NIGHT DRIVING ON AN EMPTY ROAD
In his guest post, Serendpity, Paul Curran referred to having saved six teens during his trucking career. My readers and I could not simply let that reference go! Here is Paul’s story:
THE TEENS
By: Paul Curran
The Trans-Canada Highway approaching Moncton New Brunswick from the west was empty at 1 am on a Saturday Morning. I had a load of mixed produce aboard my temperature-controlled trailer (reefer) from the New England Produce Center in Boston, headed for a 2 am unloading appointment at Canada Packers on the East side of Moncton. The city bypass (Wheeler Blvd) was not yet complete to the west side, so I had to follow the TCH around the city and come back in on the east side through Dieppe. One hour was a conservative time to accomplish this – so there was no time to spare.
After the incident I looked back on this part of the trip and realized that it was around here – approaching Lute’s Mountain – that it all started.
At the time everything seemed innocent enough. There was an Irving Big Stop – an eastern Canadian chain of truck stops – at the top of Lute’s Mountain. The coffee and food were excellent, and the position of the truck stop was perfect – right at the top of a hard pull that would see the truck going slowly at the entrance and then a good downhill to get up to speed when leaving. The parking was adequate, the lighting good and it would not be busy this time of day. From somewhere deep inside me came the desire to stop for coffee. Coffee-time! But wait a minute – I did not have time to stop for coffee. My schedule was too tight.
IRVING BIG STOP
Still the clamoring for coffee. I wasn’t tired, having slept earlier – I was alert, I was well hydrated. I did not want coffee, and I did not have time for coffee. As I passed the truck stop, I could feel the pull of coffee calling me. Once past, I had the feeling that I should have stopped for coffee. I would be unloading in ¾ of an hour now, and CP had a break room with coffee – if coffee was so damned important, I could get one there.
And still, the knowledge that I should have stopped for coffee. No way was I going to be late, so I grit my teeth and pushed on, turning up the local pop rock station CKCW.
The desire for coffee gradually faded away, and in its place came a suspicion that I had a flat tire. In an 18-wheeler, it is possible to have a flat or a slow leak in one of the duals that is very hard to detect while driving. Sometimes there is a big bang or a thumping or a vibration, but often flats are only discovered when the driver stops to the check tires – a regular activity.
So, I was now convinced that I had a flat tire and should pull over to check. Running a tire while flat could potentially ruin the tire – a $500 replacement versus a $20 repair. Time to stop and check my tires. Wait – I just checked them about 2 hours ago and there is no vibration or sound that would suggest a flat. And besides, I had an appointment to keep. The tires, flat or not would be fine for another half an hour. And so I turned up the tunes yet again and carried on.
CHECK THOSE PUPPIES REGULARLY, BUT NOT RIGHT NOW
Having decided that I was not stopping to check my tires, the feeling of a flat disappeared. And in its place came the need to take a piss. I needed to stop and take a leak. This was nuts, I had relieved myself about 2 hours ago and typically went about 4 hours between stops. I was not drinking any fluids, and I did not need to stop for a leak. I had to make my appointment at 2 am, and it was 20 minutes from now, and I had 20 minutes of driving to do.
The desire to take a leak disappeared, and this time an overbearing need to just stop, with no reason, took its place. This was getting monotonous – I couldn’t remember ever having had such a hard time driving for a simple hour. One hour without a stop, was that too much to ask? I was getting angry now, not being bright enough to put two and two together yet.
Still the need to stop built stronger and stronger, and I allowed my anger to build to match it – using the emotion to push through what was quickly becoming a wall requiring me to stop. I took the exit ramp for Dieppe and headed into the rotary where traffic could continue to Dieppe, head to Moncton, or take the new bypass that lead to the industrial area where my drop was located. I headed for the bypass. 5 minutes to 2 am, and 5 minutes drive to my delivery.
The traffic light where Lewisville Rd. crossed was green as I approached – it typically stayed green this time of night unless a car came down Lewisville Rd. This intersection was new at the time and there were no street lights on Lewisville Rd. – it just appeared out of the dark at the intersection. My windows were up and the air conditioning was rumbling, keeping the summer night heat out, while the stereo (150 watts per channel – very loud) blasted.
