Raining like heck here and I was late for a lunch meeting. And a little pissed off. I was on the interstate and some guy was obviously moving (had a bowflex, bikes, ect.....) with a double axle 20' trailer with a fold up ramp towed behind a dually. The ramp was wire mesh, but had angle iron on it too like a lowboy does, presumably for traction to load some type of solid rubber tire warehouse equipment. No working trailer lights and the ramp obscured the tail lights of the truck. He was driving 50 in the left lane and I flashed him to no avail. Could not get around him and he got off on the same exit as I did. I was following too close to the trailer after I got off the interstate, knowing as I did that his tail lights were non existent and he was obviously a discourteous driver doing 50 in the fast lane on a 70mph interstate.
I could see the sign for the restaurant in front of me about 500 yards and was feeling relieved so I took my eye off the trailer for split second, only to come back to being pissed off and watching the trailer start to jacknife. I locked them up, steered the MB for I guess 30-40 feet in a slide and came to rest unscathed 1ft or less from the left corner of the now sideways trailer. He had rear ended a carload of four obese ethnic women who I could hear already wailing about Jesus from the open windows (42F today) of a mid '80s Nissan Maxima. I will say this--he tied his load down good.
Wouldn't have killed me or I doubt hurt me too bad, but I think I would have definitely hit him if I didn't have ABS--even with pumping (I grew up driving in snow before you Yankees chime in with that one). Good invention. Gonna stay in the rest of the day and .....pack for Florida
01-16-2008, 03:44 PM
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