Oh the memories...

"zeontestpilot" (zeontestpilot) 11/20/2014 at 09:25 • Filed to: Michigan, winter, accidents. Pt cruiser

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With the snow coming, it reminded me that at the beginning of this year, my car went into a ditch at approximately this spot. I still clearly remember what happen.

I just turned left on a stretch of i96, when I noticed that traffic in front of me was slowing down (their brake lights were on). I wasn't really worried, this was the same path I always take to work. But when I pressed the brakes, I noticed something odd happened, I wasn't slowing down. I quickly estimated that at the speed I was [still] going, I would eventually hit the stationary car in front of me. I could only assume that I hit a patch of black ice.

I had to make a split second decision. Keep going straight and possibly rear end the car in front of me. Or take a gamble, turn the steering wheel to the right, hoping that the tires grip something so the car goes off the road. I choose the latter because of the less damage involved.

In hindsight, I didn't really expect what happened next. The car spun 180 degrees and wound up right in the ditch that you commonly find on the sides of a highway. Realizing that this may never happen again, I shouted "Wooo!" while the car was spinning.

[pics from the accident]

As a added insult to injury, within 10 minutes the power to the car just died. The tow truck took over an hour to get to me as well. When it did come, they pulled the car out, and for some reason the car started right up again. I limped back home, and worked there for the rest of the day.

Once I get it completed, I have a post about some of the stuff that I did to survive that hour in the car.

Rainbow > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 09:34

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I'm assuming you just curled up in a fetal position and held a lighter near your face until it died. At least that's what I would do.

zeontestpilot > Rainbow 11/20/2014 at 09:43

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Naw. See, I learn from the last time, yes the last time.

This was my third time going off the road, 2nd time I didn't have power. After the previous time, I keep blankets in the trunk 24/7. So I just snuggled up with the blankets for the majority of it.

Though the debris from the other cars ( and those stupid snow plows) will annoy you. That's why half the car is cover in snow (again, stupid snow plows). Plus when the rocks hit the windows, you will jump the first couple times.

It's a learning experience.

twochevrons > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 09:45

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Companion cube!

Rainbow > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 09:47

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Ah, alright. I've luckily never had to deal with that, since I was away at college during Atlanta's snowstorm earlier this year. If I HAD been caught in it, I have two pairs of mechanic's gloves and one of those shiny, thin emergency blankets, but that's about it. And that's really overkill for Georgia, anyway.

zeontestpilot > Rainbow 11/20/2014 at 09:53

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Ha, if it makes you feel better, I pretty much curled up in a ball the first time I got stuck with no power. The car overheated (mechanic left the coolant cap on engine open), and no blankets. I did everything I could to keep warm. Again....had to wait an hour for help. :/

zeontestpilot > twochevrons 11/20/2014 at 09:56

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Heck yes! My wife made it for me. If we ever see a doppelgänger car, we know which one is ours, :).

Rainbow > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 10:00

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That sounds positively awful. I've been in Michigan snow several times before, and actually one time I was stranded outside for around an hour... I had my dad drop me off at the park with my metal detector because there was only half an inch or so and I figured that there wouldn't be many people there during the awkward time between dry grounds and ACTUAL snow, but then a couple minutes after he left, the temperature dropped like crazy and it started to come down really hard. I was dressed in at least 3 layers, I think, but it took my dad at least 45 minutes to get back down to me after I called him, and by that point I was frantically trying to light one of the barbecues with a near-empty matchbook I found next to it. Not sure what the actual temperature was, but I think my snot started freezing.

Roundbadge > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 10:06

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I had an incident sort of similar in 1994. Was driving north on I-75 in a whiteout, going approximately 35 MPH. I couldn't see the car in front of me or behind me, but I knew they were there.

I started seeing a red haze in front of me. I applied the brake, but the car wouldn't slow. I began to see the taillights of the car in front as well as the headlights of the car behind. The car still wasn't slowing, and I figured the same was happening behind me.

I was in the left lane, and I knew there was a car beside me so I couldn't get over. I decided I didn't want to be sandwiched, so I took a deep breath and turned the wheel left. Eventually the tires bit and I managed to get into the median shortly before the car behind me plowed into the car in front of me.

