Close calls on a new day (Read 704 times)

I almost died twice today. We left the Catskills during a snowstorm this morning, not realizing the scope of the storm, not realizing it wasn't local. We spun out twice on the Mass Pike. The first time we spun into a 360, slamming passenger-side into the concrete embankment. I was reading. My husband said, "here we go," I looked up, and we were traveling between lanes, out of control. I calmly put the papers down that I'd been reading, and in slow motion, I forced myself to relax, act like a rag doll as I watched the embankment approach. I thought "this might hurt," but didn't care. We came out unscathed. We lost a light, but much to our surprise, there was little damage to the car. The air bags did not deploy. I guess the snow in front of the embankment softened the impact. My husband was shaken, so we switched drivers. A guy cut me off. There wasn't anything I could do, except try not to hit anyone else. I turned the wheel in a hopeful attempt at the left lane, but knowing we were going out of control again. Once sideways, I made the judgment call to tap the breaks, hoping it would force us further into the skid, off the road, and away from any of the cars in front or behind. We skidded off the highway, into deep snow between an exit ramp and the highway. By some miracle we avoided involving anyone else. In contrast to the surreal calm I felt after the first accident, this time I was shaking so hard that I could barely keep my leg on the clutch. I guess it's different when you're the driver. We continued off the highway and scooted at 5 miles an hour to the first restaurant where we enjoyed a stiff drink and passed the time until the snow slowed. I was very lucky twice today. A fortuitous start to the new year, but unfortunately, I won't be able to fit a run in. Happy New Year to the RA community, may your year start out even luckier than mine.

Oh, no! Even close calls rattle me for hours...but to actually have had an accident...and almost a second--I'm glad you guys are here to tell the tales. How bad is the damage to your car? Are you guys feeling sore (though the tension of the stressful driving can also make for sore neck and shoulders, I find). k

Erica, do you guys drive on a lot of snowy/slick roads? I cannot recommend Bridgestone Blizzak tires enough. They are $$, but we have a set mounted on cheap steel rims that we can pretty easily swap off-and-on our little Mazda 3 as needed. They are amazing. It takes a LOT to even get the ABS to kick-in when they are on. The difference between how our car handles Winter roads with those on and with the stock semi-performance "all weathers" is astounding.

dang woman... you're counting your blessings now I bet

Too many close calls in one day! I'd say it's a good sign of a fortunate year to come.

Glad that your okay. I've been in similar situations, but never twice in one day.

I'm sure that's in part due to my hotness--I melt the snow when I drive.

Except that that lubricates the ice and decreases the coefficient of friction. did

things like that make think twice about guardian angels. glad you, hubby and the car are ok