The feeling that I had to stop and RIGHT NOW grew so strong that I could no longer disobey it and my foot slammed down on the brake, bringing the truck to a shuddering halt at a green light in the intersection with no other vehicles in sight. At 1:56 am, one exit from my delivery.
TRAFFIC LIGHTS AT AN EMPTY INTERSECTION
I was sitting there completely confounded by my actions for less than second, when a blur shot by my front bumper on Lewisville Rd., going so fast that I didn’t even recognize it at first. One of those deals where your brain fills you in on what just happened after it has processed the images. I twisted my head to try and follow the blur and could see a four-door sedan with all the windows down, the lights out and six obviously inebriated teenagers jumping around and waving from the car. They were doing easily 120 miles per hour on the county road when they went through their red light and by my front bumper, so close that they disappeared from sight – as I sat stopped on a green light.
The overpowering need to stop evaporated – just disappeared, leaving a sense of peace and me sitting stopped at a green light.
Time stopped for an indeterminate period of time, and if I hadn’t been so aware of my appointment and clock-watching, I would not have been able to tell you how long I sat there. As it was, my next time check showed that it was 2:05 am. I had sat for over 5 minutes completely immersed in my thoughts and feelings.
If I had not stopped exactly when I did – on a green light – the car and teens would have gone under my trailer at 120 mph. The car would have been ripped apart and all six teens would have been beheaded. All their lives would have ended on that hot pavement in that intersection at 1:56 am that Saturday morning. All those young lives gone – except for one tiny thing: my inexplicable need to stop on a green light that overwhelmed my intellect and triggered braking.
With a click, the last hour fell into focus – I had been intellectually adding a reason to justify the need to stop for an hour now, a different reason each time, when the real reason was to not be in that intersection when that car load of teens came through the red light, drunk and speeding. I would never have been able to imagine, let alone believe, the real reason to stop – it would have been dismissed as an idea as soon as it occurred to me. I couldn’t be told the truth, for I would not have believed it. And all those lives would have ended. They would not have graduated, gone on to careers or university, found mates, had children. So many lives would have been affected and changed and so, so much grief and sadness brought into the world.
And the very best? They had no clue and would never have a clue, even to this day and beyond, that that fateful night, the only thing that stood between them and certain death by their choices, was a higher power – a power that had determined that it was not their time to die, and a power that acted accordingly – even through and against all apparent odds.
I continued to my delivery and arrived 10 minutes late, but they were running late as well, and I had to wait for 15 minutes to get an unloading door. And I wondered, having seen it just now, how many times of which I was not even aware that God had stepped in to save my sorry ass when I had made bad choices.
And still, to this day, I wonder how those teens, now adults in their 40’s, are doing. Do they have children? Do they still visit their parents? Are they happy? How has life treated them? And I thank God regularly that He was able to save those kids.
FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND
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Paul Curran and I love to hear from our readers. You may comment on tis post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com or notcordeliasmom@aol.com
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For this post, image credits are embedded within the images themselves.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: With Paul Curran’s permission, I wish to dedicate this post to all those truckers and other drivers who were stranded on the New York State Thruway and other roadways around Buffalo, New York, during the snowstorms that occurred November 18-21, 2014.
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Paul, you know where I stand on God, but this story was, indeed, very inspirational and, as usual, very well told.
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This sort of thing is why I choose to believe in a higher power. No proof needed. 😛
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Thanks so much Doob. You know at the time I went over and over and over the circumstances to see if there was any way I could have seen, heard, or known that car was coming. And there was no way. The lighting was non-existent, their headlights were not on; between the radio, the A/C, the windows up, I could not have heard them coming. And the slow building of the need to stop, as if the probability of a collision were growing larger and larger as their behaviour and timing didn’t change and my behaviour and timing didn’t change. And the closer we got together in time and space, the greater the probability and the greater the need to stop. It is possible that we as humans can feel the future as the probability increases – and I considered that. But i have been involved in a fatal accident and there was no warning, no hint, no indication – just a car on my side and Kaboom. If the ability to sense the future were mine, and not just given as needed, then I would have clearly been able to see that one coming and I didn’t.
I gotta tell you I’ve pondered this one every which way and I can find no way in which i could have had prior knowledge – which, to my way of thinking, means that there is something bigger, a higher power that does have such knowledge. the whole thing also well fits my belief that our lives are a combination of our free will choices by grace and choices made for us by fate.
