Mortality

[DaFace]

Had to detour around this mess on the way home tonight. It's about a mile from my house.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17416405

:shake: I'm not one of those who actually worries about stuff like this, but man...who the hell can predict that you'll just be driving down the road one day and suddenly have an SUV fly through your window.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Holy shit. If that woman was drunk she should spend her entire life behind bars.

[007]

Hell, my uncle had not one but two cars drive right into his living room. About 20 years apart. Both times they were in another room when it happened. Needless to say, they finally moved.

[Sassy Squatch]

Wow... I thought chevy trucks were stronger than that

[Fairplay]

lol, i worked with this guy who crashed into a living room. He was drunk when he did it and didn't really remember it. His nickname was crash, as well as other nicknames.

[luv]

Keep us posted. Definitely want to hear if they find out any reason that the woman was driving so crazily.

[Frazod]

I saw the immediate aftermath of something similar once. Trailer trash idiot in a beat up old Camaro was weaving in and out of heavy traffic doing about 90, hit the median of a four lane highway, went airborne and landed on top of a car in the far lane going the opposite way. Luckily, the guy in the car he landed on wasn't hurt (other than needing to change his shorts, I'm sure), but the driver who caused the accident was ejected and landed on the pavement. His pelvis was shattered (foot was next to his head) and blood was bubbling out of his mouth. I went to find a cop - this was back before cellphones - so I don't know if he lived or died, but I assume from the bubbling blood part that he didn't make it. Probably no great loss, either, from the look of him. At least he didn't take anybody else with him.

[JOhn]

Just another night of mayhem

Seen less carnage and even more on a typical weekend night in KC.
Sad though it's usually the innocent bystanders that pay.

[BryanBusby]

Keep us posted. Definitely want to hear if they find out any reason that the woman was driving so crazily.

woman driving

Just a hunch.

[Hammock Parties]

I'm just glad the SUV didn't land on any trees.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

I'm just glad the SUV didn't land on any trees.

ROFL There's Clay. Always digging up dirt.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Keep us posted. Definitely want to hear if they find out any reason that the woman was driving so crazily.

It's exactly why women shouldn't be allowed to drive!

Or vote.

[JD10367]

"Final Destination", man. When your number's up, it's up. And the Powers That Be have a funny way of showing when they don't like something (that whole "trailer park" and "don't build on an Indian burial ground" thing).

Back around 1984, my house burned down. They think it was the wiring in the 100-year-old walls. It was a three-story brick structure in the city, and the shell was usable, so we sold it and moved on. Someone rebuilt it. A few years later, there was a car fire out front, and the wind blew the fire into the house and it burned down again. I'm pretty sure someone rebuilt it, but they're living on borrowed time, man.

[COchief]

I don't want to go all liberal hippy here but, I wonder if those five people's lives are now lost due to this woman thinking she needed to be be driving a short bus expedition. Would those five people be dead if she had driven an accord or taurus? I think it would be a tad bit more difficult to launch something more sensible. If so, sad that five innocent people are now dead because "I can see better" or "I have two kids and lots of stuff to haul around".

Stories like this are the reason I will never own a motorcycle, I refuse to have my life's story come to an end because some fat bitch is eating Mcdonalds and putting on makeup in her gigantic SUV.

[JD10367]

Stories like this are the reason I will never own a motorcycle, I refuse to have my life's story come to an end because some fat bitch is eating Mcdonalds and putting on makeup in her gigantic SUV.



I would only own/drive a motorcycle if I lived in the middle of nowhere and could see in all directions for quite a distance. Too many absolute idiots on the road, especially up here in the crowded Northeast. My wife and I tried to make note of license plates of cars that pissed us off, but quickly realized we'd literally need to carry a notebook in the car to write them all down in.

[JOhn]

I don't want to go all liberal hippy here but, I wonder if those five people's lives are now lost due to this woman thinking she needed to be be driving a short bus expedition. Would those five people be dead if she had driven an accord or taurus? I think it would be a tad bit more difficult to launch something more sensible. If so, sad that five innocent people are now dead because "I can see better" or "I have two kids and lots of stuff to haul around".

Stories like this are the reason I will never own a motorcycle, I refuse to have my life's story come to an end because some fat bitch is eating Mcdonalds and putting on makeup in her gigantic SUV.
really?:spock:



No seriously...REALLY?


jfc, yea it's all about the fucking SUV :rolleyes:


Pretty sure you went all liberal stupid with that post. :thumb:

[COchief]

really?:spock:



No seriously...REALLY?


jfc, yea it's all about the ****ing SUV :rolleyes:


Pretty sure you went all liberal stupid with that post. :thumb:

Read the article Einstein, she rear ended a mazda and went airborne, do ya think that may have had something to do with the expedition sitting 3 feet off the ground? Five people are dead now that were doing nothing more than sitting at a stop light, probably due to the fact this bitch was driving a monster truck which she probably didn't need.

