A couple of instances lately, I just don't understand...

Most recently - I was heading to work a couple of days ago a little before 630am (still dark), still on feeder road prior to getting on the freeway (I10 from Katy to downtown Houston). Out of my peripheral vision I see "flashing" lights - look over and an SUV is ROLLING! It is on a road that runs perpendicular to, and crosses over, the road I'm on, but two lanes right sweep to the right to merge with the feeder road I'm on. At that time I am maybe 50ft or so before the point where those lanes meet the road I'm on.

My immediate thought is I have to stop an check on this person(s), get an ambulance, etc. I have to weave thru a few cars (who must have been right behind the rolling, now stopped, SUV to get to the right shoulder where the SUV ended up. As soon as I'm stopped I'm dialing 911 (this thing rolled several times). I get out and start back toward the SUV, seeing it has landed upright on the shoulder. NOT A SINGLE OTHER MF'ER STOPPED!!!!!! UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!!!! What the F*** is wrong with people!?!?!?!? I can understand people that didn't see it happen not stopping as it was dark, the Range Rover is sitting upright facing the right direction, etc., so you have no clue what the situation is. But the people that were immediately behind him had to have seen the whole thing - at least 5-6 cars - and NO ONE even slowed down...

The guy was totally out of it when I got to him, eventually becoming more cognizant of where he is, etc. Took him awhile to even say a word, recognize I was there, etc. He was doing ok by the time the cops and ambulance got there. He said another vehicle cut into his lane (it's a race every morning to see who gets to the freeway entrance ramp first), and he had to swerve to miss them - didn't have a clue that he had rolled 2-3 times!

Since I didn't see what happened to cause it, etc., I spoke to the cops, made sure everything was ok and then went on my way. Cost me about 10min of my life to ensure this guy was ok and had help coming. People are [bleep]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok rant over....

Try being the vol fire on same scene and have the desire to throw tools through windshields becasuse even with LEO and EMS and Fire on scene with BIG vehicles, bright colors and lots of flashing lights, they still feel its ok to drive 3 feet from you at 75 mph.....phuggers..... I've had to run for the ditch more than a few times... with gear on, BRIGHT yellow vest, light turned on, on my structural fire helmet and my handlight in my hand waving it at the oncoming traffic...

Good job on stopping. I've never driven by one ever.

Around here most don't drive by either, in fact I've actually never been able to use my cell because everyone else is dialing 911... which is fine, that way I ask for the connected phone to tell dispatch what they have and what they'll need.

It's like NYC in all the big cities now.

They would step over a dead body, and go about their business.

I've been the first on scene at a few accidents and I'm here to tell you it is dangerous schit. Especially if the scene is just below a ridge coming off an incline or at the bottom of a hill.

I've been inches from getting hit while trying to help and have also witnessed other cars pile up due to the original accident.

With that experience behind me, I do not stop if I have my family with me. If it were a long straight away, I would. But otherwise I don't because I won't endanger them.

If it's just me, I stop.



Travis

I've done that too. But I was in Baltimore.



Travis

People are F*ckers, that is all you need to know.

Truth is, the majority of people would only make a bad situation worse. Most people don't need to stop.

They've got to hurry up and get to work so they can talk about the previous nights 'Dancing With The Stars'...wouldn't want to miss out on that. Nothing means anything anymore.

It's been my experience that many that stop at the "gut slinger" wrecks are there to gawk at the gore and see a real dead person...

That always left a bad taste, when I saw them doing that. They have no shame either. They will however, promptly leave if you ask them to actually DO something that needs to be done.

Heck, I even stop when I see Grandma on the side of the interstate with a flat tire. If all I can do is call AAA or 911, that's what I'll do.

I remember a real bad 2 vehicle wreck back in late 1970 where this burley semi-truck driver all dressed out in cowboy hat - boots - shirt & string-tie, carrying a big professional flash camera was taking close-up photo's of one of the deceased victims still inside his car.

My buddy who at that moment was feeling for a pulse on the young man's neck in hopes that he might still be alive asked the guy with the camera what he was doing. His response, (after uttering several, 'well-ah's') was something like, 'Well, sometimes photo's of a wreck come in handy in a court case'.

My friend told him he should be taking pictures of the wrecked vehicles then and not the bloody victims. He didn't like it but he backed off and snapped another picture or two of just the wrecked cars and then went grumbling back toward his truck.

30 years ago I came on a car wrapped around a phone pole in minus 30 degree weather, with a small crowd standing around gawking. So I hopped out, saw there was someone in the car-all windows busted out and asked the crowd" Whats the scoop?"
Shoulders shrugged...no one had even checked the guy!
So I crawled in the car, dude was unconscious , broken arm and some other stuff, but he was alive. Did the ABC thing, covered him up with a sleeping bag I had and went to a pay phone ( in those days) and called the cops.

Fuggin people.....

Yep, sometimes I feel as if God put me here to help folks with wrecks, flats etc..... I don't mind and I don't worry bout other folks not stopping either any more....what goes around comes around.

In Wyoming, if you pull over to the side to make a phone call (yes, people really do that) someone will stop and check on you. Must be a cultural thing.

You're right.
I've experienced that myself, on both sides of the situation.

Me too, in fact all women and some men. I have nearly been run over a lot of times, since the first half of my career with the Highway Department, we either surveyed back deep in the woods or right in the center of the highway. They pay little attention to a flagman unless they force the issue. I have stepped right in front of a vehicle lots of times that was determined to go even when I (the flagman) was telling him to stop. Never got hit but it was close a few times. miles

Why do you think apple i-products are so popular? We're mostly a society of I, I, I, me, me, me.

worst for me was not a wreck but some guy on the southbound of 4 lanes had his wife/gfriend/kidnap victim out on the shoulder, her on her knees and just wailing the chit out of her.


by the time I crossed the grass median and pulled in front of them there must have been 15 or so cars go right by them.

yep nobody stopped. so there I was, had my girlfriend in my truck and told her "if that bastard shoots me, take a pot shot with my .357 and then get the F outa here.

don't know why I didn't slip it into my waist band, was only 21 and stupid. best excuse I have

sure wish someone else would have pulled over, felt pretty lonely out there, even though it worked out ok

Gawkers!

The post above about surveying/flagmen brings to mind an incident that happened to a friend in college.

He was flagging for a crop duster between semesters and got run over, more than 100 feet off the road. Broken leg and bruises. The old fool in the car was watching the airplane....

Funny in retrospect. We gave Dave all kinds of chit about standing on a drivable surface, etc...

Back in the 70's I was working on a farm near I-40, when a semi ran off the road, through the fence and out in the field where I was disking. Luckily, I was at the other end of the field at the time. miles

Very similar thing happened to me one winter in Wyoming about 32 years ago in the middle of nowhere (most of Wyoming at the time).

Car hit a guardrail. 4-5 guys standing around drinking coffee, all of them bundled up with gloves on. One guy in a tee shirt off by himself on the other side of the road. I asked the group what was going on. Guy hit the guard rail and they had sent someone for help. Who is the guy in the tee shirt? He's the one who hit the rail. Is he OK? Shrugs.

I go over to the guy, who is shivering like a dog s**ting peach pits, blood running down his face. Took him over and put him in my truck, turned the heat on high and patched his head and left him in the truck until the HP arrived.

Don't know how long he had been standing out there.

Morons.