What's the closest call you ever had?--Al

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), January 15, 2000

Answers

i-80 sept 5, l997 eastbound, about 11 am traveling through rock springs, wyoming - topping a slight rise i encountered a piece of oil drilling equipment, no way or time to dodge it, consequently our beloved 93 saturn, rolled, went through the barrow pit in the center, across the westbound lanes and ended up on the bank. wife got really shook up and i received a broken neck. i should have been dead, the roof was bashed in over my side. fortunately we were wearing our seat belts. i may have had closer calls, but not that i was conscious of.

-- bast ion (bastion@diaryland.com), January 16, 2000.

For me, I guess the very closest was giving birth the first two times. But for the first one, I didn't really know until after how bad it was.

For the kids, I wrote a whole entry about it.

-- Andrea (renhold@nbnet.nb.ca), January 16, 2000.

For me, I guess the very closest was giving birth the first two times. But for the first one, I didn't really know until after how bad it was.

For the kids, I wrote a whole entry about it.

-- Andrea (renhold@nbnet.nb.ca), January 16, 2000.

I was driving in a blizzard along Maine's stretch of I-95 -- one of those no-choice things that happen when you're in school and too poor for a hotel. The highway was empty except for me in my dad's 1984 Plymouth, and a semi that tailed me by about 100 yards all the way from New Hampshire. We were doing about 45-50. The snow was about three inches deep, but there were visible ruts to follow.

Along one dark stretch, a snowplow with no lights on appeared on the right shoulder and made a u-turn all the way across the highway, right in front of me. I managed to pull the car across the rear of the plow, and missed it by about a foot.

My car never came back under control. For what seemed like an hour, I veered from side to side of the highway. My foot was off the gas but the automatic transmission kept it rolling longer than it would the standard car that I usually drove. I finally did what the safe- driving manuals say, and turned into the direction of my prolonged skid.

I came 180 degrees very quickly and stopped. In that instant I was looking straight into the headlights of the 18 wheeler that had been behind me. I had just time to think "I'm dead," and the lights were on me.

Somehow, the truck managed to stop about 20 feet before he hit me. The guy had to be the best driver on earth, because we both had exactly the same warning when the plow pulled out. I always regret that I was too embarrassed at my own poor driving to get out at the toll booth and shake the truck driver's hand.

-- Tom Dean (tdean@haese.com), January 17, 2000.

I used to drink and more times than I care to admit, I've driven drunk. I've had about 10 accidents while under the influence, but never hurt anyone other than myself, and was never arrested. God takes cares of fools and little children. The closest I've come.... motorcycle accident at night while speeding on a curvy road.

It took me about 20 years, but I finally figured out that I can't drink responsibly. I stopped on March 6, 1997 and haven't drank since. I thank God for protecting me from myself.

-- lkd';lk ldk;'lk (;lkdj;l@dllklr.net), January 17, 2000.