[JOhn]

Read the article Einstein, she rear ended a mazda and went airborne, do ya think that may have had something to do with the expedition sitting 3 feet off the ground? Five people are dead now that were doing nothing more than sitting at a stop light, probably due to the fact this bitch was driving a monster truck which she probably didn't need.

I did
How about we blame the real problem....she was most likely drunk.

Since we are making assumptions...

Maybe if the people she rear ended had been in a bigger vehicle?
Or maybe the one she landed on had been built better?

When you're talking excess speed & careless driving, it really doesn't matter what kind of car your driving, you can still go airborne and kill 5 people when your vehicle lands on them.

In fact I've seen a hell of a lot more small cars go airborne in 15 years of working accident scenes.

[JOhn]

BTW

Try reading the latest article....

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17419498

Shortly before reaching the intersection, she swerved into the northbound lane and clipped the rear of a Mazda DX sedan.

Her sport utility vehicle struck a raised median and went airborne, landing directly on top of a small Chevrolet S-10 pickup.

Yea it was the small size of the Mazda....:rolleyes:

[COchief]

I did
How about we blame the real problem....she was most likely drunk.

Since we are making assumptions...

Maybe if the people she rear ended had been in a bigger vehicle?
Or maybe the one she landed on had been built better?

When you're talking excess speed & careless driving, it really doesn't matter what kind of car your driving, you can still go airborne and kill 5 people when your vehicle lands on them.

In fact I've seen a hell of a lot more small cars go airborne in 15 years of working accident scenes.

Fair enough, I almost got killed by a fat bitch in an Expedition blazing a stop sign last year and carry some baggage as a result. Still makes me wonder if a honda fit would have killed those 5 people or not though.

[WV]

Fair enough, I almost got killed by a fat bitch in an Expedition blazing a stop sign last year and carry some baggage as a result. Still makes me wonder if a honda fit would have killed those 5 people or not though.

I'm confused....would it make you sleep better if it had been a Honda Fit that did kill them? 1 ton or 3....I still don't think the results would have been good if they'd been killed a little greener.

[DaFace]

I don't want to go all liberal hippy here but, I wonder if those five people's lives are now lost due to this woman thinking she needed to be be driving a short bus expedition. Would those five people be dead if she had driven an accord or taurus? I think it would be a tad bit more difficult to launch something more sensible. If so, sad that five innocent people are now dead because "I can see better" or "I have two kids and lots of stuff to haul around".

Stories like this are the reason I will never own a motorcycle, I refuse to have my life's story come to an end because some fat bitch is eating Mcdonalds and putting on makeup in her gigantic SUV.

I understand the general point you're getting at, but you're never going to be able to ensure that every car on the road is the safest it can possibly be without taking it to the extreme (everyone drives the exact same car that has proven to be optimal in terms of safety).

It's no secret that different types of cars have different levels of safety. You'll pay more in insurance for an SUV than a four-door sedan because of that. But you'll also pay more for a sports car than for a four-door sedan. You can say, "Oh, but that's because of the driver, not the car," but the car is clearly the enabler, just like SOME SUV drivers are idiots in the snow because they think their car will save them.

Anyway, I guess my point is, you're not completely off when you say that the SUV is a (marginally) more dangerous vehicle than a car, but there are way too many factors that go into it to act like not being in an SUV would have prevented everything and that (presumably) people should stop buying SUV's because of that.

[JD10367]

SUVs don't kill people; people kill people.

You can have my SUV when you pry the steering wheel from my cold dead fingers.

[siberian khatru]

The randomness of life and death is both fascinating and chilling to me.

I've probably posted this before, but I've never forgotten the story of the guy walking around downtown Chicago who was killed by a chunk of ice that fell from the roof of Nieman-Marcus.

The timing of that ... what are the odds? If at some point during the day he had stopped for just a moment to hold a door open for someone else -- or if he HADN'T stopped to hold a door -- he might still be alive. Or someone else might have been in his spot and been killed. Or the ice would have hit the pavement without harm.

That's life, man. You never know.

[Frazod]

The randomness of life and death is both fascinating and chilling to me.

I've probably posted this before, but I've never forgotten the story of the guy walking around downtown Chicago who was killed by a chunk of ice that fell from the roof of Nieman-Marcus.

The timing of that ... what are the odds? If at some point during the day he had stopped for just a moment to hold a door open for someone else -- or if he HADN'T stopped to hold a door -- he might still be alive. Or someone else might have been in his spot and been killed. Or the ice would have hit the pavement without harm.

That's life, man. You never know.

One day a couple of years ago I was in downtown Chicago sidewalk approaching the exit of a parking garage. Right before I got there, a car came flying out and fishtailed onto the street. Didn't look for anybody, didn't slow down. If I had been three steps farther down the sidewalk, he would have absolutely hit me, and at the very least critically injured me. Stuff like that definitely makes you think.

[Otter]

The randomness of life and death is both fascinating and chilling to me.

