96firephoenix
Master
So I was driving home from the in-laws in Boston, and we got to a nasty snow-storm in Western PA... Aside from all the idiots sliding around, it was a relatively uneventful drive.
Until we got to Pittsburgh.
It all started with seeing a little dog on the side of the road. This poor thing already had 2 inches of snow on his head and back, and was traipsing through about 3 inches of it. So I got off at the next exit, turned around and went looking for it, thinking that since I was already getting in at 0330, getting in at 0400 was worth saving some poor little puppy from the snow.
I-376 at this point was 3 lanes wide, but due to the snow, people were only using the middle lane. I was walking along the divider wall, facing into traffic (dumb, I know, but I wanted to save this poor dog before he froze or got run over). The dumb dog started running away from me, despite my offer of treats.
This is where situational awareness comes in handy.
I was just about to turn around and head back to my car, thinking that any dog that didn't want treats was too dumb to live, when I scanned the traffic and noticed an SUV about a half-mile away going way too fast for conditions. I stopped where I was and watched, waiting until he passed to make my next move.
Standing still and not turning around saved my life.
There was a Taxi parked along the side of the road, also to see after the dog. The SUV then struck the taxi in the rear corner, then crashed into the divider, bouncing off, then striking the divider and skidding along it. At some point in all this, I had jumped over the divider. I remember looking up from the other side to see the SUV strike the wall the second time. The back bumper of the SUV had come to rest about 3 feet past where I had been standing
This is where it gets more interesting.
The driver sees me standing there, and asks me to push him out of the snow that he was stuck in. I pointed out that while his front wheel was making love to the engine, snow was the least of his concerns, movement-wise. He then asked me to help him out of the vehicle. I obliged, opening the passenger door and asking if he was hurt.
He said "nah man. Hey, I got all my paperwork in order in there," and crossed the street, presumably to see if the taxi driver was OK. Then he took off running. He climbed into MY car, on the passenger side. Fortunately my Fiance was level-headed enough to take the keys out of the car, at which point the guy took off over the fence, into a neighborhood.
The +1 to PPD comes with the quickness of their response and also with the completely at-ease attitude that they handled the 9mm OWB on my hip. I told the officer about the gun, and that I had a permit. He said "don't worry, We'll deal with it later." The only reason I told the officer was that it was under my jacket, and I didn't want a freak-out. They did ask to see my licence when I gave my official statement, and didn't ask me to take it out for "officer safety." It very much had the feel of "Ours stay put so long as yours stays put."
TL
R I was a witness to a crash where driver fled, I almost got taken with crash; Pgh PD didn't hassle me about gun; Situational awareness saved my life.
Until we got to Pittsburgh.
It all started with seeing a little dog on the side of the road. This poor thing already had 2 inches of snow on his head and back, and was traipsing through about 3 inches of it. So I got off at the next exit, turned around and went looking for it, thinking that since I was already getting in at 0330, getting in at 0400 was worth saving some poor little puppy from the snow.
I-376 at this point was 3 lanes wide, but due to the snow, people were only using the middle lane. I was walking along the divider wall, facing into traffic (dumb, I know, but I wanted to save this poor dog before he froze or got run over). The dumb dog started running away from me, despite my offer of treats.
This is where situational awareness comes in handy.
I was just about to turn around and head back to my car, thinking that any dog that didn't want treats was too dumb to live, when I scanned the traffic and noticed an SUV about a half-mile away going way too fast for conditions. I stopped where I was and watched, waiting until he passed to make my next move.
Standing still and not turning around saved my life.
There was a Taxi parked along the side of the road, also to see after the dog. The SUV then struck the taxi in the rear corner, then crashed into the divider, bouncing off, then striking the divider and skidding along it. At some point in all this, I had jumped over the divider. I remember looking up from the other side to see the SUV strike the wall the second time. The back bumper of the SUV had come to rest about 3 feet past where I had been standing
This is where it gets more interesting.
The driver sees me standing there, and asks me to push him out of the snow that he was stuck in. I pointed out that while his front wheel was making love to the engine, snow was the least of his concerns, movement-wise. He then asked me to help him out of the vehicle. I obliged, opening the passenger door and asking if he was hurt.
He said "nah man. Hey, I got all my paperwork in order in there," and crossed the street, presumably to see if the taxi driver was OK. Then he took off running. He climbed into MY car, on the passenger side. Fortunately my Fiance was level-headed enough to take the keys out of the car, at which point the guy took off over the fence, into a neighborhood.
The +1 to PPD comes with the quickness of their response and also with the completely at-ease attitude that they handled the 9mm OWB on my hip. I told the officer about the gun, and that I had a permit. He said "don't worry, We'll deal with it later." The only reason I told the officer was that it was under my jacket, and I didn't want a freak-out. They did ask to see my licence when I gave my official statement, and didn't ask me to take it out for "officer safety." It very much had the feel of "Ours stay put so long as yours stays put."
TL
R I was a witness to a crash where driver fled, I almost got taken with crash; Pgh PD didn't hassle me about gun; Situational awareness saved my life.
