Our weather last night turned ugly very quickly! I have a Dodge Charger, and let me say my "baby" NEVER has seen ice nor snow, and it's a 2006 model. :-( Last night was the exception to the rule. I got caught in an ice storm, and didn't make it home until 11:30. To defend the State workers, when I looked at the weather map at 4:30, it showed all the ice north and east of us (north by 30 miles) and hardly anything to the west; however, the wind was coming from the east, so maybe it backtracked to Effingham. Anyhow, my usual 12 minute drive on the interstate took me 90 minutes. Crawling was the name of the game, and any accidents that happened, the good thing is when they happen on icy roads, they are usually slow motion and don't do much damage.
I got off the interstate at my exit, Altamont, but it took forever to get TO the exit, and I was only maybe 100 yards away. I kept seeing this red car slide rear end to the shoulder, then pull forward into the left lane (we were all in right lane to exit), over and over. Well, on the exit ramp, the road is angled for the curve. A semi was unable to make the exit, and slid to the right shoulder. No problem, right? Well, cars were sliding trying to stay on the road and go around him. I was not so lucky.
I slid into the trailer of the semi. Good thing was that it was a VERY slow motion slide, straight sideways with the trailer, and my side view mirror got wedged under the trailer.
Bad news was the Camaro driver was still ahead of me, and pretty soon here he came going the wrong way on the ramp! He went past me, spinning, sliding, throwing rocks, and got behind the trailer and spun around again. Evidently hit a car that was stopped on the shoulder behind the trailer. Then he proceeded to spin and slide, hit the PU truck that also slid into the semi ...
Then ran into the back of my car, which slid his back end behind me. But, he was not done. He spun those tires like he thought he could get out of the mess, which only slid him deeper UNDER the trailer, breaking out his back glass!
I'm still not positive how he drilled this hole into my driver's side rear panel, just in front of my back lights, but that's the only way it could have gotten there.
Everyone was talking about him being drunk or drugged up. So, when the State Police finally arrived 1.5 hours later (there were soooo many accidents, and no injuries in our group accident), they tried to do blow test, he would not perform, couldn't do walk test, no one could stand on the ice, so they handcuffed him eventually and took him to jail. The car was not drivable with the back glass out anyhow, and I'm certain they put it in police impound to search for drugs.
So, I started my trek home at 5:30, should have arrived home by 6, made it home at 11:30, after having to wait for the two accident reports that I was involved in (mine, and the Camaro's), along with the other drivers in that group. What a night!!! As I said, the good thing about icy conditions is that the accidents typically are very slow motion, except for the ones that happen before the driver knows the roads are getting icy. There was a semi with tandem trailers where the back trailer was literally ripped off of the first trailer, as it slid and got caught up in a guard rain at an overpass. The semi driver I got acquainted with last night said that NEVER happens! He saw it, too, and was shocked.
Yeah, I have a horse that bucks every now and then, nothing vicious, and I usually am laughing before she gets done. Quite funny. Last night, not so funny, especially with the stupid Camaro driver. That guy was scary! I just hope he doesn't figure out who I am. Course, I wasn't the only one that alerted the Trooper that he was drunk or drugged out .... everyone was talking about him. Anyone who drives on ice spinning and sliding, hitting cars, acting like he was in a video game, deserves to go to jail, even if he wasn't drunk, but I'm certain he was. Soon as he got done, he said, "I didn't know it would do that." Asked him where he lived, assuming he was going to say FL or something, but when he said "Altamont", I about crapped my drawers! What an idoit! He wanted to get chummy with me after that, but I just kept my window up! Haha