I've probably posted this before, but I've never forgotten the story of the guy walking around downtown Chicago who was killed by a chunk of ice that fell from the roof of Nieman-Marcus.

The timing of that ... what are the odds? If at some point during the day he had stopped for just a moment to hold a door open for someone else -- or if he HADN'T stopped to hold a door -- he might still be alive. Or someone else might have been in his spot and been killed. Or the ice would have hit the pavement without harm.

That's life, man. You never know.

How's this for odds: Back in the 60s when my Dad was is his 20s they were driving down the highway splitting a case of beer and one of the guys in the car announced that he had to a leak. They pulled over, the guy got out of the car and stood right on the shoulder of the highway taking a leak. They were probably buzzed and bold at that moment I'm sure. Anyway, a truck (I'm not sure if it was going the same or opposite direction as them) lost a tire what they guessed was about 50 yards up/down the road and hit the guy taking a piss killing him instantly.

Not killed by a car, but a runaway ****ing tire.

That's straight out of Coen Brothers Film.

[Rain Man]

I live in a different part of town, but saw the news last night, and this wreck was creepy. Five people were doing nothing but minding their own business when this woman kills them. I really want to know what was so important that she was driving like that.

This sort of thing makes you realize that life isn't under your control.

[dirk digler]

Wow that gives me the creeps a little and is very sad. Could you imagine sitting in a small pickup and have a car land on you? :shake:

[The Franchise]

Something similar happened in the county that I live in. There was a car with 5 kids in it going north on the freeway. According to the toxicology report, they had been drinking and using drugs. Apparently they lost control and swerved left....hitting an embankment....and then launching into the air onto the other side of the freeway...where oncoming traffic was. The front of their car crashed directly into the windshield of another car instantly killing a 60 year old lady.

The entire freeway was closed down for almost the whole day.

[Frazod]

Wow that gives me the creeps a little and is very sad. Could you imagine sitting in a small pickup and have a car land on you? :shake:

Years ago a crane malfunctioned and dropped a wrecking ball on a car while some guy was in it. He wasn't hurt, but the car was obviously destroyed. Later, he was interviewed and said he was lucky.

This concept escapes me.

To me, "lucky" is finding a $20 bill on the street, running into an old friend unexpectedly, having a good day at the casino. Lucky is NOT having a wrecking ball land on my car while I'm in it. How the hell is that lucky? God just threw a wrecking ball at you. How do you know He didn't miss? I'd say the complete absence of a wrecking ball hitting anything you own is probably lucky in its own right.

[DaFace]

Wow that gives me the creeps a little and is very sad. Could you imagine sitting in a small pickup and have a car land on you? :shake:

Well, based on the amount of damage, I can't imagine that anyone in the truck had a chance to even know what was going on. In a sense, not even they knew what it was like.

(But, no, I'd rather not imagine it or ever find out.)

[dirk digler]

Years ago a crane malfunctioned and dropped a wrecking ball on a car while some guy was in it. He wasn't hurt, but the car was obviously destroyed. Later, he was interviewed and said he was lucky.

This concept escapes me.

To me, "lucky" is finding a $20 bill on the street, running into an old friend unexpectedly, having a good day at the casino. Lucky is NOT having a wrecking ball land on my car while I'm in it. How the hell is that lucky? God just threw a wrecking ball at you. How do you know he didn't miss? I'd say the complete absence of a wrecking ball hitting anything you own is probably lucky in its own right.

I sort of understand what you are saying but I would think I was extremely lucky if that happened to me. I bet he had a huge stain on his car seat though

[Frazod]

I sort of understand what you are saying but I would think I was extremely lucky if that happened to me. I bet he had a huge stain on his car seat though

To me, it's lucky if it happens to someone I don't like.

[Rain Man]

Years ago a crane malfunctioned and dropped a wrecking ball on a car while some guy was in it. He wasn't hurt, but the car was obviously destroyed. Later, he was interviewed and said he was lucky.

This concept escapes me.

To me, "lucky" is finding a $20 bill on the street, running into an old friend unexpectedly, having a good day at the casino. Lucky is NOT having a wrecking ball land on my car while I'm in it. How the hell is that lucky? God just threw a wrecking ball at you. How do you know He didn't miss? I'd say the complete absence of a wrecking ball hitting anything you own is probably lucky in its own right.



Unlucky = Having a crane fall on your car.
Lucky = Not getting killed when a crane falls on your car
Lucky = Getting an awesome story you can tell for the rest of your life

2 lucky, 1 unlucky = lucky. At least, that's how I'd add it up.

[dirk digler]

Well, based on the amount of damage, I can't imagine that anyone in the truck had a chance to even know what was going on. In a sense, not even they knew what it was like.

(But, no, I'd rather not imagine it or ever find out.)

I hope so. I was thinking maybe they could see the car hurling toward them and not being able to escape...

[dirk digler]

To me, it's lucky if it happens to someone I don't like.

LMAO

[Fish]

How do you get 5 people in a Chevy S-10? Were they clowns?

