Driving
I won my trial
May/29/2008 05:18 PM
Click here to read my article about receiving to
ticket.
My day (5/29/2008) started out much earlier than it usually does. I got up at 7 AM, took a shower, got dressed and left by 8 AM. I stopped at the bank and withdrew $200 and then on my way to Louisville I stopped and got me a coffee from Starbucks. I reached downtown at 8:45 AM and had to pay $6 to park. I was in the courthouse by 8:50 AM and was waiting outside the courtroom with a couple hundred people. They started letting people in the courtroom at 9 AM, as I entered the courtroom people had already bunched up at the beginning of the smallest bench isles I’ve ever seen. I walked around and stepped over a 30” wall to get a seat when the bailiff said “Don’t do that, that’s not a bar” I was already over so I just sat down and didn’t say anything. Then a short time later I was asked to move down to allow more people in. These benches were ridiculously narrow, like the backseat of a Porsche. I was somewhat nervous from just being in the position of waiting to defend myself and could feel it in my stomach.
At 9:10 AM the judge (Kevin W. Delahanty) entered the courtroom, everyone was asked to rise, a few words were said and everyone sat down. I saw one of my clients (Derwin Webb) in the courtroom who is an attorney, it looked as if he was there defending other people, I handle his website hosting and email. There were people already in the courtroom asking the scheduled visitors if they were going to plea innocent or guilty, then they had them sit down again. It was hard for me to hear (I don’t hear that well) with all of the commotion in the courtroom. At 9:15 AM the courtroom got quiet while the judge addressed everyone about the rules of the courtroom and what their options are when approaching the podium. Then it got loud again. Anyone who was not on the docket was asked to leave the courtroom to make room for more people. The judge began to call names to the podium and two other people who had already been calling names the whole time were still calling names.
At 9:40 AM my name was called by one of the people handling pre-judgment information. The gentlemen asked me how do I plea as I’m standing next to him and I said “Innocent”, he asked if I wanted to do community service or go to trial, I said “Are those my only two options?”. He said they were so I said “Go to trial”, he said OK and got up and said “I’m going to get your police officer and make sure he’s here for the trial”, the gentlemen walked passed me and headed out of the courtroom and I said “Do I just wait here?” he said “No have a seat your trial will be about 12:30”. So I sat down and waited. Lots of people were shuffled through the judge and the pre-judgment people, every time someone had to pass you, you had to compress yourself into your seat so they could get by.
I saw the officer who ticked me and Derwin Webb a couple of times in and out of the court room. As the courtroom thinned slightly we were asked to move again, so we all moved to the back of the courtroom. Then a short time later asked to move again. At 10:45 AM I need to use the restroom, while the judge was busy with other people I exited the courtroom to use the restroom, while in the hallway I saw Derwin again and I said “I saw you in 102” he asked what I was doing in there and I said “defending myself against a speeding ticket” he said “Do you need me in there, cause I’ll help you out?” I said “No, I got this one, I have plenty of evidence” he said “OK, well let me know if you need anything I’ll take care of you and call me about my site” I said “OK, thanks, talk to you later”. Back in the courtroom I was again waiting and listening to all of the other people approach the podium. From this point forward the officer who ticketed me was in the courtroom waiting like I was. Not once did he make eye contact with me, he couldn’t have missed me I was wearing my “Rob Jones Tech Support” t-shirt.
At 11:00 AM the judge took a break and the pre-judgement people were still working with people. At 11:25 AM I needed to use the restroom again (it was a large coffee), I was nervous if I left they wouldn’t let me back in or they would call my name and I would miss it but I went anyway and made it back 2 minutes before the judge came back into the court room. Everyone rose again and sat down. At 11:35 AM the judge called my name and as I rose to approach the podium he said “Have a seat Mr. Jones we’re going to move you to the end of the docket”.
The judge finally called me to the podium at 11:50 AM. I approached the podium as did the officer and the prosecuting attorney. He started by saying “Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?” we both said yes. He asked the officer to present his statement, the officer stated his name his position he mentioned the calibration of the radar gun, the judge asked him about the ticket, he said that he observed me traveling at a high rate of speed when he got me on the radar and again observed me through his mirror. The judge asked about the conditions and the officer said there were no other cars around and that nothing had obstructed his view of me. The prosecuting attorney asked if the officer or I knew each other or if we had any grudges against one another and we both said no.
Then the judge turned to me and asked if I had any question for the officer, I said no. He instructed me to proceed with my statement, I started out by indicating I had an illustration of the incident and I handed one to the prosecuting attorney and one to the bailiff for the judge. The illustration I handed them was three pages, the last page was the incident written down as I remembered it, the second page was an illustration of positions 3 and 4, the first page was the important one that contained position 1 and 2.
I began to explain that Position 1 was the last point in which the officer could have got a reading of 51MPH from one of the cars in front of me because I was not doing 51. I explained that from that position the officer who was approximately 500 ft away could not have gotten an accurate read from my car because even if he had been using a more accurate Lidar gun instead of Radar gun the the beam at the distance is 2 ft wide and needs to be pointed at the facing part of the vehicle which the officer could not have possibly seem. I expected the officer to have video of the incident because on the ticket it says “Radar” and “In-Car-Camera”. His video would confirm what I was saying and would have shown all three cars passing him closely together, but he didn’t have his video, just his testimony. I was also wondering if the judge noticed just a few minutes earlier the officer indicated there were no cars around me yet I’m claiming there were with detail to their make and color.
At this point the prosecuting attorney said “I object to this document, it’s not an actual picture of the incident he placed these cars in these positions.” I became nervous because I went to all this trouble to accurately depict the situation and it never dawned on me that the judge might dismiss my illustration. The judge looked at me and said “This is a satellite image of the area and you have placed the cars in these positions?” I said “That is correct” The judge said “What does land look like here, is there a hill?” I said “There is a slight dip and that’s all” the judge asked me “Is this an accurate representation of all vehicles?” I said “Yes judge, It couldn’t be more accurate”. The judge looked at the prosecuting attorney and said “I’ll allow it”.
Then the prosecuting attorney and the officer began to look at my illustration while the judge asked me if I had anything else. I said “The red line indicates the line-of-site for the officer and he couldn’t see enough of my car to get a reading” I also pointed out that the vehicles in front of me were larger than my car. The judge asked if I had anything else, I said “The reason my speed is listed as Possibly 35 MPH is because I hadn’t yet looked at my speedometer. As I passed the parked police car there is a 35 MPH sign directly in front of his car which is when I confirmed I was doing 35 MPH. The prosecuting attorney said “Because you caught up to the other cars you must have been driving faster than 35 MPH” I said “No, the reason I closed on them was because when they saw the police car they slowed down abruptly closing the gap between us, I never slowed down.” The judge asked me if I had anything else, I said “I wasn’t driving over 35 MPH, the radar reading the officer received could not have been from my car, nor could he have received an accurate reading from my car at that distance with those two cars in front of me.”
The judge asked me if I had anything else, I said “No judge I don’t.” The judge asked the prosecuting attorney if they had anything else, he said “No we don’t”
The judge said something and the officer began to leave the courtroom, I looked at the judge and said “What just happened?” the judge looked at me and said “You won”, I looked at the prosecuting attorney who was smiling real big at me and then I looked at the bailiff who was also smiling at me, I looked at the judge and said “That’s it?” he said “That’s it” I said “Do I need to sign anything?” he said “No, your free to go.” I smiled real big and exited the courtroom. I assume what I didn’t hear the judge say was “Judgement is for the defendant”.
My day (5/29/2008) started out much earlier than it usually does. I got up at 7 AM, took a shower, got dressed and left by 8 AM. I stopped at the bank and withdrew $200 and then on my way to Louisville I stopped and got me a coffee from Starbucks. I reached downtown at 8:45 AM and had to pay $6 to park. I was in the courthouse by 8:50 AM and was waiting outside the courtroom with a couple hundred people. They started letting people in the courtroom at 9 AM, as I entered the courtroom people had already bunched up at the beginning of the smallest bench isles I’ve ever seen. I walked around and stepped over a 30” wall to get a seat when the bailiff said “Don’t do that, that’s not a bar” I was already over so I just sat down and didn’t say anything. Then a short time later I was asked to move down to allow more people in. These benches were ridiculously narrow, like the backseat of a Porsche. I was somewhat nervous from just being in the position of waiting to defend myself and could feel it in my stomach.
