I came down to Austin and took Mom to a reception today for an old friend that is celebrating his 60th anniversary of ordination into the Baptist ministry. On the way back to her house we were traveling back across Austin on Loop 1 (MoPac expressway) which, for the unwashed, is a total madhouse of people driving while yakking on cel phones, soccer moms in kid-loaded minivans and construction vehicles of all shapes. Almost nobody runs the speed limit, 65mph. It's either 20 over or 30 under.

Crazy.

Anyway, we're in Mom's Windstar, buzzing along at the posted and in the left (thru) lane trying my best to leave a safe space in behind the painters van that is in front of me loaded with ladders, et al when the guy in the van locks his brakes and smokes his tires.

He's done this because there's a stalled car on the left shoulder and everyone is slowing down to take a look.

Of course, I'm instantly on the brakes, just shy of testing the ABS but in control and slowing quickly with enough space in front to be safe. I look in the mirror and see another car heading straight for the back of our van at about 55-60mph. He locks all four and swerves left to avoid hitting us, slides by right next to me and rear-ends the stalled car on the shoulder at about 35-40mph.

Crap! That was close.

A woman was standing in front of the stalled car and was on the phone. Just as all this happened, I could see her leap over the guard rail out of harm's way. I don't think she was hurt. I don't know about the person who rear ended the stalled car. And, I can't begin to imagine what an air bag deployment would have done to my 75 y/o Mother.

There was no way to safely stop and render any aid because we were in the traffic that was still moving and would have had to cross over three lanes to exit. I sure wasn't stopping on that shoulder either.

Ironic thing is that about 20 years ago, at almost exactly this same location, I was in the left lane and narrowly missed a car going the wrong way (opposing traffic) on the shoulder. I was in a Subaru station wagon with my kids. It was dark and that wrong way car went by so fast I couldn't tell what it was but you could bet that if we'd hit, I sure-as-hell wouldn't be posting any of this today.

Jeez. What an afternoon.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.