Just Dodged the Big Bullett on Interstate 75
12-01-2002, 07:18 PM
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Just Dodged the Big Bullett on Interstate 75
Man you had to be there. Barrelling along at 60 (which was fast for a white out) and out of the blue comes a 25 car pile up. Well I have a few seconds to react and I can see the highway is plugged with cars in a pile so I head for the median. The snow was about a foot deep and i just went between to reflectors and was home free. The median was also full of smashed cars and I just drove around them. I was in a Suburban towing an enclosed trailer and I just drove around the smashed cars and back on the highway. Two trucks followed me and we stopped to clean our pants and they said that if they had not followed me they would be in the pile up also. There was a nice F350 with a smashed front and I wondered why he didn't bail out and avoid this. Thank God for being alert and being able to think ahead. That brings up another subject, most people just don't think ahead and after the crash think, man I should have done this or that, well after the fact is too late. It also helps to just coast with very little braking and drive thru it. I think the final count would be more than 50 cars...and that was just one pile up, there were 3 today.
12-01-2002, 07:24 PM
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We had just closed up the house up north and was coming home.. We ran into the same this yesterday south of saginaw, solid snow and ice, cars were all over. We managed to sneek our way through the mess and make it home. Man it is scary some people can not drive at all.
Mitch were you up riding this weekend?
Travis
Mitch were you up riding this weekend?
Travis
12-01-2002, 07:40 PM
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Hell, I'm sure Mitch thought he was crawlin at 60 on that road. Most folks know to get the hell outta the way of snowmobilers.
You just got done going 100 mph all weekend w/ trees 3 feet to either side and people coming at you, one way roads 40 feet wide are no big deal.
You just got done going 100 mph all weekend w/ trees 3 feet to either side and people coming at you, one way roads 40 feet wide are no big deal.
12-01-2002, 07:54 PM
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I have traveled 75 up to Gaylord many many times. A few years ago there was a 75-100 car (can't remember exact number) pileup by Grayling, nasty stuff. Glad you made it thru.
Last winter I was following a lady who was drving a Ranger. It was getting icy on the overpasses but it was hard to tell, and we were clipping along 65-70ish, it was a black ice type of freeze over. Anyway, she goes over the bridge which curves to the right and I am about 3 car lengths back and all of a sudden she starts fishtailing, winds up going nose first into the outside guard rail. Meanwhile...........I am pulling a Tony Stewart behind her trying to figure out which way she is going and which way I am going to go. She was losing it all over the highway. You can say think ahead and all, but for me it happened quick enough that it was just insticnt at that point. Luckily the instinct was right. I was in the ice as well, managed to keep it straight (2 wheel drive single cab Chevy dually=no traction even in a drought!!) and somehow whoaaaed it down enough not to hit her then I bolted to the inside when she made the last big fishtail toward the outside guard rail she drilled. I actually hit the gas whne I went by her, at that point I had cleard the icy bridge. I was worried I would get collected up when she bounced off the wall back into traffic. I knew once I was by her I would be okay, sort of the same thing you said. The biggest thing is don't lock up the brakes and aim and shoot. Just keep going if you can, it will help you keep straight if you have to be evasive and steer hard to the right or left.
Nice job on the median, she was hitting the wall right as I went by her and I was headed to the median, that was my thought, but I got by her before she bounced back off into traffic, so I did not have to go into the median. I was pretty happy about that. I may ahve been screwed if I had to go to the grass. Yours seemed a little more feces producing, but I was a little dirty in the drawers as well. Makes you appreciate 200 mph raceing accidents!! OFcourse 70 on ice in a 2WD dually ain't exactly a picnic either.....Glad you did not wreck
I pulled over and ran back to check on her and she crawled right out and she seemed less shaken up than me!! Kinda one of those..."slow down, slow down, slow down....oh hell.....right, right, wait left, staight, left, no right, ri ri ri ri right.......oh s***speed up speed up speed up"......
Last winter I was following a lady who was drving a Ranger. It was getting icy on the overpasses but it was hard to tell, and we were clipping along 65-70ish, it was a black ice type of freeze over. Anyway, she goes over the bridge which curves to the right and I am about 3 car lengths back and all of a sudden she starts fishtailing, winds up going nose first into the outside guard rail. Meanwhile...........I am pulling a Tony Stewart behind her trying to figure out which way she is going and which way I am going to go. She was losing it all over the highway. You can say think ahead and all, but for me it happened quick enough that it was just insticnt at that point. Luckily the instinct was right. I was in the ice as well, managed to keep it straight (2 wheel drive single cab Chevy dually=no traction even in a drought!!) and somehow whoaaaed it down enough not to hit her then I bolted to the inside when she made the last big fishtail toward the outside guard rail she drilled. I actually hit the gas whne I went by her, at that point I had cleard the icy bridge. I was worried I would get collected up when she bounced off the wall back into traffic. I knew once I was by her I would be okay, sort of the same thing you said. The biggest thing is don't lock up the brakes and aim and shoot. Just keep going if you can, it will help you keep straight if you have to be evasive and steer hard to the right or left.
Nice job on the median, she was hitting the wall right as I went by her and I was headed to the median, that was my thought, but I got by her before she bounced back off into traffic, so I did not have to go into the median. I was pretty happy about that. I may ahve been screwed if I had to go to the grass. Yours seemed a little more feces producing, but I was a little dirty in the drawers as well. Makes you appreciate 200 mph raceing accidents!! OFcourse 70 on ice in a 2WD dually ain't exactly a picnic either.....Glad you did not wreck
I pulled over and ran back to check on her and she crawled right out and she seemed less shaken up than me!! Kinda one of those..."slow down, slow down, slow down....oh hell.....right, right, wait left, staight, left, no right, ri ri ri ri right.......oh s***speed up speed up speed up"......
12-01-2002, 08:54 PM
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Traviss, we had 10 inches in Grand Marais. Got my first 100 miles then my buddy broke his rope on his recoil and we had to start it by wraping a rope around the clutch. Yeh, 60 is slow when you are on 75 and people better watch out for us because we are under control at those speeds in any condition. When you loose control at 100 in the woods you learn fast how to pull out and it sure helps on the road also
12-01-2002, 08:54 PM
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just got back from Green Bay(Go Pack) roads werent that bad untill 25miles south of Marquette. Unfortunally passed a fatal accident on the way. Crew was still on the scene 4hrs after it happend. Nasty weather weekend looks like winter is here to stay this year. All lake effect snow so far though, that is bad news for water levels next spring. This fall lake superior was actually a little high in October.