This whole scene occurred at the site of another accident, and several other cars were in the median as well as me. The State Patrol was already on site frantically trying to keep people safe and trying to make them stop hitting each other.

I saw a group of about 5 or 6 people pushing a car, so I ran over to help them figuring maybe they'd give me a hand. I helped push 2 cars out of the median, and all those passengers got back in their respective cars and drove away, leaving me by myself in the median. Well, crap.

I trudged over to the officers, who immediately began yelling "SIR PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR VEHICLE AND WAIT UNTIL TRAFFIC CLEARS! WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO GET THE SCENE CLEARED!" I tried to explain that I was stuck in the median, but they weren't hearing it. I gave up and decided to just go back to the car and wait.

At that point I saw a giant approaching cloud of snow as a fellow came flying up the median in a 4WD GMC pickup, drove around me and up to the officers and offered to help. They began yelling at him to return to his vehicle as well. He turned, saw me and shouted, "You need help?" I affirmed, and he grabbed a heavy length of rope, secured it to my tow hook, and pulled me right out, around the traffic and accident and to open road.

I jumped out and tried to express my thanks, to which he (rightly) shouted, "You can thank me by getting your ass out of traffic." He coiled the rope up, jumped in his truck, and disappeared just as quickly as he appeared. I got back in my car and finished my trip with no further trouble.

Two years later I got pulled over by a Sheriff's deputy for making a right on red where they had just placed a sign forbidding such a turn. The deputy said to me, "I'm gonna let you off. Your record's pretty clean, just that failure to maintain control in 2004."

Clearly the State Patrol had taken down my plate and reported it, but they never sent me a ticket or a summons or anything. I maintain to this date that I specifically maintained control well enough to not be involved in a collision like the others...but that doesn't really matter, I guess.

zeontestpilot > Rainbow 11/20/2014 at 10:13

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Snot freezing? Well water freezes at 32. And I can personally attest that if you are outside for a while, your snot freezes at [roughly] around 10 degrees.

Our last house had a wood-burning stove, so I spend a lot of time outside splitting the pieces too big for the stove.

Rainbow > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 10:16

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Ahh, alright. Damn. Coldness is a bitch, but snow is fun. It's not fair! :P

zeontestpilot > Roundbadge 11/20/2014 at 10:25

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Dang that's bad! And you just reminded me, my tow hook is bent. When moving from FL back to MI, I got stuck in some mud trying to find a place to park to walk the dog. A truck came and pulled me out, but the hook was bent.

....I'm starting to realize that majority of my car problems started happening once I left FL...hmmm...strange...

BKosher84 > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 10:26

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I spun out last Friday in the "Express Lanes" on I-271 in Cleveland into a snow drift that the plows didn't get to yet. I was driving way over what was safe driving conditions (60mph) as slush/snow covering the highway, so badly there wasn't ANY lanes cleared for driving. I spun around and ended up facing oncoming traffic (luckily everyone else was driving slow.. Unlike my stupid-ass). I was lucky and was able to drive out of the snow drift I spun into (YAY Ultra High Performance All Seasons!) and keep going to work.. (See below for area it happened)

zeontestpilot > Rainbow 11/20/2014 at 10:30

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I think we should retaliate by building an army of snowmen. That'll show them. :)

zeontestpilot > BKosher84 11/20/2014 at 10:40

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Ha, your a bit lucky you made it to work. I missed at least a week of work last winter because of various car problems. Things like the engine wouldn't start, dead battery, spinning off into a ditch (story above), car overheating, etc. Surprisingly both times I got a flat, I still made it to work...

Yeah, my project manager was less than thrilled. I was told to rent a car (I have no extra money to do so) to get to work, and I was also told I need to get a new car (again, no extra money). I still have the car because it's survived so much, I'm pretty sure it could possibly be indestructible...or something...

BKosher84 > zeontestpilot 11/20/2014 at 10:58

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I was lucky.. And the funny thing I I drive a Mini Cooper... Don't ask how I got out of the snow drift but I just turned the wheel to the left feathered the gas and it pulled itself out.

Also, ugh.. I hate when people tell you how to spend money when it isn't their business regardless of how it impacts THEIR lives.

zeontestpilot > BKosher84 11/20/2014 at 11:48

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Agreed. Plus it being my first car ever, I'm hesitant to even sell it. It has a lot of sentimental value to me.