Between this story and Serendipity, i think you are likely getting an idea of why i believe in God.
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Perhaps if I had experienced something like this, I might feel the same way. Thanks Paul.
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Perhaps. Or would it just be coincidence or luck for you Sir? We do choose how we view things. Paul really is an awesome storyteller! 🙂 We are fortunate…that he is able to still share his stories with us even without the ability to have his own blog.
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Yes, I agree (with the part about Paul being an awesome storyteller, anyway). 🙂
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We all agree with that, Doobster.
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😉 Just being my normal cheeky self Sir
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Great post!
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Thanks so much Victo. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It is an honor to see you here. We would be pleased if you would drop by again.
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Hi CM! thanks so much for the opportunity to Guest Post. It’s a lot of fun writing here and speaking with your readers.
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You’re always welcome here, Paul. Your stories are just too good not to share them with all of us.
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…a beauty… not much more one can say here Paul. Simple and supreme beauty. How many of us could and WOULD explain it away with…coincidence and luck? A few I am sure
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That’s the interesting part IW – without an awareness of self, timing and cause of desires, one never makes the link between feelings and outcomes. A perfect axample of one of your recent posts about living an unexamined life. And yet, i find that God works exactly that way so often, using our desires and lives to accomplish what He wants without great fan fare. If i had stopped for a coffee, i would never have known about the teens. Which, i would say was the intention. Often times a coffee is just a coffee and yet sometimes it is much, much more.
Thanks so much or the read and comments IW. It is an honor to have you visit.
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You are right – It is not often it happens that we make the link is it?
I guess we can live ‘kinda knowing’ that sometimes things happen and it IS for a very distinct purpose. Scrap that – everything happens for a very distinct purpose – even if the outcome is years or centuries down the line. And the best part is the ‘not stressing it part’ if it is gonna happen…NOTHING will stop it right?
And dearest Paul. This honour thing? Stop it. Makes me want to hide under a rock. But it is a pleasure 😀
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I just love that story, Paul! It’s so beautiful.
I’ve felt some similar inexplicable things, but not nearly as melodramatic and powerful as yours. LOL, I actually got hit by a deer a few weeks ago. I just had the unexplainable urge to come to a complete and sudden stop in the middle of the road and as soon as I did, this huge deer jumped out and hit my car. He left a small dent, but if the car had been moving he would have wiped me out. So the deer was fine, the car was fine, and my pride survived the cop who demanded to know why I had come to a sudden stop in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. What can I say, women drivers, we brake for…no apparent reason 😉
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Ha! Thanks so much for dropping by for a read. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. Your story is neat as well IB. You know you should get a bumper sticker made that says “I Brake When God Tells Me.” ha! It is too true that if you are open to suggestions and do not give your intellect the control, the stuff that happens can be very enlightening.
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I like that bumper sticker, and I’m about as non-religious as they come.
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Awesome… And very reminiscent of a story I told in my Driving Miss Crazy series…
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I missed that series, Art – I only started following you recently. But I will go over to your site today and catch up – I promise!
(Did you hit that milestone yet?)
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I did, and no rush.
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Hey Art ! Great to see you here – welcome. thanks so much for the compliment – you should resurrect your Driving Miss Crazy series. there’s some of us who are new to following you, that haven’t seen any of those posts. maybe a “Best of Driving Miss Crazy” every once in a while. I’m pleased that you enjoyed The Teens – I wasn’t sure how it would be received as the vast majority – except the finish – takes place in my head, a mysterious place at best. Ha!
Please drop by again Art – it’s great to see you and the squirrels!
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I’m sure Art will be dropping by again, often. How could anyone resist this blog, even on days that you, Paul, are not guest posting?
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🙂
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That was a smiley face above CM.
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Yes, it did show as a smiley face on the blog itself.
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I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks.
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For once… I’m speechless.
Amazing tale, Paul.
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Thanks Hook! It’s great to see you here – I am honored sir. My head is starting to swell from the compliment. Thank You so Much Hook. Please come by again.