At 9:10 AM the judge (Kevin W. Delahanty) entered the courtroom, everyone was asked to rise, a few words were said and everyone sat down. I saw one of my clients (Derwin Webb) in the courtroom who is an attorney, it looked as if he was there defending other people, I handle his website hosting and email. There were people already in the courtroom asking the scheduled visitors if they were going to plea innocent or guilty, then they had them sit down again. It was hard for me to hear (I don’t hear that well) with all of the commotion in the courtroom. At 9:15 AM the courtroom got quiet while the judge addressed everyone about the rules of the courtroom and what their options are when approaching the podium. Then it got loud again. Anyone who was not on the docket was asked to leave the courtroom to make room for more people. The judge began to call names to the podium and two other people who had already been calling names the whole time were still calling names.
At 9:40 AM my name was called by one of the people handling pre-judgment information. The gentlemen asked me how do I plea as I’m standing next to him and I said “Innocent”, he asked if I wanted to do community service or go to trial, I said “Are those my only two options?”. He said they were so I said “Go to trial”, he said OK and got up and said “I’m going to get your police officer and make sure he’s here for the trial”, the gentlemen walked passed me and headed out of the courtroom and I said “Do I just wait here?” he said “No have a seat your trial will be about 12:30”. So I sat down and waited. Lots of people were shuffled through the judge and the pre-judgment people, every time someone had to pass you, you had to compress yourself into your seat so they could get by.
I saw the officer who ticked me and Derwin Webb a couple of times in and out of the court room. As the courtroom thinned slightly we were asked to move again, so we all moved to the back of the courtroom. Then a short time later asked to move again. At 10:45 AM I need to use the restroom, while the judge was busy with other people I exited the courtroom to use the restroom, while in the hallway I saw Derwin again and I said “I saw you in 102” he asked what I was doing in there and I said “defending myself against a speeding ticket” he said “Do you need me in there, cause I’ll help you out?” I said “No, I got this one, I have plenty of evidence” he said “OK, well let me know if you need anything I’ll take care of you and call me about my site” I said “OK, thanks, talk to you later”. Back in the courtroom I was again waiting and listening to all of the other people approach the podium. From this point forward the officer who ticketed me was in the courtroom waiting like I was. Not once did he make eye contact with me, he couldn’t have missed me I was wearing my “Rob Jones Tech Support” t-shirt.
At 11:00 AM the judge took a break and the pre-judgement people were still working with people. At 11:25 AM I needed to use the restroom again (it was a large coffee), I was nervous if I left they wouldn’t let me back in or they would call my name and I would miss it but I went anyway and made it back 2 minutes before the judge came back into the court room. Everyone rose again and sat down. At 11:35 AM the judge called my name and as I rose to approach the podium he said “Have a seat Mr. Jones we’re going to move you to the end of the docket”.
The judge finally called me to the podium at 11:50 AM. I approached the podium as did the officer and the prosecuting attorney. He started by saying “Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?” we both said yes. He asked the officer to present his statement, the officer stated his name his position he mentioned the calibration of the radar gun, the judge asked him about the ticket, he said that he observed me traveling at a high rate of speed when he got me on the radar and again observed me through his mirror. The judge asked about the conditions and the officer said there were no other cars around and that nothing had obstructed his view of me. The prosecuting attorney asked if the officer or I knew each other or if we had any grudges against one another and we both said no.
Then the judge turned to me and asked if I had any question for the officer, I said no. He instructed me to proceed with my statement, I started out by indicating I had an illustration of the incident and I handed one to the prosecuting attorney and one to the bailiff for the judge. The illustration I handed them was three pages, the last page was the incident written down as I remembered it, the second page was an illustration of positions 3 and 4, the first page was the important one that contained position 1 and 2.
I began to explain that Position 1 was the last point in which the officer could have got a reading of 51MPH from one of the cars in front of me because I was not doing 51. I explained that from that position the officer who was approximately 500 ft away could not have gotten an accurate read from my car because even if he had been using a more accurate Lidar gun instead of Radar gun the the beam at the distance is 2 ft wide and needs to be pointed at the facing part of the vehicle which the officer could not have possibly seem. I expected the officer to have video of the incident because on the ticket it says “Radar” and “In-Car-Camera”. His video would confirm what I was saying and would have shown all three cars passing him closely together, but he didn’t have his video, just his testimony. I was also wondering if the judge noticed just a few minutes earlier the officer indicated there were no cars around me yet I’m claiming there were with detail to their make and color.
At this point the prosecuting attorney said “I object to this document, it’s not an actual picture of the incident he placed these cars in these positions.” I became nervous because I went to all this trouble to accurately depict the situation and it never dawned on me that the judge might dismiss my illustration. The judge looked at me and said “This is a satellite image of the area and you have placed the cars in these positions?” I said “That is correct” The judge said “What does land look like here, is there a hill?” I said “There is a slight dip and that’s all” the judge asked me “Is this an accurate representation of all vehicles?” I said “Yes judge, It couldn’t be more accurate”. The judge looked at the prosecuting attorney and said “I’ll allow it”.
Then the prosecuting attorney and the officer began to look at my illustration while the judge asked me if I had anything else. I said “The red line indicates the line-of-site for the officer and he couldn’t see enough of my car to get a reading” I also pointed out that the vehicles in front of me were larger than my car. The judge asked if I had anything else, I said “The reason my speed is listed as Possibly 35 MPH is because I hadn’t yet looked at my speedometer. As I passed the parked police car there is a 35 MPH sign directly in front of his car which is when I confirmed I was doing 35 MPH. The prosecuting attorney said “Because you caught up to the other cars you must have been driving faster than 35 MPH” I said “No, the reason I closed on them was because when they saw the police car they slowed down abruptly closing the gap between us, I never slowed down.” The judge asked me if I had anything else, I said “I wasn’t driving over 35 MPH, the radar reading the officer received could not have been from my car, nor could he have received an accurate reading from my car at that distance with those two cars in front of me.”
The judge asked me if I had anything else, I said “No judge I don’t.” The judge asked the prosecuting attorney if they had anything else, he said “No we don’t”
The judge said something and the officer began to leave the courtroom, I looked at the judge and said “What just happened?” the judge looked at me and said “You won”, I looked at the prosecuting attorney who was smiling real big at me and then I looked at the bailiff who was also smiling at me, I looked at the judge and said “That’s it?” he said “That’s it” I said “Do I need to sign anything?” he said “No, your free to go.” I smiled real big and exited the courtroom. I assume what I didn’t hear the judge say was “Judgement is for the defendant”.
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The Lion, The Gazelle and The Speeding Ticket.
March/26/2008 01:17 PM
There is a speed trap near where I live in Indiana
and it annoys me every time I drive by it and see
someone pulled over. I've been considering this
article for six months now because of my annoyance
with speed traps. What better time to write this
article than two hours after receiving a speeding
ticket. This is my first ticket in 13 years. The
last ticket I received was on a highway late at
night the day my Grandmother died and there wasn't
a car within sight of me.
Neither 13 years ago nor today was I driving in a reckless manner, nor was I driving in a way that endangered other drivers' lives. In today's case I was driving behind a couple of cars at a slower speed. The tickets issued (13 years ago and today) were not the product of an officer protecting the lives of a tax payer. The tickets were a way for the city to generate revenue, in my opinion. Is that why we have police officers? The officers are paid from our tax money. The officers pull us over to generate revenue. Why do we have officers generating revenue for a job in which they are already paid? It's like he's being paid by me to fine me.
Sidebar: I'm only talking about when officers are instructed to ticket people (speed traps) for money, which is not what they were hired for. I'm not talking about an officer risking his life or protecting mine, which is what they're hired for.
But can you blame the officer? I don't really think we can. As an employee (the officer) of an agency he doesn't own, he can neither make rules or change them. For the most part, he simply follows the rules that have been laid out before him. He and I are alike in the sense that we are working to feed our families. I would think to an officer this would be one part of the job they would find most embarrassing.