[Otter]

I sort of understand what you are saying but I would think I was extremely lucky if that happened to me. I bet he had a huge stain on his car seat though

I'm pretty sure that's one of the rare instances in life where even your drinking buddies give you a free pass on shitting your pants.

[DaFace]

How do you get 5 people in a Chevy S-10? Were they clowns?

Could be. Though they do make S-10 crew cabs.

[Buehler445]

I don't want to go all liberal hippy here but, I wonder if those five people's lives are now lost due to this woman thinking she needed to be be driving a short bus expedition. Would those five people be dead if she had driven an accord or taurus? I think it would be a tad bit more difficult to launch something more sensible. If so, sad that five innocent people are now dead because "I can see better" or "I have two kids and lots of stuff to haul around".

Stories like this are the reason I will never own a motorcycle, I refuse to have my life's story come to an end because some fat bitch is eating Mcdonalds and putting on makeup in her gigantic SUV.

There is the other side to the equation too. When I was home from college, Mom ran out of eggs and sent me to town for eggs. I took her Suburban, frankly because I didn't want to pay for gas. I was turning off the highway and some assbag truck didn't see WTF was going on and tried to pass the guy behind me and absolutely fucking obliterated my mom's Suburban. If I had been driving my Grand Prix, which is relatively equivalent to a Taurus, I'd be a dead motherfucker. Not just mostly dead, all dead [/Princess Bride].

Your argument is pointless.

[Frazod]

How do you get 5 people in a Chevy S-10? Were they clowns?

I fit nine people in a Vega once. They weren't exactly comfortable, but it can be done. :D

[Lzen]

Years ago a crane malfunctioned and dropped a wrecking ball on a car while some guy was in it. He wasn't hurt, but the car was obviously destroyed. Later, he was interviewed and said he was lucky.

This concept escapes me.

To me, "lucky" is finding a $20 bill on the street, running into an old friend unexpectedly, having a good day at the casino. Lucky is NOT having a wrecking ball land on my car while I'm in it. How the hell is that lucky? God just threw a wrecking ball at you. How do you know He didn't miss? I'd say the complete absence of a wrecking ball hitting anything you own is probably lucky in its own right.

God would not miss. Maybe He was sending the fellow a reminder.

Another way to look at it is perhaps the guy was lucky because surely he got a new car out of it.

[crossbow]

I was driving to Indiana one night to visit relatives. I lived in Illinois at the time. I NEVER listened to am radio on that trip but for some reason I tuned into KMOX am talk/news radio. The very instant I did so, they announced that my best friend from high school had crashed an airplane in Hoosier National Forest. I had just passed the Hoosier National Forest road sign. I pulled into the nearest rest stop and tried to call his father but of course he could not be reached. One year later I was in Barnes Hospital to visit my mother. When the elevator door opened my friend was standing there. He was there for physical therapy. He said he was flying a mail route from Saint Louis to Indianapolis to Chicago and back when the plane lost all electrical power. It was a cloudy night so there was not enough moonlight to see. His plane slammed into tree tops and he woke up in a hospital after a 10 day coma.

If this was written for a Twilight Zone episode you might find it amusing but not believe it could ever happen. It happened and life is weird.

[Halfcan]

sad

[siberian khatru]

How's this for odds: Back in the 60s when my Dad was is his 20s they were driving down the highway splitting a case of beer and one of the guys in the car announced that he had to a leak. They pulled over, the guy got out of the car and stood right on the shoulder of the highway taking a leak. They were probably buzzed and bold at that moment I'm sure. Anyway, a truck (I'm not sure if it was going the same or opposite direction as them) lost a tire what they guessed was about 50 yards up/down the road and hit the guy taking a piss killing him instantly.

Not killed by a car, but a runaway ****ing tire.

That's straight out of Coen Brothers Film.

Something similar happened here last fall.

A high school girl was jogging over one of the bay bridges in the jogging lane (it is separated from the vehicle lanes by a concrete wall that is a few feet high). A spare tire came off a passing truck, bounced across a couple open lanes, bounced over the jogging wall and hit the girl in the head. Luckily, she was not killed, but her brain did swell and they had to do surgery on her to relieve the pressure. She'll be OK.

The odds of the tire having to come loose at THAT moment, traveling THAT distance, and bouncing OVER the wall to hit her in the head AT THAT EXACT MOMENT are absurd.

[siberian khatru]

I was driving to Indiana one night to visit relatives. I lived in Illinois at the time. I NEVER listened to am radio on that trip but for some reason I tuned into KMOX am talk/news radio. The very instant I did so, they announced that my best friend from high school had crashed an airplane in Hoosier National Forest. I had just passed the Hoosier National Forest road sign. I pulled into the nearest rest stop and tried to call his father but of course he could not be reached. One year later I was in Barnes Hospital to visit my mother. When the elevator door opened my friend was standing there. He was there for physical therapy. He said he was flying a mail route from Saint Louis to Indianapolis to Chicago and back when the plane lost all electrical power. It was a cloudy night so there was not enough moonlight to see. His plane slammed into tree tops and he woke up in a hospital after a 10 day coma.