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I love this Paul! Most of the time we just don’t or won’t listen to that little voice that warns us of danger. I hope those teens made it safely home that night. I have heard of many stories like this. Some people are more receptive than others, like you. I am an agnostic myself, I have had my own experiences that have confirmed for me that we have “souls” or “spirits” whatever you would call it I don’t know. If there is a creator or not, I don’t know, but I do know a part of us will survive after death. Thank you for finally telling this story, I was growing impatient for it too, and for you to get your own blog, let’s hope there’s a windfall coming your way and you will be able to get yourself a new computer. Maybe some of the readers here that are beilivers should pray on it 🙂
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Thanks so much PsiFiGal for the read, for the comment. for the compliment. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. Was the wait too long? I’ll have to take that into consideration next time i make a promise. I just did not want to overstay my welcome by posting too often. CM has been very kind to me by allowing and encouraging me to be here. She has not set out any limits and has done nothing but encourage me, and yet I didn’t want to overdo it.
Thanks so much for offering to pray for a new laptop – I don’t usually pray for anything physical. Other than praying for others’ health and well-being, I usually keep the prayers down to asking for the strength to persevere or for understanding. I figure God (or the higher power or whatever you word you choose) knows what we all want and if we need it we’ll get it.
I do agree that a large part of us does not perish when our bodies do. It will be interesting to see what comes next – no rush, Ha!
Thanks for dropping by and please come to visit again.
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Wow very powerful. I think you know I believe in God and divine intervention. He’s saved my life more than once. I’m so glad the timing was perfect and he not only save those kids but you. What would you have had to live with if you hit them even if it was their faults.
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Hi Gibber! Welcome, welcome. I’m so glad you had a chance to stop by for a read. And i’m pleased you enjoyed the story. You make an excellent point about my conscience – it would only be a small consideration but none the less it would have been hard to live with. I did have one previous incident when a car came to my side of the road and hit me head-on. It still bothers me.
You know it seems Gibber that once you’ve come to take notice of your mortality, it is much easier to listen to the little voice and to believe. Not guarenteed, but easier. And it makes me wonder how many times my life has been saved despite my sometimes best intentions. Definitely thought provoking.
So glad you came by Gibber and i hope to see you here again. Thank You.
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It’s a pleasure and yes I agree facing your own mortality changes things. I’ve believed since I was 6 and I’ve seen and experienced to much not to believe.
Wow you got hit head on? How terrifying. I’m glad you survived. Obviously there’s a reason.
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This is amazing Paul, God certainly sitting by your side in that cab. Suggesting all sorts to you , coffee, tyres, peeing, then when all else failed he screamed in your ear and grabbed the handbrake.
God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform. God Bless you Paul you managed to hear God just at the right time! Brilliant post! xxxxxxxxxxxx
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Thanks so much for dropping by Willow – it is wonderful to see you here, especially since I know your time is not plentiful right now. I love the way you described God’s actions – too funny and so right on. I don’t listen very well – Ha! I’m pleased that you enjoyed the story and i hope you will drop by again.
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I will be happy to Paul most definitely. xx
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Thanks for sending me the link Paul! Well written. 🙂
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Thanks Jason. I think i’m improving as I get more experience. I really appreciate you taking the time to drop by. Thank You. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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This is an amazing story, told with your special writer’s touch, Paul. I believe God had his hand in this evening’s events, and had to keep tapping your mind until you stopped your rig so those kids foolishly sped through that red light. God knew the tap wouldn’t work on them that night, I guess.
Thanks for passing me the link. You can unleash the stories stocked up from a life led in on the roads and passages, that’s for sure, my friend. Thanks, Cordelia, for giving Paul this space again.
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Thanks so much for dropping by Mark. I’m glad you enjoyed the story. And, yes, there is no doubt that the feeling of needing to stop came from outside myslef somewhere. i do believe it was God using me to stop a slaughter. You are right, there are a pile of stories untold. Thanks so much for dropping by and for the compliment mark – much obliged.
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What a chilling story, Paul! Thank God you stopped when you did! The Lord DOES work in mysterious ways! He couldn’t get you through the coffee, the potential flat tire ,or even the piss so He just had to WILL you to stop! Amazing!
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Hi Darcy (Al’s moll – Ha!) Awesome that you dropped by for a read – Thank you so much. Yep, it was without a doubt a story that I’ll never forget. It’s not often we get a chance to see God at work – if i had taken any of the opportunities to stop, I would never have known why. And, as i said, my customer was running late too – so i would have been fine to stop. it would have been just another day at the office, except i refused to stop. And this story was the outcome. It still amazes me. Thanks for the visit and the compliment Darcy – much appreciated.