The entire incident:
It was noon and I had just left Indian Hills neighborhood in Louisville, KY after doing a support job. Instead of taking a left and heading towards the highway (North East) I thought I would roll down my window and head right on Brownsboro Rd. (South West) towards Zorn Ave. and get a little fresh air because it's 65 degrees and a very nice, sunny day. Less than a quarter mile from Indian Hills I was listening to a podcast and traveling behind a grey van and a black Acura when all of the sudden the Acura slowed down abruptly, I don't remember having to even tap my brakes since I was driving slower and slightly further behind them. After the Acura slowed down I saw a police car parked in the right emergency lane. His car was facing the same direction we were traveling as was the police officer. After all three of us passed the parked police car, he turned his lights on, pulled out right behind me and followed me for about a half block. As he got closer I looked in my review mirror and pointed at myself to see if he wanted me to pull over or get out of the way. His hand gesture indicated he wanted me to pull over, which actually surprised me. I pulled over between a couple mailboxes and put my car in park. My window was already down. As the officer approached my window I asked, "How can I help you?" He said, "May I see your license please?" I said, "Yes." I then removed it from my wallet and handed it to him. He proceeded to ask, "Is the address on your license correct?" I said, "Yes." The officer asked, "Do you know what the speed limit is?" I said, "No, I don't normally go this way." He said, "You were doing 51 in a 35." I didn't respond (it's unlikely that he actually targeted my car at 51 since I didn't even see his car until after the Acura slowed down. Both the van and the Acura blocked my view of the police car. He said, "I'll be right back." I said, "OK." After about 4 or 5 minutes he returned with my license and a piece of paper. I put my license away and looked at the paper. It was a Uniform Citation. I quickly glanced and saw $161. I said to the officer, "Does that say $161?" He said, "Let me see, yes it does." I replied, "I barely made more than that to come over here." He replied "Then it wasn't worth it." He then said, "Thank you." and turned and walked away. As he pulled away from me he did a U-turn; I would assume to return to his position in the emergency lane.
By no means am I saying the officer is lying. I don't know if the officer radared the van or the Acura that were in front of me. However, it's obvious to me that he is mistaken and he did not witness or radar me at any speed.
I kind of picture the whole situation like the officer was The Lion and I was The Gazelle at the back of the herd.
I will be reporting to court at said date. The only thing on my mind will be "Not Guilty." I may have some diagrams as well.
These are some illustrations I'll taking with me to show that the officer would not have been able to get a read off my car. I've done my homework, I hope the judge will see that.
Neither 13 years ago nor today was I driving in a reckless manner, nor was I driving in a way that endangered other drivers' lives. In today's case I was driving behind a couple of cars at a slower speed. The tickets issued (13 years ago and today) were not the product of an officer protecting the lives of a tax payer. The tickets were a way for the city to generate revenue, in my opinion. Is that why we have police officers? The officers are paid from our tax money. The officers pull us over to generate revenue. Why do we have officers generating revenue for a job in which they are already paid? It's like he's being paid by me to fine me.
Sidebar: I'm only talking about when officers are instructed to ticket people (speed traps) for money, which is not what they were hired for. I'm not talking about an officer risking his life or protecting mine, which is what they're hired for.
But can you blame the officer? I don't really think we can. As an employee (the officer) of an agency he doesn't own, he can neither make rules or change them. For the most part, he simply follows the rules that have been laid out before him. He and I are alike in the sense that we are working to feed our families. I would think to an officer this would be one part of the job they would find most embarrassing.
The entire incident:
It was noon and I had just left Indian Hills neighborhood in Louisville, KY after doing a support job. Instead of taking a left and heading towards the highway (North East) I thought I would roll down my window and head right on Brownsboro Rd. (South West) towards Zorn Ave. and get a little fresh air because it's 65 degrees and a very nice, sunny day. Less than a quarter mile from Indian Hills I was listening to a podcast and traveling behind a grey van and a black Acura when all of the sudden the Acura slowed down abruptly, I don't remember having to even tap my brakes since I was driving slower and slightly further behind them. After the Acura slowed down I saw a police car parked in the right emergency lane. His car was facing the same direction we were traveling as was the police officer. After all three of us passed the parked police car, he turned his lights on, pulled out right behind me and followed me for about a half block. As he got closer I looked in my review mirror and pointed at myself to see if he wanted me to pull over or get out of the way. His hand gesture indicated he wanted me to pull over, which actually surprised me. I pulled over between a couple mailboxes and put my car in park. My window was already down. As the officer approached my window I asked, "How can I help you?" He said, "May I see your license please?" I said, "Yes." I then removed it from my wallet and handed it to him. He proceeded to ask, "Is the address on your license correct?" I said, "Yes." The officer asked, "Do you know what the speed limit is?" I said, "No, I don't normally go this way." He said, "You were doing 51 in a 35." I didn't respond (it's unlikely that he actually targeted my car at 51 since I didn't even see his car until after the Acura slowed down. Both the van and the Acura blocked my view of the police car. He said, "I'll be right back." I said, "OK." After about 4 or 5 minutes he returned with my license and a piece of paper. I put my license away and looked at the paper. It was a Uniform Citation. I quickly glanced and saw $161. I said to the officer, "Does that say $161?" He said, "Let me see, yes it does." I replied, "I barely made more than that to come over here." He replied "Then it wasn't worth it." He then said, "Thank you." and turned and walked away. As he pulled away from me he did a U-turn; I would assume to return to his position in the emergency lane.
By no means am I saying the officer is lying. I don't know if the officer radared the van or the Acura that were in front of me. However, it's obvious to me that he is mistaken and he did not witness or radar me at any speed.
I kind of picture the whole situation like the officer was The Lion and I was The Gazelle at the back of the herd.
I will be reporting to court at said date. The only thing on my mind will be "Not Guilty." I may have some diagrams as well.
These are some illustrations I'll taking with me to show that the officer would not have been able to get a read off my car. I've done my homework, I hope the judge will see that.
The Apple Sticker Game
May/06/2007 12:05 AM
Have you ever had your kids in the car and they're
bored. You know their bored because they said
"Daddy we're bored".
A few months ago I came up with a game to entertain the girls when they get bored. Or you can start a game if they're whining or annoying you.
It's called The Apple Sticker Game.
All they have to do is find a automobile with an Apple sticker on it.
The Rules:
1. You must be in an automobile with the engine running. Stickers can't be pointed out when engine is not running. If stickers are called out from outside the automobile or when the engine is off those stickers become void and can not be used in the game. Automobiles with stickers do not need to be moving or with their engine running. Any automobile with an Apple sticker is in play.
2. Can't be an Apple sticker that's been used in any other game. You know, my car, neighbors cars and such.
3. They have to be able to prove it. You know, point it out and such, honor system can be used if on highway.
4. Multiple stickers on a car are multiple opportunities. If an automobile has 3 stickers, one kid can win three dollars if they call them all.
5. If a parent notices an Apple sticker on a automobile and points it out, that automobile becomes void and can not be used in the game. I've never used this rule but I might if I lived in Cupertino.
6. This is The Apple Sticker Game, no other Apple logos are valid such as store signs, billboards or Apple stickers not on an automobile.
The Rewards:
1. Find an Apple sticker on an automobile and win a dollar.
2. Find an old multi-colored apple sticker on an automobile and win five dollars.
3. Find an Apple sticker placed on the inside of the car and therefore looks backwards from your point of view and win five dollars.
A few months ago I came up with a game to entertain the girls when they get bored. Or you can start a game if they're whining or annoying you.
It's called The Apple Sticker Game.
All they have to do is find a automobile with an Apple sticker on it.
The Rules:
1. You must be in an automobile with the engine running. Stickers can't be pointed out when engine is not running. If stickers are called out from outside the automobile or when the engine is off those stickers become void and can not be used in the game. Automobiles with stickers do not need to be moving or with their engine running. Any automobile with an Apple sticker is in play.
2. Can't be an Apple sticker that's been used in any other game. You know, my car, neighbors cars and such.
3. They have to be able to prove it. You know, point it out and such, honor system can be used if on highway.
4. Multiple stickers on a car are multiple opportunities. If an automobile has 3 stickers, one kid can win three dollars if they call them all.
5. If a parent notices an Apple sticker on a automobile and points it out, that automobile becomes void and can not be used in the game. I've never used this rule but I might if I lived in Cupertino.
6. This is The Apple Sticker Game, no other Apple logos are valid such as store signs, billboards or Apple stickers not on an automobile.
The Rewards:
1. Find an Apple sticker on an automobile and win a dollar.
2. Find an old multi-colored apple sticker on an automobile and win five dollars.
3. Find an Apple sticker placed on the inside of the car and therefore looks backwards from your point of view and win five dollars.
