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“A funny thing happened on the way to the forum”.
Well, it wasn’t exactly on the way to the forum. It was actually on the way to Naples, FL for the winter on December 4th, 2018. It was on I-75 Southbound just North of exit 218 just South of Atlanta at 3:30 in the afternoon.
The afternoon Atlanta traffic was getting on toward the “heavy” point with the concentration being progressively heavier in the right lanes due to the exits. I was in the extreme left lane where it was the lightest. I was cruising at about 65mph with the closest traffic ahead about 1/4 mile ahead. There was traffic in the lane just to my right that I was overtaking.
The first indication that there was a developing problem was when my right seat passenger said, “she’s coming over, she’s coming over”. I never saw the car nor did I feel any impact, but I immediately heard the very sickening sound of scraping and very loud. I immediately took my foot off of the accelerator and as I did the car appeared in the windshield and lodged against the front of the bus with it’s left side against the front bumper. Again, I never felt any impact. I was pretty heavy in that I was pulling a stacker that was loaded to capacity.
Things seemed pretty stable with the bus pushing the 2017 Impala down I-75, so I didn’t do anything fast. I slowed to a stop easily so as not to upset the”apple cart”. I pushed the Impala a little over 1/4 mile down I-75 and the end result was all Southbound lanes were shut down and it was major Atlanta news that evening.
The good news is that the lady wasn’t scratched nor were we even jostled. The bus has only minor superficial damage. I’m not sure about the condition of the lady’s underwear. I’m sure it wasn’t a very pleasant ride. The Impala got the worst of it with significant damage to the left side and the right side tires and wheels being pretty well used up.
The cause of the accident was that she attempted to pull into the left lane in front of me before she had quite cleared the bus. The left rear corner of her car contacted the right front corner of the bus and the rest is history.
The law enforcement officers said that it was obviously her fault since all skid marks were in my lane and wished us a good trip and a good winter in Naples as they bid us goodbye and reopened I-75 Southbound.
In retrospect I can confidently say:
1. You can never be sure of where danger will, or can, come from.
2. Never follow close at highway speed.
3. Never panic at the sound or the feel of impact. Don’t do anything quick.
4. You are riding in the safest, most secure vault on the road. You will never know how thankful that I am that we weren’t in a fiberglass front ended, stick, staple and tinfoil coffin. You’re for real riding in the closest thing to a tank that can be operated on the highway. You can travel with confidence and in safety. You can feel comfortable.
Okay, after all that I’ll attempt to attach a couple of pictures. If I fail would someone kindly give me some instructions.
Thanks for your time, and good night.
John Carroll
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39 Replies
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Congrats John. You couldn’t have handled it any better. Another member had a similar issue in the Atlanta area, with the car changing lanes at a high rate of speed so it spun left into the wall, and then bounced back behind the coach to the shoulder.
I am amazed it doesn’t happen more often. We almost spun a Corvette that made a sudden lane change, from our left all the way across 5 lanes. He was so close all I could see was his hood. He passed me so fast that if he had contact with my side or front bumper he would have been spinning as he traveled across all lanes of traffic.
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Well done John, wait until her insurance company sees the estimate to repair your superficial damage.
Love the PC plate in the windshield, your dues are now free for life.
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Ghesh!! Corvette drivers are the worst. 🙂
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I’m gonna fix the “superficial damage” in my shop and spend the insurance check on a new “rose petal” emitting dumping system for my “lowly” Country Coach.
Thanks for the dues credit. Things are a little tight right now.
And also, did you notice the handicapped flag?
And one more thing. The law officers never mentioned anything about the bus/trailer combination being close to 80 feet long.
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John, Good driving,slow and easy nothing sudden. Glad everyone was ok.
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John,
Wow, the wheels on the Impala are shaved down. That must have been scary for that driver!
Glad that the both of you were unharmed.
Safe travels,
Mark
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Glad it all worked out John, XL’s are tough as nails!
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Dan, Guess Chevys push easier than Toyotas!
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I don’t know about that, but not nearly as easy as wheel barrows which were invented for use in teaching FAA inspectors to walk upright.
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Obviously, otherwise I’d have to teach John how to use the emergency window. I could pass the Monkey Boy title to him.
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john, is the Margarita machine ok? Geo.
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My experience on overlength (I’m 74.5′) is nobody much cares outside of California. When I was involved in a major accident in Utah, the officer looked at my rig, asked how long and immediately followed with: Don’t answer…get out of here.”
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Glad nobody was hurt. BUT! Everyone must have a dash-cam.
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Good news is that the margarita machine was not damaged. Bad news is that I forgot to put it on the bus. It’s safe at home.
I was told just the other day that the length regulations are DOT rules for commercial operators only and that no state can enforce length regulations on a private vehicle. Not even California.
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Saw the same thing with a semi and he said wait until she makes a claim. I have it all on my dash cam. She was in a convertible as he pushed for about 1/2 mile on the expreeway
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