If this was written for a Twilight Zone episode you might find it amusing but not believe it could ever happen. It happened and life is weird.

I'm going to pocket that story, too. That's astounding.

[Fish]

We've got to do something about these runaway tires....

<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/k8IHPPOdcNM" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe>

[DaFace]

We've got to do something about these runaway tires....

You say that in jest (I think), but I'm realizing that runaway tires are a lot more common than it would seem. About two months ago, on I-25 north of my place, a truck lost a tire, which hit the median, popped up about 20 feet in the air, and landed directly in the driver's seat of a car (obvious outcome). I'd never heard of such a thing happening before, but it sounds like it actually happens more than you'd think.

[Bowser]

I fit nine people in a Vega once. They weren't exactly comfortable, but it can be done. :D

My record is nine people in an Aries K car. Fortunately, there were more females than males that night. :)

[ReynardMuldrake]

A few months ago a teenage girl on a bike got ran over by a trash truck right in front of my house. I assume she lived, don't know for sure though, the news never did a follow up story.

[DaFace]

Follow-up if anyone cares. No less depressing.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17422469

[Fish]

Follow-up if anyone cares. No less depressing.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17422469

Wow. That's just awful. I need to go hug some family now.

[siberian khatru]

An entire family. An ENTIRE family.:shake:

[DaFace]

An entire family. An ENTIRE family.:shake:

I hope this doesn't seem callous, but I do wonder to some extent if it's almost for the best that they all went together. No grieving parents from the loss of their child. No child who has to grow up without their parents...

[Lzen]

I hope this doesn't seem callous, but I do wonder to some extent if it's almost for the best that they all went together. No grieving parents from the loss of their child. No child who has to grow up without their parents...

That's an interesting perspective. Although you still have parents/grandparents and siblings(aunts/uncles) that will grieve.

Keep us updated on what they find out about the Expedition driver. I'm curious if she was intoxicated, texting, talking on phone, or some other issue.

[Radar Chief]

You say that in jest (I think), but I'm realizing that runaway tires are a lot more common than it would seem. About two months ago, on I-25 north of my place, a truck lost a tire, which hit the median, popped up about 20 feet in the air, and landed directly in the driver's seat of a car (obvious outcome). I'd never heard of such a thing happening before, but it sounds like it actually happens more than you'd think.

While on our way to visit family in Oklahoma over the holidays my family and I ended up driving behind a truck pulling a horse trailer that lost a wheel. It ran down the highway parallel to the truck in the left hand lane for a while before bouncing through the ditch and crashing through a fence. If someone had been coming the other way it would’ve been bad news for them.

[Pennywise]

While on our way to visit family in Oklahoma over the holidays my family and I ended up driving behind a truck pulling a horse trailer that lost a wheel. It ran down the highway parallel to the truck in the left hand lane for a while before bouncing through the ditch and crashing through a fence. If someone had been coming the other way it would’ve been bad news for them.


Empty or loaded?

[siberian khatru]

I hope this doesn't seem callous, but I do wonder to some extent if it's almost for the best that they all went together. No grieving parents from the loss of their child. No child who has to grow up without their parents...

No, honestly, the same thought crossed my mind. If I were the father safe at home and somebody told me my wife and 3 kids were dead, I'd want to be dead, too.

It's just horrible, though, that an entire family is snuffed out. The ripple effects of that are tremendous.

[dirk digler]

Follow-up if anyone cares. No less depressing.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_17422469

damn.

I hope the bitch that did this goes to prison for life.

[Radar Chief]

Empty or loaded?

Empty, luckily. He still knew the moment that wheel came off though. You could see it obviously effected how it towed.

[bevischief]

This was a few years ago my cousin driving home from work got hit by a car that crossed the line and hit him dead on the driver's door. He lived but is still having surgeries to fix everything.

[-King-]

The randomness of life and death is both fascinating and chilling to me.

I've probably posted this before, but I've never forgotten the story of the guy walking around downtown Chicago who was killed by a chunk of ice that fell from the roof of Nieman-Marcus.

The timing of that ... what are the odds? If at some point during the day he had stopped for just a moment to hold a door open for someone else -- or if he HADN'T stopped to hold a door -- he might still be alive. Or someone else might have been in his spot and been killed. Or the ice would have hit the pavement without harm.

That's life, man. You never know.

I think about this same thing a lot. Such meaningless things can have a great effect on your life.

But damn that story is depressing. Seriously, a whole family was killed just by sitting in a car minding their own business.

[Bowser]

I think about this same thing a lot. Such meaningless things can have a great effect on your life.

But damn that story is depressing. Seriously, a whole family was killed just by sitting in a car minding their own business.

Makes you wonder if your life really IS scripted out, and if you wander off the script, you're toast.