The Backup Maneuver
February/22/2007 05:38 PM
I've seen people do it, but I was always
embarrassed to do it. But I was in a hurry to get
home to get my girls to gymnastics.
I made it half was down the ramp before realizing that the highway was at a complete stand still.
I pulled as far to the right as I could, thought about how long I would stuck (45 minutes). I put the car in Reverse, turned on my hazard lights and started backing up slowly.
After making it all the way back up (using the shoulder) I put it in Drive and maneuvered my way back onto road.
I then proceeded to tell 4 other cars that were in line to get on the highway no to go that way. All of them went a different direction.
As it would turn out I did the Backup Maneuver again the following day without hesitation. When I saw I would be stuck in traffic on the highway for an extended period of time.
I honestly don't know if it's illegal to do The Backup Maneuver but I'm going to keep doing it (cautiously of course).
I made it half was down the ramp before realizing that the highway was at a complete stand still.
I pulled as far to the right as I could, thought about how long I would stuck (45 minutes). I put the car in Reverse, turned on my hazard lights and started backing up slowly.
After making it all the way back up (using the shoulder) I put it in Drive and maneuvered my way back onto road.
I then proceeded to tell 4 other cars that were in line to get on the highway no to go that way. All of them went a different direction.
As it would turn out I did the Backup Maneuver again the following day without hesitation. When I saw I would be stuck in traffic on the highway for an extended period of time.
I honestly don't know if it's illegal to do The Backup Maneuver but I'm going to keep doing it (cautiously of course).
The Fog
February/22/2007 05:37 PM
I had some work to do today really late. As I left
one client (after dark) and headed towards another
the fog had begun rolling in.
About a mile from the clients house I had to slow to about 20 mph. The fog was so bad it was like there was a 40 ft shield around the car and I couldn't see out of it.
Even house and street lights were only visible at about a few hundred feet. I made it to the clients house and worked for a couple hours.
When I left there I had an hour long drive home. I thought it would make sense to get to the highway first even thought it lengthened my trip.
Before making it to the highway a couple times I came to a complete stop on the road. When the lines of paint ended at an intersection it was impossible to see anything.
I didn't know if the road curved at the intersection or what and I couldn't see the road just the paint.
I made it to the highway and it wasn't any better. I drove at a maximum 40 mph until I found a Semi that was bright enough to follow.
Even after driving all the way home I couldn't see the Taco Bell sign until I was 300 ft from it.
It was the worst fog that I had ever experienced. I hear some schools even had a delay the next morning because of it.
About a mile from the clients house I had to slow to about 20 mph. The fog was so bad it was like there was a 40 ft shield around the car and I couldn't see out of it.
Even house and street lights were only visible at about a few hundred feet. I made it to the clients house and worked for a couple hours.
When I left there I had an hour long drive home. I thought it would make sense to get to the highway first even thought it lengthened my trip.
Before making it to the highway a couple times I came to a complete stop on the road. When the lines of paint ended at an intersection it was impossible to see anything.
I didn't know if the road curved at the intersection or what and I couldn't see the road just the paint.
I made it to the highway and it wasn't any better. I drove at a maximum 40 mph until I found a Semi that was bright enough to follow.
Even after driving all the way home I couldn't see the Taco Bell sign until I was 300 ft from it.
It was the worst fog that I had ever experienced. I hear some schools even had a delay the next morning because of it.
Time for a second car, again.
August/18/2006 09:23 AM
As odd as it may sound Karen and I only have one
car. We've been married for more than 15 years and
have lived with one car the majority of that time.
In 1990 when we dating we had two cars but by the time we were married in 1991 we were down to one car. In 1994-95 we had two cars for about 10 months unil the second car had a cracked block. In 1999 Karen's brother gave us a Toyota that had been given to him and it lasted about 2 months before the engine blew. In 2003 we bought a second car and after 3 months someone totaled it. We are not hard on cars, seriously, our last two cars (1980 Malibu and currently 1999 Corolla) never gave us any serious problems.
Honestly I don't know anyone else that has just one car, we've just always been able to make it work. We had one car when we worked a few miles apart in two different states.
When I worked a regular job Karen would take me to work and pick me up. But now with all of the driving I do for my business it's getting more difficult.
Especially now that we are adopting Sierra. My girls may be homeschooled but they have gymnastics and other things that are getting more difficult to work around.
I've spent enough advertising my company to buy a second car. But then I would have a second car and fewer clients.
So what is going to make this second car last longer than those of the past? Hell I don't know, I hesitant just based on my luck in the past.
So what am I looking for? Well, I want a small 2 door Acura or Honda, preferrably black with and automatic tranmission. I'm not that concerned about how old it is as long as it's been taken care of.
My last Honda was a nice car and I'm looking for something like that again. Wish me luck.
In 1990 when we dating we had two cars but by the time we were married in 1991 we were down to one car. In 1994-95 we had two cars for about 10 months unil the second car had a cracked block. In 1999 Karen's brother gave us a Toyota that had been given to him and it lasted about 2 months before the engine blew. In 2003 we bought a second car and after 3 months someone totaled it. We are not hard on cars, seriously, our last two cars (1980 Malibu and currently 1999 Corolla) never gave us any serious problems.
Honestly I don't know anyone else that has just one car, we've just always been able to make it work. We had one car when we worked a few miles apart in two different states.
When I worked a regular job Karen would take me to work and pick me up. But now with all of the driving I do for my business it's getting more difficult.
Especially now that we are adopting Sierra. My girls may be homeschooled but they have gymnastics and other things that are getting more difficult to work around.
I've spent enough advertising my company to buy a second car. But then I would have a second car and fewer clients.
So what is going to make this second car last longer than those of the past? Hell I don't know, I hesitant just based on my luck in the past.
So what am I looking for? Well, I want a small 2 door Acura or Honda, preferrably black with and automatic tranmission. I'm not that concerned about how old it is as long as it's been taken care of.
My last Honda was a nice car and I'm looking for something like that again. Wish me luck.
I saw my Accord this morning.
May/20/2004 07:40 AM
My Corolla is getting an alignment today, I had new
tires put on yesterday. After I dropped off the car
I left and went a direction I don't normally go.
As I was passing FastLane Automotive I pulled into their parking lot, FastLane is one of those cool car parts places.
My Accord was on the lot (it's not mine anymore but you know what I mean). As I pulled up beside it I saw the huge dent and I knew that was my car.
I bet someone is going to fix it up because other than setting for the last 6 months it's still in great shape.
I miss that car.
As I was passing FastLane Automotive I pulled into their parking lot, FastLane is one of those cool car parts places.
My Accord was on the lot (it's not mine anymore but you know what I mean). As I pulled up beside it I saw the huge dent and I knew that was my car.
I bet someone is going to fix it up because other than setting for the last 6 months it's still in great shape.
I miss that car.
1987 Honda Accord LXi: The Insurance.
January/06/2004 10:54 PM
By Rob Jones
I reported this accident (11/03/03) to Progressive (my insurance company) within a few hours of it happening and tried to do the same with ASI but they're only open during certain hours. It took my Progressive adjuster (Jeanette whom was extremely helpful) and myself 4 days before either one of us got through to actually report the claim, my Progressive adjuster was hung up on twice then talked to a person who attempted to transfer her at which time she was hung up on again. I don't know if they were having phone trouble that week but their hold times were so unreasonably long that I had to hang up each time and call back later because I was at work and had work to do.
Kelley Blue Book values this vehicle at $2,510 retail. NADA values this vehicle at $2,300 high. And the online sales prices range from $2,488 to $2,999 which are for near identical vehicles with the same options only some of vehicles have nearly 100,000 more miles than mine does. My car was in fantastic condition and everything worked and I went to a lot of trouble to locate it and check it out before buying it. This vehicle ranks high in every category because it was garage kept, lightly driven and well maintained.
You would not believe the amount work I was required to do for ASI just to get them to finalize the claim.
First of all I was told that I would be reimbursed $20 or $25 per day that I paid for a rental vehicle but since they had not contacted the owner of the truck and could still deny the claim, that expense would rest on me and that's not the kind of risk I can afford. Second, they said that until they received information from the owner of the truck (which they did not have a valid phone number) that could still deny the claim if the owner of the vehicle said he did not give the driver permission to drive the vehicle. So I explained to them that the truck had a "Contractor 0300 Parking Permit" sign hanging from the rearview mirror and the gentlemen driving looked as if he recently left a construction site indicating to me that he was driving the company vehicle. I even included pictures of the truck and it's stickers with my own.
