Pls Remember

[Steve Bartylla]

This is going to come off as super cheesy, but I tend to forget how precious life and loved ones are. I know we should all appreciate every day we have with those we cherish and those days we get to spend doing the things that we truly enjoy. Still, life happens and it gets way too easy to take for granted everything and everyone we have, at least it is for me.

I was going to pick up the youngest man child from school today. A girl that couldn't have been more than a year or two out of HS herself rear ended me when I slowed to turn. When she looked up from her phone, she just didn't have enough space to stop.

Now, no harm no foul as far as I was concerned. I didn't even get so much as a scratch on the truck. Her plastic little car is essentially scrap now (could be fixed, but will cost more that the 3-4K the car is worth). Luckily, outside of her having a nasty case of the shakes, she's fine. I tried to convince the officer that she didn't need a ticket, as the event itself and now needing to buy a new car will be more effective than a ticket ever could be and it would just needlessly complicate her life even more (cost of the ticket plus her having to pay even higher premiums than they'll already be raising just from the claim she's about to put in). He seemed to agree. So, maybe it worked.

All that said, that could have just as easily been the man child crossing the road there on the bike he didn't ride because it was raining this AM (timing would have been right). If I'd loaded the truck bed with the stands I'm going to be loading after I hit submit (planned on doing it earlier, but got doing other stuff), they'd have been piled high enough that a ladder section, climbing stick or combo of both would have come crashing through the back window (or went flying through her already smashed front window) and God knows how that would have ended up. Point is, though I wish the girl wouldn't have been so shaken up and totaled her car for it to happen, moments like those always serve as reminders for me to take stock in the people I cherish and give pause to thank the Big Man for all I have. Maybe wasting a couple paragraphs will do the same for one or two of you. I know when others have shared stuff on here (MO talking about someone he knew that had a window maker take him out last winter when cutting firewood comes to mind), it has done that for me, anyway.

 

[wiscwhip]

Glad to hear everyone is physically ok, vehicles and the like can be replaced. I know that when kids are young we tend to pay more attention to stuff like this and it sometimes seems to get lax as the kids get older and move away, then the grandbabies show up and your right back to minding your P's & Q's. Young ones in the family tend to tame the IDGAF attitudes when it comes to risking life and limb, and that's a good thing!

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Great way to handle a crappy situation Steve an a great reminder as well

 

[j-bird]

Steve your story is very similar to what happened to my man child over the summer. He was driving my truck and the car in front of him drove off the road and struck a utility pole. My son started to slow down to see what he could do. He said about that time he felt something sort of pull on the front of the truck. What had happened is a cable that supported the electric line dropped across the road with the pole coming down. He had caught this cable with the bumper and it was too late and the tension pulled the top off of another power pole! The very top of the pole landed square center in the bed on my truck. The ceramic isolator exploded when it hit and blew out the back window. We had glass and ceramic parts on the dash of the truck. The truck bed looks like we dropped a tree on it, but no structural damage. I need a new bed and taillight, and my boy needs a new set of britches! We wasn't hurt at all but if was literally a few feet and it could have ended much worse. I wasn't happy about my truck, but that's what insurance is for - insurance can't replace my boy! Sometime it takes a little jolt to put things in perspective. Glad to hear everyone on your end is OK.

 

[Jordan Selsor]

Steve your story is very similar to what happened to my man child over the summer. He was driving my truck and the car in front of him drove off the road and struck a utility pole. My son started to slow down to see what he could do. He said about that time he felt something sort of pull on the front of the truck. What had happened is a cable that supported the electric line dropped across the road with the pole coming down. He had caught this cable with the bumper and it was too late and the tension pulled the top off of another power pole!
Sheesh! Glad your boy is ok! I have seen mvc with utility poles that did not end so well.

 

[j-bird]

Yep he was fine - he asked the cop to stop me before I got to my boy to make sure I was "calm" - my boy figured I would explode! I was much more concerned about my boy - the officer thought it was pretty funny. He did say he has seen a lot of things but this was a first! It's still f'ed up I'll take a pic or two and post it when I have a chance - lets just say it rather distinctive.

 

[tooln]

Steve you handled it well. Better then I would have. I'm glad no one got hurt but your 6th sentence says it all. It could have been avoided had she been DRIVING and not TALKING. I don't want to sound harsh but the facts are there.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

Thanks, Guys. Thankfully, the situation wasn't overly dramatic at all. It really wasn't a big deal (except for the girl....she was really shook up, mostly out of concern for me/what she may have done to me &/or the truck). It just served as a moment to reflect. It's messed up that it to often takes something like that to get me to do so, but I'd be lying if I pretended that isn't the case with me more than it should be.

NoFo (I think I saw Whip use that...I like it and am running with it), I'd sincerely be ashamed of myself if that thought had even crossed my mind...That and my pushing 80 yr old mom would likely have jumped into her car, drove the 3 hrs here and slapped me for thinking it, and she's never slapped me once in my life. I'm not a naïve fool. I know there are people out there that think that way, but I can't believe they like/have any respect for the person they are. Without being able to have any respect for yourself, no amount of $ can make you happy. All one has to do is look at the long list of celebs (be they athletes, music stars, actors/actresses...) that seemingly have everything our society pushes us to be, only to OD or commit suicide. I have to believe life is pretty miserable for those that can't respect themselves.

