Crash Pad

We Fus celebrated Labor Day big time this past weekend! A BUNCH of furniture needed to be moved hither and yon, but Albert and I had been putting off this dreaded task, choosing to loaf about, drink wine, and eat cookies for weeks on end as ALL parents do as soon as they’re away from kids. (Shhh! Don’t tell them!!)

We seized on the opportunity that this long weekend presented, renting a truck and taking care of business with the help of our tiny-and-mighty daughter and her gigantic-and-gentle boyfriend. Our daughter is moving out of student housing and into her first on-her-own house with some friends. It is SO FULFILLING to see our youngest soar the nest! Of course, there have been bumps and bruises, but she bears them with grace and figures things out with such feisty determination.

We started the day off with a hearty breakfast PLUS monster cinnamon rolls and gallons of coffee at a favorite spot. ESSENTIAL NUTRITION! Because by the end of the day, my daughter’s Apple Watch reported that we had climbed fifty-two flights of stairs. And that little pink watch didn’t EVEN ASK my biceps and shoulders what they were going through! My back is broke! My feet are hurtin’! 

The hardest work was done, and we headed to Eugene by evening. The kids were ahead of us in a car, and Albert and I were in the moving truck captivated by a podcast: Phoebe Judge and the Dog Lady of Lansing Prison.

Suddenly….. 

Phoebe Judge and the Dog Lady went FLYING! Albert and I didn’t even know what had happened at first, but Albert could see cars swerving about behind us in his driver’s side mirror. We had been rear-ended and we barely felt anything in that 16-foot moving truck. Albert pulled over while I searched for my phone to call 911. Albert is a former Boy Scout and current Super Genius. He ties knots EVEN BETTER than Wile E. Coyote. None of our furniture moved an inch.

And the only damage to the truck was a tiny bend in the bumper.

But you should see the other guy.

There were definitely angels watching over I-5 that evening! NOBODY was hurt. The young man driving was helping his friend move. He was driving his friend’s car, because his friend had just taken some migraine medicine that made him sleepy. Can you imagine all the thoughts and feelings you might have as a 20-something, suddenly awakened by a 150mph airbag in your chest?? What the hell just happened? MY CAR!! I’m pissed at my friend AND ALSO glad we’re not dead! NOW WHAT??

Here’s what happened. The driver fell asleep in the left lane and drifted into the median. North-south traffic on the I-5 through Oregon is separated by an earthen median berm, which is quite dangerous and has contributed to fatal crossover crashes in the past. Just a few years ago, these cables were installed to prevent crossover crashes, and I’m pretty certain that they saved a BUNCH of lives this past weekend.

So this young fellow fell asleep in the left lane and drifted into the median, hitting the cables and yanking out about SIX cable posts before waking up. He over-corrected, veering BACK INTO traffic and rear-ending us in the right lane. We were going about 60mph, so this guy was REALLY going full tilt to hit us so hard and STILL keep going. After hitting us in the moving truck, he was pushed back into the middle lane before stopping.

We pulled over to the side. About five other cars and their people were involved in this fiasco. Miraculously, ALL of these people were able to avoid the swerving snoozer. A semi truck slowly pulled in behind us to block a couple of lanes to keep the other cars safe so they could pull over to the shoulder. And another guy parked his car in front of the semi, got out, and directed oncoming cars around the whole mess. By the time the police arrived, traffic was flowing smoothly and everyone was shaken-but-safe on the side of the road.

Even more miraculously, NOBODY WAS MAD. Albert and I have been in enough scary accidents to realize that there’s only one thing that really matters: IS EVERYONE OK? Everything else is relatively inconsequential. Sure, it might SUCK, but circumstances are absolutely manageable as long as nobody is hurt. To see all these other people keep their heads together was refreshing and stunning. We stuck around for the police report and were on our way in less than an hour.

Thank goodness we got hit!! If that car had struck ANY OTHER CAR, we’re fairly confident that the speed of the sleeping-driver-car would have sent another car flying. Damage to another vehicle would CERTAINLY be more than that puny dent on the moving truck, and it’s VERY likely that people would have been hurt. (Phoebe Judge and the Dog Lady sustained no injuries!)

I describe in another post how hard it is to get me riled up, but I rarely expect this level of calm from others, especially in tense situations like this. The sleepy driver even shook our hands to say sorry and thank you. Noting the pervasiveness of impatient and angry drivers, it seems unlikely that all five of the other drivers AND their passengers were all so unflappable. I am impressed and thankful. All that concentrated level-headedness unquestionably saved lives. 

CTFD while driving, please. And at all other times as well. Use that energy for good and not for evil. YOU’LL LOVE IT! And so will everyone else around you. Namaste.

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