1. They required me to supplied photos (I included about 20 hi-res images), a copy of the Vehicle Inspection Report, I also included any repair info and expenses as well as my CarFax report and a copy of what Progressive would pay out on my vehicle ($1800). I included every single piece of information I had.
2. They asked me to include a list of options my car had. Air conditioning, Power Steering, Power Windows, Tilt Wheel, Cruise Control, AM/FM Stereo, Cassette, Fuel Injection 5 Speed manual.
3. They asked me to provide them with two damage estimates, I included one.
I spent countless hours of my own personal time calling (because I can't drive anywhere) every local auto body repair shop asking them if they would go to the car and write me an estimate, they all want to know if it's an insurance job and with which company, and except for the one estimate I have included from a company that is on the same street as the Impound lot they all told me the same thing, I have to bring the car to them for an estimate. This is something they should have sent out an adjuster to do.
United Collision Center valued the damage amount at $3,132.67, and valued a total loss.
All through November and December they were still telling me that until they received information from the owner of the truck they could still deny the claim.
January 6th, 2004 - Two months after the accident
This morning (1/06/04) I signed over my Accord to Kraft Towing & Impound instead of paying the two months worth of storage fees ($10 a day) because ASI refused to pay them.
I received a call from American Service Insurance yesterday (1/05/04) indicating they were ready to write me a check. The catch is they did not pay what my car is worth ($1800 according to Progressive), only what I paid on 9/18/03 ($1200) a difference of $600, they didn't even pay the towing fee ($55). In the seven weeks that I owned it I put more than $200 additional work in the car such as the exhaust not including oil change and tags.
I have to say that I'm probably $375 out of pocket on the whole deal.
I considered pushing to get them to pay over more money but they have drug their feet on this since my accident on 11/03/03 and I'm just tired of messing with them.
The ASI adjuster handling my claim was not unpleasant but at the same time wasn't helpful either and never returned my calls.
Diane Phillips
(800) 897-2551 ASI Main
ext. 56082 Diane
ext. 56702 Supervisor Eunice Daniels
150 Morthwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
http://www.asilink.com/
Here is a list of the expenses (above and beyond what I paid for the car and it's taxes) that I have invested into this car in the 7 weeks that I have owned it. I also have every receipt for proof of all things purchased.
$24.99 9-17-03 for the CarFax report on the car.
$31.75 9-18-03 for the 40 point vehicle inspection from Honda Cars of Clarksville.
$7.42 9-18-03 for a duplicate key at Honda Cars of Clarksville.
$?.?? 9-18-03 started insurance policy with progressive.
$22.23 9-22-03 for new wiper blades from Target.
$33.28 9-26-03 for an oil change at VIOC.
$22.90 9-26-03 for rear washer nozzle from Honda Cars of Clarksville.
$2.11 9-29-03 for a tail light from Kmart. cash item
$10.59 10-08-03 for fuel injector cleaner from Target. cash item
$113.01 10-17-03 for repairs to the exhaust system.
$3.17 10-17-03 for a new gas cap from Auto Zone.
$3.59 10-17-03 for a new parking lamp bulb from Advanced Auto Parts.
$45.35 10-17-03 title transfer and tags from New Albany BMV.
$55.00 11-03-03 Kraft towed my un-drivable car to their impound lot.
$375.39 TOTAL additional expenses.
Gas
$6.82 9-18-03 Sav-a-Step.
$10.13 9-31-03 Meijers.
$5.00 9-25-03 Sav-a-Step.
$18.71 10-08-03 Kroger.
$20.36 10-24-03 Kroger.
$61.02 TOTAL fuel expense.
My personal experience of handling a claim with ASI was extremely poor and I feel as thought I was cheated by them and they wasted a lot of my time. I even considered filing a claim with the BBB, but they already had thousands of claims filed.
I reported this accident (11/03/03) to Progressive (my insurance company) within a few hours of it happening and tried to do the same with ASI but they're only open during certain hours. It took my Progressive adjuster (Jeanette whom was extremely helpful) and myself 4 days before either one of us got through to actually report the claim, my Progressive adjuster was hung up on twice then talked to a person who attempted to transfer her at which time she was hung up on again. I don't know if they were having phone trouble that week but their hold times were so unreasonably long that I had to hang up each time and call back later because I was at work and had work to do.
Kelley Blue Book values this vehicle at $2,510 retail. NADA values this vehicle at $2,300 high. And the online sales prices range from $2,488 to $2,999 which are for near identical vehicles with the same options only some of vehicles have nearly 100,000 more miles than mine does. My car was in fantastic condition and everything worked and I went to a lot of trouble to locate it and check it out before buying it. This vehicle ranks high in every category because it was garage kept, lightly driven and well maintained.
You would not believe the amount work I was required to do for ASI just to get them to finalize the claim.
First of all I was told that I would be reimbursed $20 or $25 per day that I paid for a rental vehicle but since they had not contacted the owner of the truck and could still deny the claim, that expense would rest on me and that's not the kind of risk I can afford. Second, they said that until they received information from the owner of the truck (which they did not have a valid phone number) that could still deny the claim if the owner of the vehicle said he did not give the driver permission to drive the vehicle. So I explained to them that the truck had a "Contractor 0300 Parking Permit" sign hanging from the rearview mirror and the gentlemen driving looked as if he recently left a construction site indicating to me that he was driving the company vehicle. I even included pictures of the truck and it's stickers with my own.
1. They required me to supplied photos (I included about 20 hi-res images), a copy of the Vehicle Inspection Report, I also included any repair info and expenses as well as my CarFax report and a copy of what Progressive would pay out on my vehicle ($1800). I included every single piece of information I had.
2. They asked me to include a list of options my car had. Air conditioning, Power Steering, Power Windows, Tilt Wheel, Cruise Control, AM/FM Stereo, Cassette, Fuel Injection 5 Speed manual.
3. They asked me to provide them with two damage estimates, I included one.
I spent countless hours of my own personal time calling (because I can't drive anywhere) every local auto body repair shop asking them if they would go to the car and write me an estimate, they all want to know if it's an insurance job and with which company, and except for the one estimate I have included from a company that is on the same street as the Impound lot they all told me the same thing, I have to bring the car to them for an estimate. This is something they should have sent out an adjuster to do.
United Collision Center valued the damage amount at $3,132.67, and valued a total loss.
All through November and December they were still telling me that until they received information from the owner of the truck they could still deny the claim.
January 6th, 2004 - Two months after the accident
This morning (1/06/04) I signed over my Accord to Kraft Towing & Impound instead of paying the two months worth of storage fees ($10 a day) because ASI refused to pay them.
I received a call from American Service Insurance yesterday (1/05/04) indicating they were ready to write me a check. The catch is they did not pay what my car is worth ($1800 according to Progressive), only what I paid on 9/18/03 ($1200) a difference of $600, they didn't even pay the towing fee ($55). In the seven weeks that I owned it I put more than $200 additional work in the car such as the exhaust not including oil change and tags.
I have to say that I'm probably $375 out of pocket on the whole deal.
I considered pushing to get them to pay over more money but they have drug their feet on this since my accident on 11/03/03 and I'm just tired of messing with them.
The ASI adjuster handling my claim was not unpleasant but at the same time wasn't helpful either and never returned my calls.
Diane Phillips
(800) 897-2551 ASI Main
ext. 56082 Diane
ext. 56702 Supervisor Eunice Daniels
150 Morthwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
http://www.asilink.com/
Here is a list of the expenses (above and beyond what I paid for the car and it's taxes) that I have invested into this car in the 7 weeks that I have owned it. I also have every receipt for proof of all things purchased.
$24.99 9-17-03 for the CarFax report on the car.
$31.75 9-18-03 for the 40 point vehicle inspection from Honda Cars of Clarksville.
$7.42 9-18-03 for a duplicate key at Honda Cars of Clarksville.
$?.?? 9-18-03 started insurance policy with progressive.
$22.23 9-22-03 for new wiper blades from Target.
$33.28 9-26-03 for an oil change at VIOC.
$22.90 9-26-03 for rear washer nozzle from Honda Cars of Clarksville.
