a car crashed down our hillside this morning MG 4974

2009-06-07 07:17:24
used without attribution here

only nick was awake when the police knocked on our door this morning to let us know that a car had crashed on our property an hour earlier. we slept through the crash, the fire truck, the ambulance, and the tow truck.

the newspaper carrier (who lived to tell the tale) told police that the brakes failed in his volvo station wagon. he wasn't wearing a seat belt, and the windshield bore that sickening radial impact mark that can only be from the driver's head.

his car destroyed a young cedar tree, which probably slowed his speed before the car was stopped by a larger tree, and his head was stopped by his windshield. without a few trees to stop his car, it could easily have rolled over a few times before landing in the creek at the bottom of our miniature canyon, and for the driver who wasn't buckled in, that may have been much worse.

if it was only the brakes that failed, i'm wondering why he didn't get a chance to use the dash-mounted emergency brake or steer towards the cul-de-sac where he could (more) safely plow into the uphill side of the street to stop himself. i guess its easier to consider all the options when you're not the one veering off the road at 6am.

the car was too damaged to tow normally, so the tow truck driver had to call for a flatbed tow-truck to take it away. it was full of undelivered newspapers and a for-sale sign in the back window offered the car for sale at about $1,250.

copyright © 2009 sean dreilinger



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