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Wow Paul! What a story! Yeah, there was something working on you that night. Thank goodness you finally listened! I think there are plenty of opportunities to see God work, we just get so involved in the day to day of human existence that we miss them. You have good stories Paul and are well versed in telling them. So happy that I have mad stalking skills and can find your guest posts’ relatively quickly. HA! Thanks to CM as well for sharing her space with a gem like you Paul!
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I’ve lost track of who my followers are, now that there are so many of them (yay!). If you’re not following, you might want to do so since Paul will be guest posting at least monthly, and very possibly more often.
And yes, he is a gem, and I’m honored that he’s willing to trust his posts with me.
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Bah! You are a good egg CM! With good judgement in who you allow to guest post.
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Julie No Blog! How’s it going? Your stalking skills are second to none, mi’lady. Thanks so much for dropping by for a read. I agree that it takes practice to hear your “inner” voice -where ever it comes from. I do believe in God, but as you can see , my experience says nothing other than that there is a higher power that pays personal attention to individuals for the greater good. Serendiity suggested the same thing. I have little or no expeience with religion and honestly am wary of those organizations. God? Him I believe in without any doubts – and you can see some examples aready of why.
Yes indeedy, CM has been an exemplary hostess. One could not ask for better.
i much appreciate the visit and feedback Julie – I’m new at this. Please come back again for a visit whenever your stalking skills lead you here.
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Wow.
There are some things in life that cannot be explained. Some attribute them to God and some (like our friend Doob) attribute them to coincidence or good luck.
I still believe that a higher power was looking out for my son last week in his accident and that there was a divine purpose behind the death of my grand daughter. It is in reading stories like this that you either read confirmation or begin questioning. 🙂
Yes, you were right in your comment on my blog. This is another way of looking at choice.
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Hey Suz! Thanks so much for dropping by for a read and a comment. Yes, I do believe we are helped sometimes. Your son was also a good example. Although he was also partly his own saviour by driving slowly and carefully and paying attention. When you develop good habits like that, it makes the outcomes of bad things much less serious. Still going over the bank and between the trees and doing no damage while missing rocks, trees, etc. is retty incredible.
Doob can imply co-incidence and yet I have driven millions of miles, and crossed 10’s of thousands of interscetions and never once that I can remember have I ever deliberately stopped on a green light. That the once I did turned out to save 6 lives is just too perfect an outcome for me to think co-incidence. And, on top of that, i felt a need to stop for an hour before the incident. I already had enough experience to know God existed – this was just another perfect example of how He worked – and an an interesting one. He apparently has no interest in showing Himself, unless necessary, and is not interested in our kudos. He has nothing to prove.
The death of your grand-daughter is a much harder one. The only thing that comes to my human mind is that with her health problems, that her life may have been one of angony, even with the best parents and the best medical care. Given i believe that this physcal existence is only a small part of who we are, there is no doubt on my mind that your grand-daughter is being well taken care of in a place where she can enjoy her existence. It is so so sad for those of us left behind, yet I do not think that is the big picture. Have faith Suz.
Thanks so much for dropping by and I am glad you enjoyed the story. please drop by again.
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You are such a great storyteller Paul.
I felt like I was in the truck with you, like those urges to stop were as palpable as the steering wheel you were no doubt gripping, white knuckled. And then that blur, speeding by, what was it? And then you (we) realize is wasn’t a deer or a bear, but a car, a car full of life, a car full of life who kept living life thanks to you giving in to the need to stop.
We should trust our gut. It’s usually much more right that our heads or hearts any day.
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Hi Melanie! thanks so much for dropping by. Yes, it is true that our gut feeling often has the answer. The problem I have in general is that sometimes my gut is driven by what I have focussed on or dreamed about, etc. It takes some practice (I’ll likely be working on it forever) to recognize and then verify that it is right. Sometmes it is obvious (as in Serendipity) and sometimes (as in this story) not so much.
I’m glad you enjoyed the stort mel and i hope you come to visit again. CM is a wonderful host. In fact if you look at the right right side close to the top there is a drop down called “categories”. Scroll down that menu and you’ll see my name listed there with all the guest posts I have done here
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A typical old persons negative judgement about teenagers.