Not to take this even farther on a tangent that has nothing to do with this forum, but, call it whatever you'd like, I'm a very strong believer in what goes around comes around, karma, universal justice or whatever one wants to call it. Be a somewhat good person and good things tend to happen. Be an a$$hat and you're eventually going to wake up in a pile of excrement.

J, glad to hear everything worked out with the man child. I can't imagine anything worse than something horrific happening to the wife or kids. Glad that wasn't the case. As Whip wrote, vehicles and such can be replaced.

Tooln, I agree. I can't speak for anyone else, but I did some really pants on head stupid things in my HS and college days. Somehow, putting a vehicle in the ditch was about the worst thing to ever happen to me, but it was more than enough to teach me to never do that specific stupid thing again. She knew she messed up and was way more concerned about me and my truck than her totaled car. It's real easy for me to go off when someone tries to justify or blame others for their mess ups. When the first words out of someone's mouth is along the lines of, "Yes, I'm fine. Please tell me you're OK. I'm so sorry. It was all my fault." I have a hard time going off on them, despite not realizing the truck wasn't even scratched yet. That was just a bonus and shows what happens when plastic and paper think sheet metal meets a real steal bumper and cast iron trailer hitch. It's not a pretty result for the little toy car. She knew she messed up and my going off on her wouldn't have made that sink in any deeper.

Going to be MIA for a while. Get out there and kill some stuff, but don't forget to give your wife, kids, loved ones a kiss before heading out the door. With that, I'll turn the cheese factor switch off on my way out. Good luck out there, all! Things are about to start getting really fun! enjoy it.

 

[j-bird]

This is what happens when a utility pole is pulled down on your truck. You like the red-neck bondo job? This is actually puled out some. The top rail was touched the wheel well. My boy was fine, just needed a clean pair of pants!

 

[tooln]

View attachment 2576 This is what happens when a utility pole is pulled down on your truck. You like the red-neck bondo job? This is actually puled out some. The top rail was touched the wheel well. My boy was fine, just needed a clean pair of pants!

Now you need to give the rest of the story.

 

[j-bird]

I did - sorry I posted the story earlier in the thread and didn't have a pic at the time.

 

[tooln]

I did - sorry I posted the story earlier in the thread and didn't have a pic at the time.

OK I had a brain fart and missed the post.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

Glad to hear everyone is physically ok, vehicles and the like can be replaced. I know that when kids are young we tend to pay more attention to stuff like this and it sometimes seems to get lax as the kids get older and move away, then the grandbabies show up and your right back to minding your P's & Q's. Young ones in the family tend to tame the IDGAF attitudes when it comes to risking life and limb, and that's a good thing!

So true...my first child is 11 months old now....and I drive slower...my head is on a swivel...my stands are triple checked and re-hung...and the list goes on and on...

 

[shawnv]

Sometimes the best reminders in life are the tough ones. Glad everyone is ok and maybe this lesson will save someone in the future.

 

[MoBuckChaser]

This is going to come off as super cheesy, but I tend to forget how precious life and loved ones are. I know we should all appreciate every day we have with those we cherish and those days we get to spend doing the things that we truly enjoy. Still, life happens and it gets way too easy to take for granted everything and everyone we have, at least it is for me.

I was going to pick up the youngest man child from school today. A girl that couldn't have been more than a year or two out of HS herself rear ended me when I slowed to turn. When she looked up from her phone, she just didn't have enough space to stop.

Now, no harm no foul as far as I was concerned. I didn't even get so much as a scratch on the truck. Her plastic little car is essentially scrap now (could be fixed, but will cost more that the 3-4K the car is worth). Luckily, outside of her having a nasty case of the shakes, she's fine. I tried to convince the officer that she didn't need a ticket, as the event itself and now needing to buy a new car will be more effective than a ticket ever could be and it would just needlessly complicate her life even more (cost of the ticket plus her having to pay even higher premiums than they'll already be raising just from the claim she's about to put in). He seemed to agree. So, maybe it worked.

All that said, that could have just as easily been the man child crossing the road there on the bike he didn't ride because it was raining this AM (timing would have been right). If I'd loaded the truck bed with the stands I'm going to be loading after I hit submit (planned on doing it earlier, but got doing other stuff), they'd have been piled high enough that a ladder section, climbing stick or combo of both would have come crashing through the back window (or went flying through her already smashed front window) and God knows how that would have ended up. Point is, though I wish the girl wouldn't have been so shaken up and totaled her car for it to happen, moments like those always serve as reminders for me to take stock in the people I cherish and give pause to thank the Big Man for all I have. Maybe wasting a couple paragraphs will do the same for one or two of you. I know when others have shared stuff on here (MO talking about someone he knew that had a window maker take him out last winter when cutting firewood comes to mind), it has done that for me, anyway.

Yes, I have lost 2 friends to firewood cutting accidents and a 3rd guy has no use of his legs now as well. I have a old guy that drives tractor for me and a few years ago he and his wife got hit broadside after a young woman texting ran a stop sign. He was lucky he took the pickup that day to town and they had there seat belts on, because they made it through. The young woman and here 3 kids in her car were all killed instantly. None had seat belts on. There are 4 crosses at the corner of 11 and 18 as a reminder that We all need to be careful and pay attention.