[DJ's left nut]

Years ago a crane malfunctioned and dropped a wrecking ball on a car while some guy was in it. He wasn't hurt, but the car was obviously destroyed. Later, he was interviewed and said he was lucky.

This concept escapes me.

To me, "lucky" is finding a $20 bill on the street, running into an old friend unexpectedly, having a good day at the casino. Lucky is NOT having a wrecking ball land on my car while I'm in it. How the hell is that lucky? God just threw a wrecking ball at you. How do you know He didn't miss? I'd say the complete absence of a wrecking ball hitting anything you own is probably lucky in its own right.

I had a guy drive right into me on the bike once. I rolled a bit down the highway and ended up with some road rash for my troubles. My wife (and several friends) all said something like "man, you got lucky you weren't hurt worse."

My attitude was the same as your - luck hell! I got damn unlucky that some asshole that was swerving in and out of traffic passed me on the right then forgot I was there in the next 1/2 and changed lanes into my front wheel. No, that was not lucky. That was damn unlucky.

[DJ's left nut]

And as to the randomness of life/death.

I read an article once a guy wrote about adjusting to life after the loss of his wife and son in a car wreck. He noted that his wife always, every time, before pulling out of the garage, turned to her son and made sure that he had his belt on and pulled it to make sure it was tight.

He just couldn't get past the random chance of it all. He essentially said "had my wife just left our son unbuckled that day, not even checked it at all, she would've been just far enough back that the car that killed them both would've missed them entirely..."

I read that probably 20 years ago while I was killing time in a dentist office or something and it sticks with me to this day. Just a hell of a thing.

[BigRedChief]

I never wore a seat belt in my life. I went to work in an ER. Within a week, no one got in my car without putting on a seat belt.

[Demonpenz]

the other day I saw this lady on her phone who wasn't driving well enough on 435.. I was like WTF. So I got on my cell phone and dialed 911 and they wouldn't do anything

[ReynardMuldrake]

And as to the randomness of life/death.

I read an article once a guy wrote about adjusting to life after the loss of his wife and son in a car wreck. He noted that his wife always, every time, before pulling out of the garage, turned to her son and made sure that he had his belt on and pulled it to make sure it was tight.

He just couldn't get past the random chance of it all. He essentially said "had my wife just left our son unbuckled that day, not even checked it at all, she would've been just far enough back that the car that killed them both would've missed them entirely..."

I read that probably 20 years ago while I was killing time in a dentist office or something and it sticks with me to this day. Just a hell of a thing.

Far enough back from what? I'm not following.

[-King-]

Far enough back from what? I'm not following.

Yeah I got lost there too LMAO

[DaFace]

Minor update. There are tons of articles being posted about this thing, mostly which focus on the family and the driver. The big story so far is that the driver had a criminal background of sorts, but nothing drug or alcohol related. Still no word on toxicology tests.

They also put out a diagram of what happened in case anyone's curious. I didn't realize that she 1) went into the wrong lane and 2) ran a red light, all while going way too fast. (This isn't a huge street or anything.) Anyway, here's the diagram for those who are curious.

http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=3601063

[Valiant]

Read the article Einstein, she rear ended a mazda and went airborne, do ya think that may have had something to do with the expedition sitting 3 feet off the ground? Five people are dead now that were doing nothing more than sitting at a stop light, probably due to the fact this bitch was driving a monster truck which she probably didn't need.

No because I have witnessed cars go airborne also.. It is more about the car you are hitting then what you are driving..

There is some idiot, looks to be a highschooler that drives a beast of a truck.. I do not know how he has not been stopped, his bumper is at my eye level about 5+ feed off the ground.. Black Chevy in the northland, I am sure a mini could fit underneath it.. This thing has to have a 3ft lift on it..

[Rain Man]

Minor update. There are tons of articles being posted about this thing, mostly which focus on the family and the driver. The big story so far is that the driver had a criminal background of sorts, but nothing drug or alcohol related. Still no word on toxicology tests.

They also put out a diagram of what happened in case anyone's curious. I didn't realize that she 1) went into the wrong lane and 2) ran a red light, all while going way too fast. (This isn't a huge street or anything.) Anyway, here's the diagram for those who are curious.

http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=3601063


Holy cow. I'd read that she was driving poorly, but that's way beyond "driving poorly". It looks like she crossed into the opposite lanes just so she could pass the stopped cars and run the stop light, and that's not even what caused the fatal crash. That's way beyond "driving poorly".

[Hammock Parties]

How do you even drive into the other lane. WTF

[Rain Man]

So I have a theoretical question for everyone. If you look at the diagram of what this woman did, it's inexcusable. It's death penalty-worthy if you could have the death penalty for stupid. In most countries, this woman would be shot at dawn based on that diagram. (And as an aside, she had her own kids in her car, too - wow.)

