Horribleness

On Monday morning I had to make a long drive East. Normally when I have an early training start a 120 miles away I’ll go in the night before, but I didn’t want to leave on Sunday, and the weather forecast for Monday was terrific.

Would be a great day to drive.

And it was, but the rising sun in your face as you head East is a tad irritating if you see the sun every day. We don’t, so I didn’t mind.

I had the baseball pre-season talk on, a big coffee and plenty of time. I could see for miles and miles.

I noticed the stopped traffic just 45 miles into my trip.

“Oh boy.”

We weren’t stalled for construction work. This was something more.

Heard sirens and had to move out of the way for a fire truck.

Two helicopters arrived - ‘Mercy Flight’ on the sides.

I called ahead and mentioned I wasn’t going to arrive on time.

“Do something,” the guy said. “I have 100 guys sitting here. You’re the speaker.”

“I tried called the Great Gazoo but he didn’t answer,” I said, referencing the ‘Flintstones.’

“What kind of idiot has an accident on a perfectly clear day for driving?” He asked.

I took a walk. Cleaned the dash and all my mirrors. Walked ahead a little and checked the news.

“Jack-knifed tractor trailer.” Was the report.

The tow trucks arrived.

It was all happening about a 1/4 mile ahead.

And then, about 40 minutes after it started, I saw brake lights flashing.

A moment later, I was going by the crash site.

It took my breath away.

An SUV, like mine, was absolutely destroyed. It appeared that it went front first into the back of the overturned semi.

“Good Lord!”

I considered all the lives obliterated that morning. Prayed that everyone would survive, but not imagining how.

Split-second.

Life can change in a single moment with one wrong move.

“I can’t believe you’re late,” the host said to me when I arrived.

“What about the poor people in the crash?” I asked.

“Wasn’t worried about them,” he said. “I just needed you to arrive.”

What a dope.