The Not-So-Good Commute

So I’m minding my own business, heading to work a little earlier than usual for a phone conference… cruising innocently up highway 85 on a warm and clear morning, my new dub CD spinning in the dash. About five minutes into my drive, traffic started to get thick—nothing unusual—and then suddenly comes to a complete halt. The sudden part turned out to be a little too sudden for somebody somewhere behind me. A terribly loud and abrupt screeching skidding sound preceded the even more horrible dull crunching thud of that someone plowing directly into a car behind me. Actually, plowing into a car FOUR cars behind me. Now, I’m not sure who hit who first, but I heard the impacts coming up the freeway towards me fast… Having nowhere to go, nor the time to go there, I braced myself for.... WHAM!

Feeling unscathed but shaken, I pulled over to the side of the freeway… fortunately my truck remained completely drivable. The four vehicles behind me were not so fortunate. Nor were their occupants. Emergency vehicles soon arrived… two ambulances, two fire trucks, two rescue vehicles, the CHP… the works. Two of the drivers were soon taken away on back-boards for possible neck injuries while they’re un-drivable vehicles were pushed to the side of the road. Yikes!

I’m definitely counting my blessings I was able to drive away with nothing worse than a smashed bumper.