$2.11 9-29-03 for a tail light from Kmart. cash item
$10.59 10-08-03 for fuel injector cleaner from Target. cash item
$113.01 10-17-03 for repairs to the exhaust system.
$3.17 10-17-03 for a new gas cap from Auto Zone.
$3.59 10-17-03 for a new parking lamp bulb from Advanced Auto Parts.
$45.35 10-17-03 title transfer and tags from New Albany BMV.
$55.00 11-03-03 Kraft towed my un-drivable car to their impound lot.
$375.39 TOTAL additional expenses.
Gas
$6.82 9-18-03 Sav-a-Step.
$10.13 9-31-03 Meijers.
$5.00 9-25-03 Sav-a-Step.
$18.71 10-08-03 Kroger.
$20.36 10-24-03 Kroger.
$61.02 TOTAL fuel expense.
My personal experience of handling a claim with ASI was extremely poor and I feel as thought I was cheated by them and they wasted a lot of my time. I even considered filing a claim with the BBB, but they already had thousands of claims filed.
1987 Honda Accord LXi: The dramatic end.
November/04/2003 10:32 PM
By Rob Jones
What do you get when you cross a GMC Sierra 1500 and 1987 Honda Accord LXi?
I was traveling North (11/03/03 6 P.M.) towards Blockbuster on Triangle Dr., the right lane (right turn only at the light) was backed up past the Kroger entrance. I moved over to the middle lane (it is the left turning and straight lane) two car lengths from the Kroger entrance I noticed a truck attempting to exit from the Kroger exit between two other trucks so I moved over to the oncoming lane (which was empty) but it was to late, he must have thought it was clear because he punched it and hit my passenger side bending the top of the wheel in.
As the car slide sideways the driver side tire hit the curb bending it under and planting me horizontally crossing both the middle and the oncoming lanes.
I called the police and they said someone was on their way, when they showed up from 131 they turned around at the Pep Boys entrance and stopped at what was apparently another accident. After they left I called the police again and said I'm still here, the operator said "There must have been two accidents" I was thinking "Really, ya think" but didn't say it. Five minutes later one officer showed up and started to work up the accident report. The officer was Mark Palmer and we worked together at McDonald's back 1988-89.
The gentlemen that was behind the truck that hit me stayed to give a statement to the police even though he initially said he could only wait a few minutes, he also said he was surprised the hispanic guy didn't start to run. The guy driving the truck that hit me was not the owner and he was hispanic and hard to understand. They towed the truck not because it was damaged but because the driver had a suspended drivers license, and was due to be in court on Thursday for having to many points on his license. I still don't know if the owner has insurance.
The tow truck came and towed my car and the truck away and Mark gave me a ride home and gave me some tips on how to take care of the insurance, and we caught up a little. I was shook up but not bad just jittery.
After all the time I spent finding just the right used car I joked with Karen saying "I could have saved myself a bunch of time because any car I bought would have lasted this long.
Passenger side hit first. Top of tire bent in.
Driver side slid into curb second. Bottom of tire bent in.
His truck doesn't look bad.
I'm mostly disappointed because I really liked this car.
What do you get when you cross a GMC Sierra 1500 and 1987 Honda Accord LXi?
I was traveling North (11/03/03 6 P.M.) towards Blockbuster on Triangle Dr., the right lane (right turn only at the light) was backed up past the Kroger entrance. I moved over to the middle lane (it is the left turning and straight lane) two car lengths from the Kroger entrance I noticed a truck attempting to exit from the Kroger exit between two other trucks so I moved over to the oncoming lane (which was empty) but it was to late, he must have thought it was clear because he punched it and hit my passenger side bending the top of the wheel in.
As the car slide sideways the driver side tire hit the curb bending it under and planting me horizontally crossing both the middle and the oncoming lanes.
I called the police and they said someone was on their way, when they showed up from 131 they turned around at the Pep Boys entrance and stopped at what was apparently another accident. After they left I called the police again and said I'm still here, the operator said "There must have been two accidents" I was thinking "Really, ya think" but didn't say it. Five minutes later one officer showed up and started to work up the accident report. The officer was Mark Palmer and we worked together at McDonald's back 1988-89.
The gentlemen that was behind the truck that hit me stayed to give a statement to the police even though he initially said he could only wait a few minutes, he also said he was surprised the hispanic guy didn't start to run. The guy driving the truck that hit me was not the owner and he was hispanic and hard to understand. They towed the truck not because it was damaged but because the driver had a suspended drivers license, and was due to be in court on Thursday for having to many points on his license. I still don't know if the owner has insurance.
The tow truck came and towed my car and the truck away and Mark gave me a ride home and gave me some tips on how to take care of the insurance, and we caught up a little. I was shook up but not bad just jittery.
After all the time I spent finding just the right used car I joked with Karen saying "I could have saved myself a bunch of time because any car I bought would have lasted this long.
Passenger side hit first. Top of tire bent in.
Driver side slid into curb second. Bottom of tire bent in.
His truck doesn't look bad.
I'm mostly disappointed because I really liked this car.
1987 Honda Accord LXi: The right car.
September/19/2003 08:29 PM
By Rob Jones
Here is a picture of the car I bought, it's in excellent condition. As you can see from the pic below it has unusually low miles and that shows in how clean it is.
How did I know this was a good car? I'm a research fanatic, that's how.
A Week Ago - September 10th, 2003
1. First I went to ConsumerReports.org and looked up most reliable cars ever, Camry's and Accord's topped the list.
2. Then I began to look on-line and in the paper for a late 80's model. Every time I called about a car it was already sold.
Wednesday - September 17th, 2003
3. After work I went to look at a different car in New Albany when I saw this one, it had only been on the lot for a day.
4. The lot let me keep it over night to check it out, which I did checking everything and drove over 80 miles that night.
5. I ran the VIN (and 6 other cars) through www.carfax.com and it came up clean. Really clean.
Thursday - September 18th, 2003
6. I took it to the VET and it passed all test with flying colors except for the gas cap pressure test which is a Fail and requires a retest after repairs are made.
7. There is really bad rust in fuel filler (why it failed the VET) so I took it to Honda and it's covered under a recall, set for next Friday.
8. Big-O says that no problems were found with the tires, brakes or rotors.
9. Olymco will charge $110 to replace part of the exhaust that is rusted and has a hole. The hole makes it sound like a car from The Fast and The Furious.
10. Took it back to Honda and had them run a 40 point check which took over an hour and no major problems were found, only regular maintenance stuff.
11. Went to the car lot and paid for the car.
12. Went home and removed the old Malibu from my insurance and added the Accord, my insurance went up one dollar per month.
13. That's it, I'll have the recall taken care of next week and then the exhaust followed by a VET test and getting the tags.
14. Now to find a cheap parking space.
Here is a picture of the car I bought, it's in excellent condition. As you can see from the pic below it has unusually low miles and that shows in how clean it is.
How did I know this was a good car? I'm a research fanatic, that's how.
A Week Ago - September 10th, 2003
1. First I went to ConsumerReports.org and looked up most reliable cars ever, Camry's and Accord's topped the list.
2. Then I began to look on-line and in the paper for a late 80's model. Every time I called about a car it was already sold.
Wednesday - September 17th, 2003
3. After work I went to look at a different car in New Albany when I saw this one, it had only been on the lot for a day.
4. The lot let me keep it over night to check it out, which I did checking everything and drove over 80 miles that night.
5. I ran the VIN (and 6 other cars) through www.carfax.com and it came up clean. Really clean.
Thursday - September 18th, 2003
6. I took it to the VET and it passed all test with flying colors except for the gas cap pressure test which is a Fail and requires a retest after repairs are made.
7. There is really bad rust in fuel filler (why it failed the VET) so I took it to Honda and it's covered under a recall, set for next Friday.
8. Big-O says that no problems were found with the tires, brakes or rotors.
9. Olymco will charge $110 to replace part of the exhaust that is rusted and has a hole. The hole makes it sound like a car from The Fast and The Furious.
10. Took it back to Honda and had them run a 40 point check which took over an hour and no major problems were found, only regular maintenance stuff.
11. Went to the car lot and paid for the car.
12. Went home and removed the old Malibu from my insurance and added the Accord, my insurance went up one dollar per month.
13. That's it, I'll have the recall taken care of next week and then the exhaust followed by a VET test and getting the tags.
14. Now to find a cheap parking space.
Missed me by that much.
