxresdefaultDriving to work this morning there’s this car on the freeway driving with only their parking lights on.

Ok yeah, it’s dangerous but I’m sure that the person driving had no idea. Their instrument cluster was probably lit and they were driving a new car. I’m sure they were still getting used to the car.

Hell I’ve done the same thing in my car after it’s been serviced. The dealership always turns the automatic headlights off while they have my car. It’s the first thing I check when I pick it up after they’re done.

Anyhoo, so I’m cruising at 80 and I see the dark car coming up in the lane to my left behind him, there’s another car flashing his lights.

The flashing light car was very insistent about trying to tell the dark car that their lights were off.

They were on the dark car’s bumper, then the dark car is passed me immediately changing lanes in front of me. The flashing guy sits right next to me adjusting their speed to continue flashing their high beams at the dark car.

The dark car accelerates obviously trying to get away from flashing guy. Flashing guy stays right on the dark guys bumper. Dark guy slows down. I have to brake. The two of them continue this dance at 75 to 80 miles an hour for the next 4 miles.

Eventually I decide that this is all too dangerous at 4:45 in the morning and accelerate past them both, continuing to open distance between them and me.

They continue their dance in my rearview mirror for the next 5 miles.

And it’s getting more and more dangerous. The Dark car obviously doesn’t have a clue but they’re equally obviously getting erratic in their driving and just trying to get away. They blow blow by me at 90 on a curving freeway transition. Flashing guy is just not giving up.

They round the bend and I see the reflected red light of taillights on the concrete barrier. I’m not far enough along in the curve to actually see them.I take my foot off the gas and coast as I round the curve. Yep! there’s smoke and that distinct smell that tires make when someone has slammed on the brakes.

No accident, but it’s pretty obvious what happened. They rounded the bend and saw a line of 18 wheelers transitioning from the other freeway and both had to brake hard. Neither of them learned anything because they’re both racing along in the fast lane continuing their dance.

I make the transition to the other freeway and continue on.

I couldn’t help but think again, that San Diego has some of the shittiest drivers in California.

These are people who will play pace car and actively prevent other people including emergency vehicles from passing. These are people who commonly blow through stop lights and stop signs. These are people who will sail out into traffic from parking lots and never even make an attempt to stop at the parking lot exit. These are people who will pull into a parking lot with a string of traffic behind them then stop trying to decide if they should go right or left, leaving that string of traffic blocking an intersection until they figure out what they’re doing.

5It’s like driving in Eastern Kentucky in the 1970s when people didn’t have to worry about getting hit, because there were so few people in the area. In San Diego it’s that times a thousand, except that there are a million cars on the road at any time and the odds of getting hit or hitting someone a pretty much 100%.

I thank my drivers ed teacher from a Kentucky High School every day for teaching us the value of defensive driving.

I respect that the one driver was trying to tell the other that their lights weren’t on, but give them -1000 points for not realizing that they weren’t going to get their message across and not having enough sense to break off and go on about their business.

Sadly, that seems to be the way of things these days. Folks just won’t leave shit alone, and instead of focusing on the bigger issues they want to focus on the little details.

In the overall picture of the freeway, there are streetlights that make it very easy to see the road. In the rain or fog, those same streetlights are actually a problem because they decrease visibility. But even without headlights, the car running dark wasn’t a particular danger. I could see the car and even what color it was. Yeah it wasn’t as obvious as it would have been if it was properly lit up but it wasn’t a particular hazard.

The real danger was “Mr Flashy” because he or she was escalating a minor danger into a major one.

At some point you need to know when to give it up.

If you were really concerned about safety, you could call it in to 911. Tell them a gray Lexus sedan was running on the 56 freeway heading west transitioning to the 5 south with no lights on and wasn’t always using their turn indicators.

CHP would have sent an available unit and I guarantee the Lexus would have stopped when the Red & Blue lights pulled up behind them.  Or not… and then there would have been another problem.

I guess it just brought home to me, it’s way better and safer to attend to my own shit. I’ve got enough to deal with, without looking for more.

Boy! I love warranties

Driving to work at 4am.

I accelerate to pass yet another San Diego asshat driver. Really? The freeway is wide open and you’re playing pacecar, racing me?

Dumbass left in the dust… 

I’m slowing down back to my normal cruising speed. Cruise control takes over and I settle in for the 25 minute ride. Then there’s a little yellow light on the control console. Humm, That looks like a little motor. 

HAL 9000

I ask the computer what’s wrong?

“All systems check OK”

“Are you on acid?”

“All systems check OK”

The computer is giving me two different readings. “Well that’s annoying,” I think to myself.

I also think this is reminiscent of the exchange between David Bowman and HAL in 2001 a Space Odyssey. 

I vaguely remember this symbol being printed on the gas door. Something to do with emissions control. I keep driving but am paying more attention to the control console and the engine status. 

It’s Labor Day, so I know there’s no point trying to get the car to a repair facility. I’ll “baby it” until I get to work, then check the gas cap.

I get to work, & park. I check the gas cap, then screw it back down until it locks.

Heading home after work, the little annoying light is still on.

Okaaay. Something is not right.  I get home and decide that after work tomorrow, I’m going to have to drop the car off at a local dealer to be checked out.

I drop the car off the next afternoon.