But here's my question. Would it change your opinion any if she was driving that way because one of her children was dying in the car? Like, the kid was choking on a chicken bone or swelling shut with a bee sting? If she knew she had three minutes or something to get the kid to the hospital and was desperate, and rolled the dice that ultimately killed five innocent people? Or is it a situation where she still owed it to society to stop at the light?

I'm totally making this scenario up, but I'm just pondering what a jury might rule if that was her story.

[Rain Man]

How do you even drive into the other lane. WTF

Once or twice I've seen morons swerve around cars that are stopping at stop lights so the morons can run it, but I've never seen anyone go into the opposite lanes to do it. That's mind-boggling.

[DaFace]

Once or twice I've seen morons swerve around cars that are stopping at stop lights so the morons can run it, but I've never seen anyone go into the opposite lanes to do it. That's mind-boggling.

It's certainly possible, but I have trouble believing that she was intentionally trying to run the red light. It's a pretty busy intersection during rush hour, so the chances of her thinking she could actually get through it are slim to none.

My guess is that she got distracted by a kid or something, looked up and realized that she was about to rear-end the cars in the turn lane, swerved into the other lane to try to avoid them, and at that point was completely out of control. And based on the history, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if she was drugged up or drunk.

[Rain Man]

It's certainly possible, but I have trouble believing that she was intentionally trying to run the red light. It's a pretty busy intersection during rush hour, so the chances of her thinking she could actually get through it are slim to none.

My guess is that she got distracted by a kid or something, looked up and realized that she was about to rear-end the cars in the turn lane, swerved into the other lane to try to avoid them, and at that point was completely out of control. And based on the history, I certainly wouldn't be surprised if she was drugged up or drunk.


That does seem like a more plausible option, but to have entered the intersection she must've been doing warp speed, unless maybe once she was in the wrong lane she somehow thought it'd be better to keep going. That scenario of deciding to keep going when she could've stopped seems kind of implausible.

[Fish]

How is it that in the good majority of these sad fatality crash stories, the idiot instigator(generally drunk) is always the one that survives?

[DJ's left nut]

Far enough back from what? I'm not following.

Far enough forward.

He was saying shed have left the house five seconds sooner and avoided the wreck altogether.

[googlegoogle]

This article was just as interesting. Female teacher and student.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_17195760?obref=obinsite

[DaFace]

For what it's worth, the current theory is that the driver had a seizure. The toxicology tests all came back negative, and she'd had one in the past. She doesn't remember anything about the crash - only the moments before and waking up in the hospital.

However, all of this is coming from the family - not from the police.

[Bwana]

I just learned today that I will be driving from Billings to Denver for some training next Monday, not flying. I leave for 10 days on vacation and all hell breaks loose. Three of us will be driving in my rig. The owner of my company, claims it was to "save money." :spock: (New math?) After pointing out to him the two extra nights stay in hotels, per diem and gas expense, he knew he ****ed up.

The tickets with tax would have been $197 each, the day before I left on vacation. The extra hotel cost alone will come to that, without the gas or per diem. I also pointed out that by having us drive, it will likely cost him "at least" an extra $700 in expenses. (That's if all goes well and we don't get stranded in BF Wyoming. I just hope We don't run into a world class storm along the way around Casper, or Cheyenne. :shake: I hate risking my ass, when it makes absolutley no sense.

[DaFace]

In case anyone still happens to be curious about this mess, the driver apparently had been told not to drive until seeing a specialist after she had a seizure in 2006, but she never actually went to a specialist to get it checked out further. Based on that, she's been charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18072928

[MIAdragon]

In case anyone still happens to be curious about this mess, the driver apparently had been told not to drive until seeing a specialist after she had a seizure in 2006, but she never actually went to a specialist to get it checked out further. Based on that, she's been charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18072928

rot in hell bitch

[Buck]

I just read the link in the first post, that's fucking nuts.

Crazy that they jammed 5 people into a small pickup truck and that happens to be the one car she landed on.

Edit: And reading the second link it appears it was a husband and wife and 3 kids....

[crazycoffey]

In case anyone still happens to be curious about this mess, the driver apparently had been told not to drive until seeing a specialist after she had a seizure in 2006, but she never actually went to a specialist to get it checked out further. Based on that, she's been charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18072928

The shame of it all, she knew she had a problem that could lead to a serious wreck and she did nothing? wow.

[ForeverChiefs58]

The woman whose SUV went flying in Thornton three months ago and crushed a small pickup, killing an entire family, was arrested today on homicide charges.

Adams County District Attorney Don Quick announced Monica Chavez is being charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide in connection with the deaths of the Stollsteimer family.

Each count potentially carries a one- to three-year prison sentence.

The charges were filed on Thursday, according to court records, and Chavez turned herself in to police on this evening, later posting a $5,000 bond.

Police said Chavez's southbound Ford Expedition reached speeds of up to 100 mph on Grant Street during the evening rush hour Feb. 17.

At the intersection at East 84th Avenue, her SUV clipped the rear of another vehicle and launched off a median. It landed on a Chevrolet pickup carrying the Stollsteimer family and then slid into the Urban Mattress store at 450 E. 84th Ave.