How do you know their ages? Maybe they were adults over 21.
Maybe their traffic light was green through a malfunction.
Did you have a speed radar detector to know how fast they were driving?
How did you know they were driving under the influence? Was there a DUI test done?
Maybe their gas pedal was stuck open or their brakes were broken.
Just maybe the windows were down because they were yelling for someone to help them.
Don’t rush to judgement.
Seriously, a great story, God bless you.
I made my cynical remarks to illustrate this is what we have now in society, “my child would never do that, he is a good boy”.
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Whew DP, you sure do live up to your gravatar name – different point of vew. That’s actually a skill they teach PhD students – what alternate circumstances can you possibly imagine that would explain the obsevations? If your theory can’t explain those circumstances, you need to rethink your conclusions. So, let’s take a look, shall we? Remember context is critical in interpreting any observations and also that we live in a world of probabilities – and there will always be possibilities that are ruled out because of their improbability. If a reasonable conclusion cannot be drawn from the available data, then the improbabilities can be revisited. (Or as Sherlock said -When all the probable answers have been eliminated, then what is left, no matter how improbable, is the solution.)
So, context: I have driven a tractor-trailer since I was 18 and have logged over 3 million miles in about 75,000 hours of driving over 40 years. The generally accepted benchmark for “professional” (not the dictionary definition of paid for work) is a minimum of 10,000 hours at an activity. At 7.5 times that much experience, I actually qualify as “expert” many times over – sufficient that I am recogmized as such by the court. That means that as long as my observations and deductions are reasonable – then they can be accepted as having a high probability of being true.
1) I make every effort to not judge anyone – including by age (vested interest here as i often find myself being judged by my older age – so I’m sensitive) – and said nothing abut the teens actions in the story. Even when I mentioned their choices, not once did I use any qualifiers such as “bad”. I tried very hard to relate the story by observation only.
2) The lighting west of the intersection , as the road got closer to the city, was considerably better than east, where the car had come from. The level of energy, actions, and the physical shape of the occupants of the car definately indicated younger people. You are right, they may have been 21 or 16 but they were in the age range of mostly being teens – allowing a reasonable assumtion that they were so. Anything short of carding them individually, would not improve the accuracy of that observation.
3) Notice the picture, I chose to represent the empty intersection. In a low light enviroment, it is possible to see the color of the opposing light – it was red.
4) Speed – again you are correct, it would be impossible without radar to determine their exact speed. Do notice that I expressed their speed to the nearest 20 mph. According to commonly accepted margin of error rules, the accuracy of the number is determined to be +/- the last non-zero digit in the assigned increment. The assigned increment in this case is 20 mph, as in I was estimaing to the nearest 20 mph and hence the speed could have been anywhere between 100 and 140 mph. With the experience of 75,000 hours of estimating speed (as in for passing, for stopping distance, for safety concerns. etc), I feel comfortable that their speed was well within that range of implied error.
5) Drinking- again you are correct. Without a breathalizer, an accurate level of intoxication could not be determined. That being said, it is my experience that at 2 am on a Saturday morning, if erratic driving behaviour is observed , including actions that almost certainly have a high probablity of causing death, the observed people are almost frantic in their behaviour, there is a complete disregard for safety rules and laws and behaviours – then the probability of the observed people being under the influence of either alcohol or recreational drugs is very high. High enough to make the judgement that it is a correct interpretation of the observations unless other evidence suggests otherwise.
6) It is possible that there was a mechanical failure that caused the behaviour. During my career, I also spent a great deal of time in safety, as the Regional Safety Director for a transport company. As such, it was part of my job to stay on top of the statistics of accidents and incidents – both company, regional, national and international. The number of accidents caused by mechanical failure of the vehicle is so miniscule (less than a fraction of a percent), it can be reasonably eliminated unless there is data to the contrary. Many people worry about mech failure because it is beyond their control and hence appears much scarier, plus so much is made of it in the news, ,etc. The truth is that driver behaviour is almost always the cause of the accident ( it may be the other driver so you have no choice, but it is one driver or the other). Given that the vehicle was entering the city from a rural setting and had already reached unsafe speeds (the chances if recovering from a failure without an accident is much better where the density of objects to hit is lesser) and was exhibiting unsafe behaviour, while the occupants were very obviously happy , confirms the conclusion that mechanical failure can be reasonably ruled out.
