Text 3705, 85 rader
Skriven 2008-03-11 19:06:56 av BURTON FORD (1:123/140)
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Hi               3/11/08 5:10 PM

Shirley and I had an interesting experience yesterday.  

I shouldn't be so talky below, but lucky for you folks you don't have 
to read it all, and I got it off my chest.  I hope Dirty Dave our 
ex-trucker doesn't take umbrage to any of this!

We were hit by an 16 [18?} wheel tractor trailer.  Believe it or not we
suffered no injuries, and our car just got a broken tail light, dented
fender and bumper.  Only $930 damage to our car.

Some of you may remember from our Echo Picnic in 2005 that the nearby 
town of Palmyra has a "four corners" with a Church on every corner. We 
were coming home and following a BIG tractor trailer East thru town.
When he got to the four corners he turned on his left turn signal, and 
moved over into the left turn lane.  So I continued straight ahead 
in my lane thru the green light.

I was almost all the way thru the intersection when I was horrified to 
see the HUGE tractor coming right at me out of the corner of my eye.  
I stepped on the gas and swung away a bit to go past that monstrous 
bumper only to hear and feel a bump.  Shirley said it sounded 
horrendous but it didn't seem loud to me... I guess I was happy that 
it wasn't a lurching, crunching kind of thing.

I stopped in a few feet into the empty parking lane on the East end of 
the intersection and got out to check the damage.  As I said above, it 
wasn't bad.   I headed back to the trailer and saw it start up and pull 
to the right, around the corner.  I thought at first he was running away,
but I guess he thought he should get out of the intersection.  So the 
Police never saw the accident layout.

When I walked up, the trucks Left Turn Signal was still on.   I probably 
shouldn't have said it but I was a bit stunned, and I said "Your left 
turn signal is _still_ on!"  He mumbled something about a wide turn, 
and agreed that I should call 911.  We got the Chief of Police no less!  
The trucks left turn signal was off when he arrived, naturally.  We went 
to the Police station for an interview.

Strangely, in the Chief's interview the trucker never outright denied 
that he had his left signal on all the time, even tho' he protested that 
it was two against one [referring to Shirley and I] and just kept 
mumbling about a wide turn.  I knew then of course that he must of 
signaled left to move into the left lane to make a wide right turn, but 
had forgotten to signal that he was then turning right.  When the Chief 
said it was a "he said/he said situation", I asked him if he would ask my
wife, who hadn't said anything yet.  She actually had seen him signaling 
left all the way thru, and said so.   But it didn't seem to make much
difference, as the chief gave us a copy of the Accident report and the
truckers insurance info, etc., and said Butch and I could go.  I then
began to worry that our insurance would double with a no fault deal, 
but I'm not given to arguing with cops, so we just left.   

The Chief called this morning and said he had a revised Report for us to
pick up.  I went over and saw him and got it.  He had given the trucker 
two tickets, one for his log book not being up to date, and one for making 
a right turn while signaling a left turn!  I asked him if that would make 
a difference in our insurance and he said "That it will.  That it will!"

He then told me that after we left the trucker pled guilty to both 
charges, was taken to a judge, who collected a $500 fine and got him right
out of town.  Some time during the story he said, off the record, that the
trucker was "one of the turkeys."  That tickled us, because the guy had 
gone on and on about how he went thru Palmyra every week but never got a
ticket in the town because he slowed right away at the speed limits, how
much he respected the police, etc., etc.   And he told some other cop 
that passed thru the station that it was bad how everyone hated the poor
truckers, moved up on their blind side and got them in trouble rushing 
past, and so forth.  

Shirley would have bit him if she could have gotten away with it, but we
both kept our mouths shut.   All in all I think that was wise of us.

Result, his insurance will have to pay, and I should have no problems. 
Except for all the running around, and getting the banged up car fixed.
And no injuries to anyone thank goodness!    

Whew!  Thanks for listening!


Burt

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