July/09/2001 09:34 PM
By Rob Jones
This happened on a nice summer day in 2001.
I had just left work at the usual time of 5:15. Allyson was at dance class and would have to be picked up in an hour. After making a couple of right turns I was in the correct lane to hop up onto the highway. While I was waiting at the light a lady in a small pickup bumped me, It was relatively soft and the light just turned green so I decided I didn't care to look and drove on. I was coming off the highway and heading onto the Kennedy bridge. I was about a half mile onto the bridge, there are four lanes and I was in the second from the left. There was a semi to my left and a Firebird to my right. I caught a glance of a white car in my rear view mirror as it sped up behind me. This car was not slowing down and I was beginning to get the feeling he was going to hit me but I had nowhere to go.
Oh My Goodness, the car just veered to the left and is passing me on the left, between me and the semi. As it sped by I heard a loud thump, this car just passed between me and the semi, just barely avoiding the semi and hit my car in the process. As it passed us my wife Karen said did they just hit us? I said I think so. That's when I started to realize this car was in trouble, they didn't have any brakes.
The relatively new Firebird that was to my right was far enough up now that they actually got in front of the car and attempted to slow it down by bumping it. The Firebird slowed the car down to about 20mph by the time it reached the end of the bridge. I decided to go ahead and stopped to the right side of the road where they were headed as the car slowed to a stop. The Firebird never stopped and drove on.
I got out of my car and started walking back to where they stopped about 400ft behind me. The car was a white four door Honda Accord late 80's model and it was pretty awful to look at. As I approached the car I saw that there were three children (ranging from 1 to 3yrs old) in the back seat, the young man (in his early twenties) driving got out and asked if he damaged my car looking as if he were about to cry. I said I don't know I hadn't looked and wasn't worried about it. His wife (also early twenties) was very shook up as you would expect and was crying. I suggested that we get the kids out of the car and head down to McDonald's which was a block away. They agreed, and grabbed some stuff (diapers etc.) to put in my trunk. There was not room for all of them so I suggested that he walk with one of the children to McDonald's and we would meet them there. The wife said they needed to stop at the bank for money, so I said we would see If we could find a 5th3rd before meeting them at McDonald's.
After driving around downtown Jeffersonville for a couple minutes I realized there was no 5th3rd and she said they had no cards to make withdrawal because the account was new. We headed over to McDonald's and sat down to see what they needed help with. Karen called my Mom and had here look up the nearest 5th3rd bank. It was on the other side of Jeff. As we began to leave I saw a police van pull behind the car on the highway, he noticed as well and asked what he should do, I said I wouldn't worry about it they're probably just checking to see if anyone is inside. I left the young man with some cash to get the kids something to eat while Karen and I took the wife to the bank. On the way there I asked Karen to call the bank and see when they close. After calling Karen said they close at 6, we had 8 minutes to get there and it was ten miles away. I drove faster than normal.
Upon arriving at the bank the wife jumped out and headed towards the door, it was locked. My wife said lets try the drive through, as we went around the corner the light for the only open lane went out and we were two cars behind. They took the car in front of us so there is a good chance they'll take us too. Nope, the lady said I'm sorry the drive through is closed. I pleaded my case, this young lady is out of town and here car just broke down and doesn't have a ATM card to get the cash for the needed repairs. The lady said hold on, she went to get her manager, he said the bank was closed and asked what we needed. This time the wife spoke for herself and pleaded with the manager that she had a new 5th3rd account and that they had not yet received ATM cards and desperately needed to get some cash. The manager agreed to help and asked for her account number and proof of ID. He sent her a withdrawal slip and asked her to fill it out and included her ID when returning the slip.
I did not pay attention to what she filled out (she was in the back seat), but Karen said it looked like about a thousand dollars. The wife thanked the manager after getting her money and we were on our way back to McDonald's. She talked a little more on the trip back, probably because her nerves were settling. She said that when her husband realized the brakes were out they where already traveling at 65mph and heading up onto the bridge. She said he tried everything to slow the car down from pulling the emergency brake to throwing the car into different gears. I now realized that this car was not leaving the side of the highway on it's own.
As we returned to McDonald's the young man and his kids were sitting outside the restaurant. The wife said that she had got some money and that could get a room or something, I pointed out the nearest hotel about two blocks away. I said that it was time for me to pickup my daughter and that I would be back right after I got her, I gave them their diapers and they said thanks for everything. It took me about 40 minutes to pickup my daughter and take her and my wife home before I could return. As I returned to McDonald's I noticed they had already gone, so I headed over to the hotel to see if they were in the lobby or something. They weren't there either, I didn't dare think that they would get back in that car but I had to see if they went back to the car. From my position I had cross the bridge and come back before I would even be able to see the car.
It was not there. No where. Did they get in the car and leave? Did the police help them and tow their car? Did they have the car towed and get a hotel room?
I'll never know.
This happened on a nice summer day in 2001.
I had just left work at the usual time of 5:15. Allyson was at dance class and would have to be picked up in an hour. After making a couple of right turns I was in the correct lane to hop up onto the highway. While I was waiting at the light a lady in a small pickup bumped me, It was relatively soft and the light just turned green so I decided I didn't care to look and drove on. I was coming off the highway and heading onto the Kennedy bridge. I was about a half mile onto the bridge, there are four lanes and I was in the second from the left. There was a semi to my left and a Firebird to my right. I caught a glance of a white car in my rear view mirror as it sped up behind me. This car was not slowing down and I was beginning to get the feeling he was going to hit me but I had nowhere to go.
Oh My Goodness, the car just veered to the left and is passing me on the left, between me and the semi. As it sped by I heard a loud thump, this car just passed between me and the semi, just barely avoiding the semi and hit my car in the process. As it passed us my wife Karen said did they just hit us? I said I think so. That's when I started to realize this car was in trouble, they didn't have any brakes.
The relatively new Firebird that was to my right was far enough up now that they actually got in front of the car and attempted to slow it down by bumping it. The Firebird slowed the car down to about 20mph by the time it reached the end of the bridge. I decided to go ahead and stopped to the right side of the road where they were headed as the car slowed to a stop. The Firebird never stopped and drove on.
I got out of my car and started walking back to where they stopped about 400ft behind me. The car was a white four door Honda Accord late 80's model and it was pretty awful to look at. As I approached the car I saw that there were three children (ranging from 1 to 3yrs old) in the back seat, the young man (in his early twenties) driving got out and asked if he damaged my car looking as if he were about to cry. I said I don't know I hadn't looked and wasn't worried about it. His wife (also early twenties) was very shook up as you would expect and was crying. I suggested that we get the kids out of the car and head down to McDonald's which was a block away. They agreed, and grabbed some stuff (diapers etc.) to put in my trunk. There was not room for all of them so I suggested that he walk with one of the children to McDonald's and we would meet them there. The wife said they needed to stop at the bank for money, so I said we would see If we could find a 5th3rd before meeting them at McDonald's.
After driving around downtown Jeffersonville for a couple minutes I realized there was no 5th3rd and she said they had no cards to make withdrawal because the account was new. We headed over to McDonald's and sat down to see what they needed help with. Karen called my Mom and had here look up the nearest 5th3rd bank. It was on the other side of Jeff. As we began to leave I saw a police van pull behind the car on the highway, he noticed as well and asked what he should do, I said I wouldn't worry about it they're probably just checking to see if anyone is inside. I left the young man with some cash to get the kids something to eat while Karen and I took the wife to the bank. On the way there I asked Karen to call the bank and see when they close. After calling Karen said they close at 6, we had 8 minutes to get there and it was ten miles away. I drove faster than normal.
Upon arriving at the bank the wife jumped out and headed towards the door, it was locked. My wife said lets try the drive through, as we went around the corner the light for the only open lane went out and we were two cars behind. They took the car in front of us so there is a good chance they'll take us too. Nope, the lady said I'm sorry the drive through is closed. I pleaded my case, this young lady is out of town and here car just broke down and doesn't have a ATM card to get the cash for the needed repairs. The lady said hold on, she went to get her manager, he said the bank was closed and asked what we needed. This time the wife spoke for herself and pleaded with the manager that she had a new 5th3rd account and that they had not yet received ATM cards and desperately needed to get some cash. The manager agreed to help and asked for her account number and proof of ID. He sent her a withdrawal slip and asked her to fill it out and included her ID when returning the slip.
