THE GOOD: Fools Rush In, Book 3 of the
Interstellar Rescue series, has launched successfully! Most of the blog
tour/promo hoopla is done and life can return to normal.
THE BAD: That means I have to find a topic
for this week’s blog other than my lovely new book.
THE UGLY: Always be careful what you wish
for!
THE GOOD: With no trouble at all, the
universe served up a perfect topic for me yesterday.
THE BAD: I didn’t have time to write about
the topic on schedule yesterday because I was dealing with the actual event for
four hours in the afternoon. Now I’m scrambling to meet my deadline.
THE UGLY: Said event involved a close
encounter with a flatbed hauler on a narrow rural road, a slo-mo reverse off
the road that left my Honda Pilot hanging with two wheels over a four-foot deep
ditch, and a complicated rescue by not one, but two tow trucks.
Here’s what happened: I was driving home
from town on the gravel road that leads to my house when I met the big delivery
truck coming the other way. Now, Snowbird Road is too narrow for two vehicles
to pass, so somebody had to back up to one of the few shoulders on the road. In
most places a creek runs on either side of the road, blocking any attempt to
pull off. In this case, I was about 100 yards from a driveway behind me. The
truck, to be fair, would have had to negotiate a curve before he found a
neighbor’s yard to pull off.
Well, we looked at each other for a minute.
Then I backed up, headed for the distant driveway at about 10 mph. But I never
made it. For reasons too complex to describe here, I got too close to the edge
of the road and slipped off—first the left rear tire, then the left front tire
in a ghastly slow-motion disaster that seemed (and was) unstoppable. The car
came to rest on its frame, the left side dangling over the flowing creek, it’s
terrified driver clinging to the steering wheel. I’m proud to say I did not
scream.
THE GOOD: I was unhurt and the car (as it
turned out) was stable.
THE BAD: OMG, I’m hanging over a freakin’
creek!
THE UGLY: The driver of the truck started to
go around me and go on his merry way! I had to flag him down, as if he couldn’t
see I had just driven off the flippin’ road! Seriously, little help here, guy?
Finally, after much yelling and waving of arms on my part, he stopped and got
out, squinting at the car and at me. “The company won’t let me pull you out
with this truck,” he said. He didn’t bother to offer to help me get out of the vehicle.
After some discussion, we settled on a plan
to call various neighbors for help, including the house he’d just left, where
the construction crew had a big truck with a wench. The two men who arrived
with that truck were much more sympathetic (and helpful). They got me out of my
dramatically tilting car, but sensibly said any attempt to pull the Pilot out
might result in the car flipping over on its side into the creek. This was a
job for professionals.
At last, everyone left me alone with my
sadly marooned vehicle and my female neighbor down the road, who gave me a ride
home. (I was less than a mile from my house.) I called my insurance company,
with which I have roadside assistance.
THE GOOD: They sent a tow truck within a
reasonable length of time.
THE BAD: In a literal game of “telephone,”
the two people I talked to at the insurance agency misunderstood the situation
and told the towing company this was a “light duty” towing job. What part of “two
wheels hanging over a creek” did they not understand?
THE UGLY: One truck was clearly not enough
for the job, since there is no way to stabilize the Pilot while it is being
pulled up onto the road. Another truck was called for from a town about 15
minutes away. That driver took an hour to arrive.
But here is the best part. The guys from
FastLane Towing and Recovery did a great job of extricating my vehicle from its
precarious perch. In the end the Pilot didn’t suffer a scratch. And neither did
I. The tow trucks left, I drove home and everything was as it had been. Amazing!
So, really, I’d have to say, it was all
Good.
Cheers, Donna
*Oh, and if you were hoping for pictures,
sorry! I use a dumb phone that takes horrible photos. It did, however, serve
very nicely to call for help.
They say that "all's well that ends well." That's true, but it doesn't mean we writers can't have all kinds of fun with the retelling--good, bad AND fugly!
ReplyDeleteGlad everything turned out A-OK, Donna, and both you and your Pilot were unscathed.
Wow, scary moments, glad you're ok!
ReplyDelete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGood heavens, glad everything turned out okay!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support, y'all. It did help to write it out--and I have plenty of fodder for future stories, as you say, Laurie! But both you and Sharon can relate to the occasional perils we country folk face that suburban dwellers never see. All in exchange for the many benefits of living away from the city lights.
ReplyDeleteYes, the city has it's conveniences, but living away from the population has some awesome perqs. I like being able to see the galaxy at night. :)
ReplyDeleteStuck is always an adventure. You just needed one wrecker, at least. Once, I had an F250 get stranded in a field. The other wrecker had to be towed away on a flatbed.
ReplyDelete