7) Exhuberant behaviour is esaily distinguished from frightened behaviour, especially when all the occupants were acting similarly.
I think that about covers your alternate probabilities. DP. I hope I have answered all of your questions – if not then please feel free to ask away. It is my belief that I have not been judgemental in this piece and I tried mightily to just tell the story by observation only, within reason.
I thank you very much for the read DP and the comment. I am honored that you took the time to give it some thought and am pleased that you enjoyed it. Please come by again.
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I agree with you completely, I always did. I didn’t really mean those observations. I never met to question your descriptions. I feel bad that you took all this time to answer my stupid, sarcastic remarks so thoroughly. This wasn’t the right forum for me to make a cynical point about our culture and society. My sardonic point was that facts, history and past experience mean nothing anymore, i.e. Ferguson, MO., Travon Martin and O.J.
I love your story and get it completely. I thought I stated that at the end.
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You did actually state that you enjoyed the story – I just found your questions reasonable – in all honesty I answered them at least in part because you are not the first one to bring up the veracity of some of my stories. So, the answers served to help placate those whose disbelief perhaps runs deeper than yours. C’mon POV, it ain’t all about you – Ha!
Ferguson is not nearly as simple as it looks – in my opinion. In reality, from my perspective, the actually shooting is almost irrelevant – there were only two people who know exactly what happened and one is dead. It’s possible that, were they both alive, that their interpetations would still be contradictory – information is processed based on context. It’s sad and unfair, and happens regularly all over the world daily. The real problem which will likely kill many more and never get resolved, is the racism, prejudice and hatred that burns just below the surface and has been shoved aside and denied for as long as America has been settled – and it was imported from Europe and Africa before that. I trucked in the States for years and to me that hatred was as plain as day in some places. It made my skin crawl – the total and absolute lack of any respect for members of another race, to the point where life is made valueless.
Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to clear up any questions POV. My closest friend – David – stopped in the middle of an argument we were having one day and said to me: “Do you know that arguing with you is like wrestling in the mud with a pig?” When I asked why he replied: “Because after a while you start to realize that the pig is enjoying it.”
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Wow Paul, that is pretty amazing! And really well-written – I was totally immersed in the story. Those kids were so lucky. I hope that they went on to do something great with their lives – they were probably spared for a reason! And why don’t you start your own blog!?
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Hi Linda! Thanks so much for dropping by. Yeah, I suspect there as more than luck involved there. They had a guardian angel that night and it wasn’t me. My old laptoop doesn’t have the speed or memory to host a blog. I’ve tried and it keeps freezing up before I can get one set up. i also get warnings from WP that I need to upgrade and I can’t get anymore out of what I’ve got. I’m saving my pennies to get a more powerful computer. Won’t be too long i hope. It is an honor to see you here. Please drop by again!
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Thanks Paul! Good luck with your savings 🙂 Don’t be a stranger and let me know if you do start your own blog!
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Wow, Paul, great story. No doubt it was a higher power. Was it a guardian angel? Was it God saving them from a tragedy or saving you from a lifetime of guilt, even though it wouldn’t have been your error? Either way, thank God you stopped at a green. Now don’t ever stop at a green again. It’s when we take the time to listen to that still, small voice (who kept getting louder with you) that we make the right (and mostly crazy-seeming) choices. I was hoping you wouldn’t say, “And then I watched their car flip over and fall into a river.” Because why post that? 🙂
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Hi Kerbey! Great to see you here – thanks so much for dropping by for a visit and a comment. Definitely a higehr power of some sort at work – he/she didn’t leave a name. Ha! there are some very, very sad stories Kerbey, but i haven’t told any of them yet. I may, we’ll see, but it isn’t hard to find pain and sorrow in this life and I don’t think that is what it is all about. No doubt we all get our share of bad times. To have a chance to tell more of the positive side is a blessing. To my mind there are forces for good in this world.
Anwway, thanks again for the visit and the boo Kerbey. Please drop by again..
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Don’t forget, Paul, that writing can also be cathartic. There have been some very serious posts on this blog, and you’re welcome to share whenever you feel a need to.