I did not pay attention to what she filled out (she was in the back seat), but Karen said it looked like about a thousand dollars. The wife thanked the manager after getting her money and we were on our way back to McDonald's. She talked a little more on the trip back, probably because her nerves were settling. She said that when her husband realized the brakes were out they where already traveling at 65mph and heading up onto the bridge. She said he tried everything to slow the car down from pulling the emergency brake to throwing the car into different gears. I now realized that this car was not leaving the side of the highway on it's own.
As we returned to McDonald's the young man and his kids were sitting outside the restaurant. The wife said that she had got some money and that could get a room or something, I pointed out the nearest hotel about two blocks away. I said that it was time for me to pickup my daughter and that I would be back right after I got her, I gave them their diapers and they said thanks for everything. It took me about 40 minutes to pickup my daughter and take her and my wife home before I could return. As I returned to McDonald's I noticed they had already gone, so I headed over to the hotel to see if they were in the lobby or something. They weren't there either, I didn't dare think that they would get back in that car but I had to see if they went back to the car. From my position I had cross the bridge and come back before I would even be able to see the car.
It was not there. No where. Did they get in the car and leave? Did the police help them and tow their car? Did they have the car towed and get a hotel room?
I'll never know.
Out of gas, summer of 2000.
September/10/2000 06:46 PM
By Rob Jones
This is what happens when you don't watch the gauge.
I was driving home from my brother-in-law's house after 10:00PM when I ran out of gas. I was able to get my 1981 Chevy Malibu on to the side of the road. The car was at a 30% slant from left to right, but I was off of the road. There was a closed gas station about four city blocks behind me and an open gas station (Shell) one mile in front of me. I grabbed my empty gas can out of the trunk and headed towards Shell. Only about two blocks away from my car a teenage boy stopped in his little pickup and offered to take me to Shell, I said it was not necessary but he insisted that it was not a problem. So we headed up to Shell and I filled up my can and noticed that he was still there. When I finished he said that he would take me back to my car. He dropped me off at my car and I said thank you and off he went.
Well that was easy, I've only been out of gas for thirty minutes and I'm about start my car up and leave. So I proceed to pour the gallon of gas into my car, twist on the cap, put the empty can back in the trunk and start the car. I hop in the drivers seat and attempt to turn the car over, and over, and over. What's wrong? Why won't it start? Check the cables, everything seems fine, lets try again. I hop in the drivers seat again and attempt to turn the car over, and over, and over, OH NO, the battery 's starting to die. I don't understand, I just ran out of gas.
That's it, my car is at to much of angle for the gas to get through the lines. I pushed my Malibu down the incline into a flat grassy area that I know I can drive out of. I hop back into the drivers seat and attempt to turn the car over, the batteries dead. The Batteries Dead. I have gas in the car but now I need a jump. Now i've been broke down for more than an hour.
I'll call my brother-in-law and tell him that I need a jump. So I head behind me to the closed gas station where they have a public phone. It only took about 7 minutes to get there. He say's he'll be happy to come out but he does not have any jumper cables. I tell him that I will just call my wife who has our jumper cables. Before I can dial my wife two cop cars pull up behind my car with light flashing. So instead of calling my wife I head towards my car to let them know my situations. As I'm walking towards my car I can see from a distance that both police officers are surrounding my car and shining flashlights in it. As I get closer I yell "That's my car". And they back off and wait for me to get there.
Once I got there I explained my story and asked if they would give me a jump. We're not aloud to do that said one of the officers. I said that I would have to walk back to the pay phone and call my wife. And officer said I could use his mobile phone. So I called, "Karen I need you come out here and give me a jump". She grabbed a sleeping Allyson (3yrs old) put her in her car seat and headed out to get me. Now I've been broke down for more than two hours.
I tell the officers my wife is on her way and they take off. About fifteen minutes later my wife arrives and parks her car down the slope next to mine. I go to her trunk and take out the jumper cables and lay them out in front of the cars. Then I proceed to open the hoods of each car and attach the cables to the Malibu. Before I could attach them to my wife's Corolla, a forty year old man said "I'll get this side for you" I said "OK, thanks". I then started the Corolla and waited a little bit before trying to start the Malibu. Tried it once but it was to soon. I step out to the front of the car and tell man thanks for his help and he says "Sure, no problem". I go back to the Corolla and tell my wife that this guy is freaking me out, she said "Why, what did he do". I said "It's not what he did it's where he came from , there's no car around". She said "Just ask him", and I said "Oh that's a good idea, what if that's what sets him off?"
So reluctantly I head back to the front cars and say "Hey, were did you come from?" he turns and points at the rail road tracks 50 yards away and says "That's my train, I'm the engineer and we had some downtime and were just running up the tracks when I saw you and thought you might need help." He said his name was Harold and when we got the car started I said thank you very much and he headed back to his train. I arrived home more than three hours after I ran out of gas.
This is what happens when you don't watch the gauge.
I was driving home from my brother-in-law's house after 10:00PM when I ran out of gas. I was able to get my 1981 Chevy Malibu on to the side of the road. The car was at a 30% slant from left to right, but I was off of the road. There was a closed gas station about four city blocks behind me and an open gas station (Shell) one mile in front of me. I grabbed my empty gas can out of the trunk and headed towards Shell. Only about two blocks away from my car a teenage boy stopped in his little pickup and offered to take me to Shell, I said it was not necessary but he insisted that it was not a problem. So we headed up to Shell and I filled up my can and noticed that he was still there. When I finished he said that he would take me back to my car. He dropped me off at my car and I said thank you and off he went.
Well that was easy, I've only been out of gas for thirty minutes and I'm about start my car up and leave. So I proceed to pour the gallon of gas into my car, twist on the cap, put the empty can back in the trunk and start the car. I hop in the drivers seat and attempt to turn the car over, and over, and over. What's wrong? Why won't it start? Check the cables, everything seems fine, lets try again. I hop in the drivers seat again and attempt to turn the car over, and over, and over, OH NO, the battery 's starting to die. I don't understand, I just ran out of gas.
That's it, my car is at to much of angle for the gas to get through the lines. I pushed my Malibu down the incline into a flat grassy area that I know I can drive out of. I hop back into the drivers seat and attempt to turn the car over, the batteries dead. The Batteries Dead. I have gas in the car but now I need a jump. Now i've been broke down for more than an hour.
I'll call my brother-in-law and tell him that I need a jump. So I head behind me to the closed gas station where they have a public phone. It only took about 7 minutes to get there. He say's he'll be happy to come out but he does not have any jumper cables. I tell him that I will just call my wife who has our jumper cables. Before I can dial my wife two cop cars pull up behind my car with light flashing. So instead of calling my wife I head towards my car to let them know my situations. As I'm walking towards my car I can see from a distance that both police officers are surrounding my car and shining flashlights in it. As I get closer I yell "That's my car". And they back off and wait for me to get there.
Once I got there I explained my story and asked if they would give me a jump. We're not aloud to do that said one of the officers. I said that I would have to walk back to the pay phone and call my wife. And officer said I could use his mobile phone. So I called, "Karen I need you come out here and give me a jump". She grabbed a sleeping Allyson (3yrs old) put her in her car seat and headed out to get me. Now I've been broke down for more than two hours.
I tell the officers my wife is on her way and they take off. About fifteen minutes later my wife arrives and parks her car down the slope next to mine. I go to her trunk and take out the jumper cables and lay them out in front of the cars. Then I proceed to open the hoods of each car and attach the cables to the Malibu. Before I could attach them to my wife's Corolla, a forty year old man said "I'll get this side for you" I said "OK, thanks". I then started the Corolla and waited a little bit before trying to start the Malibu. Tried it once but it was to soon. I step out to the front of the car and tell man thanks for his help and he says "Sure, no problem". I go back to the Corolla and tell my wife that this guy is freaking me out, she said "Why, what did he do". I said "It's not what he did it's where he came from , there's no car around". She said "Just ask him", and I said "Oh that's a good idea, what if that's what sets him off?"
So reluctantly I head back to the front cars and say "Hey, were did you come from?" he turns and points at the rail road tracks 50 yards away and says "That's my train, I'm the engineer and we had some downtime and were just running up the tracks when I saw you and thought you might need help." He said his name was Harold and when we got the car started I said thank you very much and he headed back to his train. I arrived home more than three hours after I ran out of gas.