On the third day of our trip, my friends Mike, Joe, Jamie, and I decided to forgo boarding and drive home early on the already-plowed roads. It was a sunny day out, but frigid (single digit temps with an estimated -30 degree wind chill). We left our hotel and began our ill-fated journey towards Minneapolis. About 30 minutes into our trip, the Mike pulled over to the side of the road to clear some ice from his windshield. Our car pulled up behind the first. Both cars put hazard lights on and were well off the side of the road, to avoid traffic. The cold temperature was causing steam to rise off Lake Superior, creating water spouts. We decided to take the opportunity and snap some pictures. Mike, Joe, and I walked down the road maybe 100 yards to get a better view while Jamie stayed in the second car. We finished taking pictures just as a plow rounded the corner.
As the plow passed us, I watched as the driver lowered the plow and started drifting towards the shoulder and our cars. I remember saying aloud “I hope the plow doesn’t hit our cars.” Just as I finished my sentence we heard the sickening crunch as the plow collided with the cars. At first the three of us stood in disbelief at what had just happened. Joe pretty much summed up our thoughts as he outstretched his arms and uttered “What the F***”. As it began to sink in all at once we realized that Jamie had been in the second car (the now wrecked car) and we began sprinting over to the accident. Luckily she was not seriously injured. She emerged scared, but OK.
The next few hours involved dealing with the plow driver/police/etc. Mike's car wasn't too damaged and we were able to fit our gear and ourselves into his car and drive home. Looking back, I’m not sure why this accident happened. I don’t know if the plow driver was tired, not paying attention, whatever. I do know that we are extremely lucky. If the plow had been further over, Jamie may have been severely injured, and both cars would have most definitely been totaled. But in the same respect, how hard is it to miss two cars with flashing lights on an open, straight, snow-free road in broad daylight?
3 comments:
You should have taken a picture of that white car with a snowy white backdrop and we could maybe see how invisible it is. :-o
Or maybe we can all go to a third shift bar at 5am, drink all morning, then get on our county plow and start pushing that imaginary snow we see everywhere.
Yes, because a white car with hazard lights flashing behind a black car with hasard lights flashing looks exactly like a snowboank... It was our fault clearly.
This is pretty messed up. I hope they got the BAC on the plow driver.
On first glance at the picture, I thought the red broken brakelight on the ground was blood. Thankfully not.
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