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First off, amazing story. Some things do happen that there is no explanation for, and thank goodness you were able to avoid that accident. I struggle with faith in a higher power, though because of all those other incidents in which someone didn’t stop, in which kids did get killed – the accidents and senseless deaths that happen every day. Why did those kids get to live while others died? Sure those kids were drinking and being irresponsible, but what about the babies that die? I can’t get behind “free will” as an explanation on that one (not that you said that, but I hear that often).
It’s a conundrum – you could say my children are a miracle from God, and yet I am aware every day that one or both of them could be taken from me in a heartbeat, supposedly by the same God. And why? To teach a lesson or something? There’s no purpose to it. And as long as I know my kids can be killed – that I might have to live through something like that, that other people, so many other people, have lived through that, I doubt.
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Hi Alice! Thanks so much for dropping by for a read and a comment. Indeed the bigger picture is a conundrum. It could be and is argued at great length and regularly with little or no conclusions ever drawn (beyond those which the arguees began with). I guess that is why it is called faith. The logical existence of God is fraught with paradoxes – a result that is often common in situations where not all the necessary information is known.
This story presents a different and more personal way to look at the question – no logic needed, just observation. And I can tell you that when you walk away from something as described, there is no longer any doubt that something far greater than ourselves not only exists but interacts with us personally. As you pointed out, the results are not always obvious or consistent. Had I stopped for a coffee or whatever, I would never have seen what i did and this would not be a story. In other words, it appears that whatever higher force exsits it does not look for or even appear to desire making itself seen. Also as i mentioned in answering another comment – i have actually hit another vehicle head on (on my side of the road) and the vehicle occupant died – and I had absolutely no indication what was going to happen until after it did.
I had a colleague who had a baby die for unknown reasons. I went to the funeral – it was the most heart ripping, existence -questioning, horrible thing I have ever encountered. Nothing makes one question any reason in life more than that experience. So I agree Alice, there is often no logic to life. I guess I believe that it has meaning beyond our ability to understand. I can easily see and understand those who believe the opposite.
Thanks for dropping by Alice – it is great to see you again.
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Wow Paul – this story gave me chills . . . I believe in those types of “feelings” – I know I have had them a time or two that saved me or someone else. AND I certainly believe in guardian angels – been saved by those more than a few times in my 53 years, especially as a stupid, fearless, indestructible teenager, and so has my daughter as a teenager! Thank the Lord, you got the “feeling” – my dad was an accident investigator in the Coast Guard when I was a teenager & one of the accidents he worked was a small boat of 6 teenagers out in the ship channel running with no lights on at night. They were not lucky, and they were ran over by a ship and all 6 were decapitated, I know because my dad found it relevant to show me those pictures to make a point to me. Pretty horrifying, and I remember thinking how devastated their parents, family & friends must have been.
Great writing and so glad I found this – I had missed it & I had mentioned I wanted to read the story. YOU were someone’s angel that night, Paul – several families’ angel as a matter of fact! ❤
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Hey Sadie! glad you found this story and enjoyed it. Your Dad sounds like a serious guy. I might have done the same – teens can be so difficult to make contact with. Yes, these “feelings” are a part of my life, although they usually stay lower key because I often just follow them without a fight. Quite obviously this time I wasn’t interested, and the “feeling” wouldn’t back off. Ha! I can hardly take credit though, as I was actively fighting against doing the right thing – until the end. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a higher power – call it what you please – that is a daily influence on our lives. It is so well done that we often do not see it in action – until every now and then the corner of the tarp gets pulled back and we get a glimpse of what really happens, not just what we think is happening.
Thanks so much for dropping by Sadie – it is a pleasure to see you.
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I’ve got one more to read today 🙂 Glad CM made a “Paul C.” Category!!
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You’re welcome. It seemed prudent since he was getting so many more views than I was!
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Finally made it here to read this. What an incredible tale, and yet I can’t say I’ve never experienced such a thing, though possibly not as profound or obvious. Thanks for sharing your story, Paul.
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Hi Linda! So great to see you here. Thanks so much for dropping by. yes, it was a pretty amazing feeling – especially the sudden realization when everything dropped back to normal. I am honored that you stopped for a read an a comment. Please feel free to drop by any time.
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