July 6, 2006

Almost A “Doit Nap” for Jimbo.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Jim @ 7:02 pm

It doesn’t get much closer than it did this morning.

I was out doing the regular morning “walk”. I stopped at the intersection of two streets that are relatively busy at that time in the morning, intending to cross. When the light turned green, I began to cross the street (in the crosswalk), when I noticed a car in the cross street entering the intersection in the opposite direction, intending to make a left turn. That happens often, and the driver is supposed to stop in the intersection to permit pedestrians to cross.

Problem today was that an SUV not only didn’t stop in the intersection, but accelerated through the turn. By the time I realized that the driver of the SUV had no intention of stopping, I was directly in front of the SUV, which by this time was four feet away and still accelerating.

Reflexes that I did not realize I still had, caused me to do a big leap forward, resulting in the SUV missing me by inches. Indeed, had the leap not caused me to bend forward, I suspect I would have been clipped by the driver’s side rearview mirror as the car passed me without ever slowing down, never mind braking. That’s how close it was.

I looked over my right shoulder in time to share an expletive with the woman driving the SUV, who, while still driving forward, looked back at me with a shocked expression on her face. She never stopped.

I am certain that the woman never saw me until she saw me leap out the way, and had I not seen the SUV, I would be road pizza right about now.

The episode added a bit more “cardio” to the walk, for damned sure.

12 Comments »

  1. Holy smokes Jim…did you get a licence plate #? What a bitch! I can’t believe she didn’t stop.

    Comment by Lisa W. — July 6, 2006 @ 7:13 pm

  2. This is why I never trust drivers. It’s not that I don’t make mistakes when driving – I do. So I assume most people are even more airheaded than I am. If I can’t see them looking at me I know they aren’t going to stop. (and even if they look at me I have my doubts) Drivers fail to see me all the time (I begin to think I’m invisible). But so far I haven’t had as close a call as you have! Whew.

    Comment by Teresa — July 6, 2006 @ 9:19 pm

  3. And, I was wearing bright ORANGE shorts. Maybe that’s TMI. 🙂

    Comment by Jim — July 6, 2006 @ 9:21 pm

  4. And after the incident, they were bright orange shorts with a racing stripe.

    ;^)

    Comment by Ken Adams — July 6, 2006 @ 10:23 pm

  5. If you’d been sitting in your car, we’d say you’d been “chewing on your seat cover.”

    Glad you made it out unscathed.

    Comment by Craig — July 7, 2006 @ 12:37 am

  6. I always assume the driver’s an idiot. That way I’m occasionally surprised when they’re not.

    Comment by Nancy — July 7, 2006 @ 1:28 am

  7. Yow! That is waaaay too close my friend. Hope you got the license number, and if LE isn’t interested, maybe the boys and Guidoetcie cna be of help. Glad you are okay, and be careful!

    Comment by Laughing Wolf — July 7, 2006 @ 1:24 pm

  8. Holy. Shit.

    Comment by Elisson — July 7, 2006 @ 1:58 pm

  9. … man, take CARE of yourself up there…. Jesus…

    Comment by Eric — July 7, 2006 @ 2:45 pm

  10. Good Lord. Can’t you send a small decoy out ahead? Bribe a kid with a Buffalo nickel like we did in the old days?

    [I keed! I keed!]

    Comment by dogette — July 7, 2006 @ 6:13 pm

  11. Yikes.

    Comment by Libby — July 7, 2006 @ 6:27 pm

  12. Good Lord. We’re always having pedestrians hit in my neck of the woods. Whenever the boys and I are crossing a crosswalk I always tell them, “You must watch for the cars or they will squish you like a bug… even if you have the right of way.” Blech.

    Comment by Bou — July 8, 2006 @ 9:42 am

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