The local dealership is nice, efficient and I hope good. I have trust issues with mechanics and dealerships.

The dealership puts me in a fully loaded X3. Nice, if a bit large.

The service guy tells me my car should be ready to go the next day. 

Overheated Car

Late in the afternoon, I get a call from the dealership, it’s a thermostat.

How is that NOT a big enough issue for the computer to scream about?

Oh well, obviously the thermostat broke in the open position. I’m glad I didn’t just write it off as a gas cap and drive to Riverside in the heat.

Not a pretty image!

Anyhow, it’s a free repair. The dealership is going to be free under warranty. 

All in all, aside from the inconvenience of having to take the car to a dealership. It’s a good outcome.

I’ll have my lady back and then figure out what to do with the rest of my “weekend”.

Still little forward motion…

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The insurance company is still trying to determine if they’ll fix the car.

The police report is still not in the insurance company’s hands.

My car is at a 5 star rated repair facility, I saw it yesterday and it broke my heart again to see it. But I needed to get stuff out of the trunk.

The woman that ran the red is still claiming that I ran the light (The maid doth protest too much.

I expect at any moment to receive notification that I’m being sued I’m sure there’s going to be some ambulance chasing attorney who’ll tell her she’s going to get big bucks from the guy driving the nice car.

I’m not worried too much about that but it will be an annoyance. You know, just one more thing to rub salt in the wound.

I had a nice therapeutic massage on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning when I woke up, my BP was down by 10 points. It is amazing what muscle tension will do to your body.

I slept pretty soundly Wednesday and Thursday night. Still hurting sometimes but definitely feeling and moving better than I was the week after the accident.

The whole day has been spent…

Cleaning up someone else’s mess.

I’ve been on the phone off & on since 6:30 AM PST

Insurance company, rental car company, towing company, insurance company, trying to reach someone in HR at the POS company I work for.

I kinda need a couple of days off give the way I feel but NOOOO! Not one person in the HR or benefits dept could be bothered to call me back. So much for being able to access your benefits, one of which is supposed to be having time off when your injured. 

While my injuries are not severe, I am in a lot of pain and would like to know how to activate or access those benefits without being penalized for being absent.

Typical of the fucked up chaos that is that company.

Yeah I’m hurting and cranky but I’m expected to be sitting at my desk with a smile on my face at 5AM tomorrow. I suppose this is how they force you to show up. I really have come to hate working there. Bad management, bad supervisors, poor organization, and no assistance whatsoever.

So now I have to decide take another “occurrence” risking being fired, or show up hoping I can keep a lid on my temper.

I’m going the Scarlett O’Hara route… “I shall think about this tomorrow.”

Well $1000 a day, Wish I’d taken a vacation instead.

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So I’m heading to the apartment in Escondido. After a long day, I’m looking forward to having something to eat. I come to an intersection, the light is green and has been for at least 10 -20 seconds. I proceed through the intersection and out of the corner of my eye is movement where it shouldn’t have been.

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Suddenly, there’s a van in front of me. I stand on the brakes but it’s far too late. The laws of physics can’t be denied.

I hit the van broadside The last thing I see is children, OH SHIT! I hit them. All things considered, I wish I’d been able to defer paying for the car repair… I only had my Wolf back for 3 days.

The van spins then turns over finally coming to rest on it’s side. Facing the opposite direction from it’s original direction of travel.  I see steam coming from under my hood, and have the presence of mind to shut the engine down, then count my bones. I’m facing about 90° from my original direction of travel.

SHIT!

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I see adults hanging from their seat belts. The children are also hanging in their car seats. I don’t see blood so that’s good.

I remember something about Moment Of Inertia and realize that the woman driver must have been really traveling. I find my phone, have to think about how to disconnect the phone from the hands free system. I dial 911 and a chirpy operator answers immediately.

“911 what’s your emergency?”

“Uh I’ve been in an accident.”

“Where?”

“Uh corner of Grand and Valley”

“Is anyone hurt?

“Not sure, we’re going to need police, traffic control, tow trucks, and possibly paramedics.”

“Are you alright?”

“I don’t know, I think I’m OK but I’m not sure.”

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Internally, my diagnostics are running overtime. Systems aren’t reporting in the way they should. I realize later it was adrenaline blocking pain receptors.

We are designed to remain functional despite severe injuries. Part of the design is to block pain until the fight is over.

A crowd has gathered. A guy signals a Thumbs Up at me. I shake my head yes. He moves to the other vehicle.

I get out of the car, I don’t remember hanging up the phone.

The police arrive, a too young handsome cop asks me for my license, registration & insurance.

There is chaos, and some nice folks volunteer to me and the police that the van ran the red light.

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I think my wolf died today.

So I get to miss another day of work. I will never be able to replace my wolf with the current job. Hell, I probably can’t replace the car with any car on the pay I earn. This is literally my worst fear of living in San Diego. People here drive like they’re in Tijuana.

The driver of the other car was Spanish speaking only.  According to the police they are insured, so there’s that.

It’s been a couple of hours, now and I’m stiff and sore. Tomorrow will no doubt be a day of pain.

So now I get to clean up another mess, that I didn’t create. And I’ll suffer both financially and possibly lose my job over it.

I’ve been looking for another job anyway, but this will probably end my job on someone else’s terms. Great!

This might be very very bad…