So how was your evening?
Jul. 1st, 2007 10:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theweaselkingI nearly killed a man tonight - and if I had, I, my wife, our passenger, and a number of other people might *also* be dead in the immediate aftereffects.
I will preface this story by saying we're all fine. All of us, even the guy I literally nearly killed, and, after that, dearly wanted to kill.
It's Canada Day. People are drunk and stupid - I saw four serious accidents between my parents home and my own, and at least two more accidents waiting to happen and people doing dangerous things - other than this one.
The Asshole That Walks, henceforth referred to simply as "Asshole", was presumably quite drunk. I, being a driver, was quite sober.
This saved his life when he jumped out in front of my car, while I was going about 70, at the corner Bronson and Third Avenue. This also saved me and the person in the lane to my left, and the people behind us both, from a serious accident when I slammed on the brakes and swerved around him *without* getting over too far into the next lane.
As I pulled most of the way into a driveway, hit the 4-ways, and dialled 911, he came running up to the car, yanked open the passenger-side door, and started screaming at my wife in the seat there. She tells me he was saying "What's wrong?" and "What did I do?" - neglecting, of course, that he can't have known my sudden stopping had to do with him if he really was innocent.
She pulled the door closed, and I locked the car doors and windows as our passenger in the back seat yanked out his phone and started snapping pictures. Asshole ran away, at that point, as I was explaining all this to the nice 911 officer - who, for bonus points, asked *me* "Is he wearing a red Canada shirt and blue jeans?" when I said the guy had jumped in front of my car and was now attempting to get into my vehicle because I'd stopped to call 911. Apparently I was their third or fourth 911 call about this guy.
For extra bonus points, Asshole ran... back to the corner of Bronson and Third, to where his friends were standing. In plain sight of us. He then sprinted off down Third Avenue (which I reported to the police) and then... came back and stood in front of the building with his two friends, apparently trying to talk some little old lady into letting them in.
We told the cops that, too.
Having been assured that we were fine, just a little shook up, the police took my contact information and told me to continue on and go home, which I did, completely forgetting that I was supposed to make a different turn to let my passenger out *and* arriving in my parking spot at exactly the time the fireworks started - meaning the first "BANG" meant I was certain I'd just hit the wall.
The worst part is that, thinking about it, if I'd hit him I *know* exactly what my reaction would have been: Slam on the brakes, stop the car, hit the flashers, my seatbelt, and my door in that order with the left hand while my right pulled my phone and dialled 911. I would then have flung my door open and stepped out.
Into the northbound lane of Bronson Avenue, at night, where the traffic speeds by at 70.
I will preface this story by saying we're all fine. All of us, even the guy I literally nearly killed, and, after that, dearly wanted to kill.
It's Canada Day. People are drunk and stupid - I saw four serious accidents between my parents home and my own, and at least two more accidents waiting to happen and people doing dangerous things - other than this one.
The Asshole That Walks, henceforth referred to simply as "Asshole", was presumably quite drunk. I, being a driver, was quite sober.
This saved his life when he jumped out in front of my car, while I was going about 70, at the corner Bronson and Third Avenue. This also saved me and the person in the lane to my left, and the people behind us both, from a serious accident when I slammed on the brakes and swerved around him *without* getting over too far into the next lane.
As I pulled most of the way into a driveway, hit the 4-ways, and dialled 911, he came running up to the car, yanked open the passenger-side door, and started screaming at my wife in the seat there. She tells me he was saying "What's wrong?" and "What did I do?" - neglecting, of course, that he can't have known my sudden stopping had to do with him if he really was innocent.
She pulled the door closed, and I locked the car doors and windows as our passenger in the back seat yanked out his phone and started snapping pictures. Asshole ran away, at that point, as I was explaining all this to the nice 911 officer - who, for bonus points, asked *me* "Is he wearing a red Canada shirt and blue jeans?" when I said the guy had jumped in front of my car and was now attempting to get into my vehicle because I'd stopped to call 911. Apparently I was their third or fourth 911 call about this guy.
For extra bonus points, Asshole ran... back to the corner of Bronson and Third, to where his friends were standing. In plain sight of us. He then sprinted off down Third Avenue (which I reported to the police) and then... came back and stood in front of the building with his two friends, apparently trying to talk some little old lady into letting them in.
We told the cops that, too.
Having been assured that we were fine, just a little shook up, the police took my contact information and told me to continue on and go home, which I did, completely forgetting that I was supposed to make a different turn to let my passenger out *and* arriving in my parking spot at exactly the time the fireworks started - meaning the first "BANG" meant I was certain I'd just hit the wall.
The worst part is that, thinking about it, if I'd hit him I *know* exactly what my reaction would have been: Slam on the brakes, stop the car, hit the flashers, my seatbelt, and my door in that order with the left hand while my right pulled my phone and dialled 911. I would then have flung my door open and stepped out.
Into the northbound lane of Bronson Avenue, at night, where the traffic speeds by at 70.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-02 10:49 am (UTC)I'm so glad you're OK!