by "UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
Published 10/16/2017 at 20:57
by "UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
Published 10/16/2017 at 20:57
No Tags
STARS: 4
Long story, so a 996 GT3 Mk.1 for your time.
Saturday night, approximately ~1:45 A.M., my girlfriend and I are woken up by the sound of a car fully sending it down her street, which later on ended up being a Suzuki Forenza. Now normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but I think we were woken up by this for a reason. For some backstory, she lives on a nondescript small road at the end of a main off-campus road near my old (and her current) college. Her road has a very sharp incline/decline, followed by not much straight road before a guardrail and a hill that would most definitely not be fun to go over in a car.
Anyways, when I heard this car flying down the road, I knew what was going to happen next. Sure enough, I hear SCREEEEEEEEEECH followed by a ungodly loud BANG. I didn’t know if they hit a car or the guardrail, but my girlfriend and I immediately jumped up half asleep especially when we starting hearing screaming. First thing I think of is that they had to be drunk (decently big party scene here, college campus, late at night, doing exactly opposite of what you should do down this road, etc.). We get up, both look out of the window, see people getting out and yelling. I go to put my contacts in in the bathroom (I have unbelievably bad sight) and call 911 to report it. They had hit the guardrail and almost went over the edge. Meanwhile, she sees the passenger and driver switch spots after coming to (bad sign 1). We run down, ask if they are okay and they say yes, passenger (who was the driver) and the driver (who I saw as the passenger) yelling at each other, neither caring about the injured girl in the back seat. They are all clearly very drunk. Somehow no serious injuries and the car looks intact fluid wise (important point) but the airbag blew. Definite front end damage.
They are trying to leave, and to limit these assholes from hurting other people, my girlfriend says their car is leaking fluid (it ended up just being water from the A/C, but it was a brilliant ruse on my girlfriends part as I was not awake enough to think about it). She proceeds to go back into the house to get the girl ice, meanwhile the girl is telling another bystander to not call the cops (bad sign 2). Not soon after she says that, the police show up. We go and stand with the injured girl and the driver, who doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s injuries and is trying to get us to let him in my gf’s house for a lighter or to light his cigarette, and then says “I can’t believe our driver ran away” (my girlfriend saw him get out, we also both heard them talking about him driving and messing up) (bad sign 3/4). After this, I realize it’s time for us to separate ourselves from the situation and get inside without them seeing where we came from. We get back in and the dispatcher has called me. I inform her that the driver and passenger are lying to the police about who is driving, and that they are all drunk. She tells the cops this following the call.
A few minutes later, we hear someone walk past our house, seemingly trying to break in, and then walk around the back, only to walk back around. My girlfriend looks down, and only sees two people (bad sign 5). Turns out the cop confronted the driver and he ran (not sure why he didn’t go after him, except he was alone so that might be why), only to try to get into our house and hide on our stairs. Now I’m fucking pissed that he tried to break into our house, so I call the dispatchers and tell them where he’s hiding. Upstairs roommates come in and he has vanished (I made sure he wasn’t following them). A few minutes later and we see him being walked back to the car with cuffs on and there are back up police officers. An unknown amount of time goes by, he fails all field sobriety tests, and gets arrested. Oddly enough, the two others were left behind and ended up just leaving with the car (not sure how that was okay but...)
Now I’m not posting this to bring attention to the things I did, but more that I almost felt guilty about this guy getting arrested all yesterday. Did I do too much? When this happened, it was peak bar closing time and a lot of people would be out, this guy clearly had no care for anyone but himself, and I didn’t want anyone getting hurt if he got back in the car. A coworker I told the story to said “they were already done for the night, they weren’t driving down the road swerving and hitting things, they already had enough problems” as if drunk driving is okay and that they weren’t trying to get back into the car hammered. to keep driving in a busy, confined campus area. I’ve never been in a position like this before and I almost feel like it’s my fault he was arrested even though he/they did the things they did. I don’t really understand why I feel so guilty about the situation.
"Spridget" (dustbustervans)
10/16/2017 at 21:03, STARS: 1
Dude tried to break into your house to hide from the cops. They were a danger to you and whoever could have been on the road down their path. I say press charges for breaking and entering.
"Spridget" (dustbustervans)
10/16/2017 at 21:03, STARS: 8
Dude tried to break into your house to hide from the cops. They were a danger to you and whoever could have been on the road down their path. I say press charges for breaking and entering.
"valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option" (valsidalv)
10/16/2017 at 21:05, STARS: 9
Did I do too much?
You were restrained if anything. If someone is trying to break into my house I would be very tempted to carry them out in a headlock.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
10/16/2017 at 21:06, STARS: 4
Maybe because I’m 36 and a parent now, but I like to think my younger self would have done the same as you. Imagine if you had somehow protected the driver, sent him on his way, only to have him kill someone a mile down the road, or just the next time he does the same thing. He was lucky no one was injured or killed and you did the right thing.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
10/16/2017 at 21:07, STARS: 1
You did absolutely the right thing.
"dogisbadob" (dogisbadob)
10/16/2017 at 21:07, STARS: 0
+1
"CB" (jrcb)
10/16/2017 at 21:08, STARS: 1
You did the right thing.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
10/16/2017 at 21:12, STARS: 12
I would have probably beat the shit out of him for trying to sneak into my house.
"UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
10/16/2017 at 21:13, STARS: 0
I’d say I’m strong enough to do that (I’m an engineer by trade, powerlifter by passion) but I probably would’ve put him in a headlock and walked him outside, or held him down. There’s two doors between outside and us including a vestibule, I would’ve stopped him there if the door wasn’t locked. Luckily he never came in.
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
10/16/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 9
I think you absolutely did the right thing.
Drunk driving is irresponsible and extremely dangerous. Sure, he could’ve just crashed and injured himself and his passengers (like he did) or he could’ve crashed into some innocent driver with their kids on board, hit a pedestrian or cyclist, driven into someone’s house...
I’m surprised the car wasn’t impounded on the spot, and more surprised it was entrusted to obviously drunk people. But sometimes poor decisions get made in the heat of the moment, even by law enforcement. In the future, in most jurisdictions it’s 100% okay to call 911 to report suspected drunk drivers.
"UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
10/16/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 0
That was going to be my plan of action if he did break in actually, lol
"gmctavish needs more space" (gmctavish)
10/16/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 1
Yeah I’d say you let him off easy. Could totally get him charged with b&e too
"boredalways" (boredalway666)
10/16/2017 at 21:21, STARS: 1
You did everything the right way
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
10/16/2017 at 21:25, STARS: 1
I’m always afraid of people breaking in. I also think I would immediately go into the mindset of its either him or me and I would nuke the POS if I could.
I dont think you were wrong in what you did.
"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
10/16/2017 at 21:25, STARS: 0
You absolutely did the right thing.
"MM54" (mm54mk2)
10/16/2017 at 21:27, STARS: 0
You did nothing wrong - drunk bastard had what was coming to him. I have zero sympathy for people who drink and drive. Shame there were people with him - should have just gone over the hillside otherwise.
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
10/16/2017 at 21:31, STARS: 3
Nope, you were fine by my accounts.
1. He tried to break into your house.
2. Far more importantly...yes, it’s terrible he got arrested, but if you drive drunk/high, you are behind the wheel of a several thousand pound inadvertent weapon. Whether you mean to hurt anybody or anything or not, you are in control of that weapon and NOT in a coherent state of mind and could potentially KILL somebody, or multiple somebodys. IMO you definitely did the right thing because this is a lesson that will hopefully prevent that very thing from happening in the future on the behalf of all three people in that car. Hoping they learned their lesson...
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
10/16/2017 at 21:51, STARS: 0
nope - the dude is lucky he didn’t get shot by somebody less understanding than you. (f’n morons...)
"arl" (arl1968)
10/16/2017 at 21:57, STARS: 0
Good for you. I knew a few kids from high school that were killed by drunk drivers. He’s lucky he’s not going to sober up and be told he killed someone.
To quote Red from that 70’s show - “Bad things happen to you because you’re a dumbass.” And that guy is a dumbass.
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
10/16/2017 at 22:02, STARS: 0
I’d say you were pretty restrained. I have two kids, and if someone tried to break into my house to hide from cops a DUI would be the least of their worries.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
10/16/2017 at 22:11, STARS: 0
Nah, you done good.
"Quadradeuce" (quadradeuce)
10/16/2017 at 22:49, STARS: 1
Sounds like your fairly young, like right out of college. I’m willing to bet everyone here over the age of 40 can tell you a story of someone they know getting injured or killed while driving drunk or by someone driving drunk. In my case, someone I know killed themself driving drunk. So don’t feel guilty. Maybe this experience will actually teach them a lesson and they won’t do it again. And maybe you, your family, and your friends won’t have a terrible story to share when you hit 40.
"Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire" (arch-duke-maxyenko)
10/16/2017 at 23:20, STARS: 1
Shit, if someone tried to break into my house they would have one Browning design pointed at them.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
10/17/2017 at 00:01, STARS: 0
No, you did the right thing.
"notsomethingstructural" (notsomethingstructural)
10/17/2017 at 00:17, STARS: 0
i dont own a gun, but if i went through everything you did and 1) i did own a gun, 2) he was in the house, and 3) i warned him of both, i would have shot him. no question.
that’s fucking terrifying, a drunk guy who injured his passenger then ran from the cops after he told you not to call them and broke into your house (in this hypothetical) - i’d be worried he had a gun. i’d shoot him dead.
ETA: like, what possible motivation could this guy have to break into my after all of that? hiding from the cops would not be what i’d suspect. granted i wasn’t there.
"I have another burner, try to guess it!" (ihaveanotherburner)
10/17/2017 at 00:38, STARS: 0
If I were you, I probably wouldn’t press charges for B&E, but he deserves to get the book thrown at him for the DUI.
Shit’s dangerous af and it’s not like a DUI is life ending. In college so he won’t loose a “real” job. Let him spend a few days in jail to think about his life.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
10/17/2017 at 06:21, STARS: 0
you did the right thing.
sleep easy.
"UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
10/17/2017 at 07:01, STARS: 0
He was a skinny drunk college kid, my adrenaline was running (and I’m a powerlifter) i think he was just going to hide in our vestibule outside our indoor front door. Had he tried to get in I wouldn’t have needed a gun for what the adrenaline/anger would have me do to him.
"UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
10/17/2017 at 07:03, STARS: 1
Yes I am fairly young. I turn 24 today actually. I’m fortunate in that I have never been affected (me or someone else) to the point of death by s drunk driver but I do know a fair amount of people injured by them. As someone else posted, if I had let him go and they hurt someone else I would have been eaten alive by guilt.
"Svend" (svend)
10/17/2017 at 07:49, STARS: 0
I’m not keen on people playing loud music from their cars late at night, I can’t abide people speeding in build up areas but I especially hate drink drivers. They want to put their life at risk, fine, but what gives them the right to put everyone elses life in danger.
Chances are if they wanted to swap drivers the original driver has either previous, no valid licence (ie banned or just never got one), etc... or all of the above. They didn’t hit someone this time but what about next time or the next. Ironically with the driver being drunk they are most likely to survive in a collision because of the ‘ragdoll effect’ where their body is quite limp as opposed to braced for an impact.
I hate loathe and detest drink drivers and used to go out on my bicycle when I was younger if I couldn’t sleep. If I saw someone leave a pub and head towards a car park, I’d wait and see if they got in the drivers seat or passenger side, then phone the police with their licence plate.
"Captain of the Enterprise" (justanotherdayinparadise)
10/17/2017 at 08:23, STARS: 0
I don’t think you should feel guilty, the whole thing probably wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t get drunk and choose to drive. They put themselves in that situation. You had to call the cops in the first place Incase someone was seriously injured in that crash. Also just because he was drunk doesn’t make it okay to commit breaking and entering. That’s a crime too. I think you did the right think.
"UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy" (smithtaylorm)
10/17/2017 at 09:26, STARS: 0
The original driver before they switched (who was arrested) im not sure why he was driving, unless he was the one who said he was the most sober. The passenger owned the car. None of them should’ve been driving regardless, I can’t think of why the owner of the car didn’t drive unless like you said he lost his license for some reason or was just hammered as well. Just a bad situation all around.
"Svend" (svend)
10/17/2017 at 10:25, STARS: 0
In this day and age there is no reason to drink and drive.
I don’t care about those people that say, ‘but I can’t afford a taxi, etc...’, suck it up, if you can afford to go out drinking, you can afford to get home.
"Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)" (galileo-humpkins)
10/17/2017 at 12:13, STARS: 0
First, the coworker you told the story to is an idiot and would feel very differently if as a result of their actions he/she lost anything/anyone.
Secondly, you absolutely should not feel guilty. As the old saying goes, “You make your bed, you sleep in it.” They chose to be fucking idiots, you didn’t tell them to - sometimes it works out with no harm (*not condoning*), and like this, sometimes it doesn’t. He deserves what he gets. Maybe this will keep him from doing stupid shit like this again (though, he’s probably done it before and that accounts for the seat switching).