The accident instantly killed Randy Stollsteimer, 34; his wife, Crystaldawn, 31; and their three sons: Sebastian, 12; Darrian, 9; and Cyrus, 6.

Chavez and her two children, ages 5 and 10, who were in the vehicle with her, were treated at the hospital and later released.

Official toxicology tests determined Chavez had neither drugs nor alcohol in her system at the time of the crash.

Speaking through a spokesman, Chavez has said that she believes she suffered some type of seizure at the time of the incident and that she doesn't remember what happened.

"They maintain their innocence," said Mark Lopez, pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Denver, who is speaking for the Chavez family.

"They were not aware of any diagnosis prior to this that would tell her she was susceptible to any kind of seizures, though she is on medication now," Lopez said Friday night.

He was unsure what kind of medication Chavez is now taking, but said it is for seizures.

Hank Stollsteimer, Randy Stollsteimer's uncle, said Friday night the family has put their trust in the investigators while waiting for them to piece together the events and determine what justice is required.

"It's a little bit of a comfort that something is being put together about what happened," he said.

"Nothing's going to make it better, but this is what we've been patiently waiting for. We just wanted to get the facts straight."

Lopez said Chavez and her husband will fight "tooth and nail" to keep their family together.
Girl
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2011/0513/20110513_073503_mug-monica-chavez_200.jpg

Family killed
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2011/0218/20110218__20110219_A01_CD19CRASH~p1_200.JPG



Read more: Driver charged in crash that killed family in Thornton - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18060192?source=pop_section_news#ixzz1MaBTY6yg

[ForeverChiefs58]

Driver in crash that killed family had been warned not to get behind wheel

A woman facing homicide charges in a crash that killed five people had been warned by doctors not to drive until she saw a neurologist after a 2006 seizure-like episode — but she never went to see the specialist, according to court documents.

Monica Chavez, 24, told investigators she never went because "she and her family could not afford a specialist," according to an arrest affidavit made avalable today.

Chavez's medical records show entries stating that she should not drive until cleared by a neurologist.

Records also show that she signed discharge papers that admonished her to see a neurologist.

Chavez faces five counts of criminally negligent homicide in the Feb. 17 deaths of Randy Stollsteimer, 34, his wife Crystal, 31, and their three sons, Sebastian, 12, Darrian, 9, and Cyrus, 7.

In addition to the 2006 seizure, the affidavit alleges another similar episode in a parking lot in approximately August 2010.

In each case, Chavez insisted she was simply dehydrated and had pushed herself "too hard."

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2011/0516/20110516__MonicaChavez~p1_200.jpg

[beach tribe]

Years ago a crane malfunctioned and dropped a wrecking ball on a car while some guy was in it. He wasn't hurt, but the car was obviously destroyed. Later, he was interviewed and said he was lucky.

This concept escapes me.

To me, "lucky" is finding a $20 bill on the street, running into an old friend unexpectedly, having a good day at the casino. Lucky is NOT having a wrecking ball land on my car while I'm in it. How the hell is that lucky? God just threw a wrecking ball at you. How do you know He didn't miss? I'd say the complete absence of a wrecking ball hitting anything you own is probably lucky in its own right.

If God throws a wrecking ball at you, and misses, you better believe you are a lucky SOB.

[luv]

In each case, Chavez insisted she was simply dehydrated and had pushed herself "too hard."


This excuse has zero bearing. She wasn't supposed to be driving, dehydrated or not.

[luv]

If God throws a wrecking ball at you, and misses, you better believe you are a lucky SOB.

This made me chuckle, but it's so true.

[ChiTown]

Driver in crash that killed family had been warned not to get behind wheel

A woman facing homicide charges in a crash that killed five people had been warned by doctors not to drive until she saw a neurologist after a 2006 seizure-like episode — but she never went to see the specialist, according to court documents.

Monica Chavez, 24, told investigators she never went because "she and her family could not afford a specialist," according to an arrest affidavit made avalable today.

Chavez's medical records show entries stating that she should not drive until cleared by a neurologist.

Records also show that she signed discharge papers that admonished her to see a neurologist.

Chavez faces five counts of criminally negligent homicide in the Feb. 17 deaths of Randy Stollsteimer, 34, his wife Crystal, 31, and their three sons, Sebastian, 12, Darrian, 9, and Cyrus, 7.

In addition to the 2006 seizure, the affidavit alleges another similar episode in a parking lot in approximately August 2010.

In each case, Chavez insisted she was simply dehydrated and had pushed herself "too hard."

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site36/2011/0516/20110516__MonicaChavez~p1_200.jpg

Monica Chavez, 24, told investigators she never went because "she and her family could not afford a specialist," according to an arrest affidavit made avalable today.


OK, so you can afford to drive a big-assed SUV - Ford Expedition, but you can't afford a specialist for your health? Fkg, BS! Fry bitch.