Rick Potter
08-18-2014, 3:48 AM
Just got back from a few days in Phoenix, taking the grandkids stuff to college in my truck.
While there, we loaded up some stuff to take to Goodwill the next morning, including a box spring and mattress. My son in law and I tied it down really good, as we were using the truck to take people out to dinner that evening. It was dark when we left for dinner, and we stopped at a light before getting on I-17. Several cars in front of us was a pickup loaded with furniture, including a box spring and double mattress that were stacked on end. I asked the SIL if he saw any rope holding them, and he agreed he couldn't see any either.
Light changed, we all hit the freeway, and the other truck took off for the fast lane, while we went for the slow one. We were watching for a mattress, because we couldn't believe the idiot could possibly keep them in the truck. We didn't get a quarter mile, before we saw people braking and trying to avoid the mattress in the fast lane. Less than another quarter mile ahead, we spotted the other one, also in the fast lane (70 MPH).
We just came abreast of it, in the slow lane, when a car spotted it too late and swerved to miss it. He did, but lost control of the car which spun a 360 across four lanes and went right in front of us. I was braking to avoid hitting him, while not getting hit from behind. Since his forward momentum was still about the same as mine at the crucial moment I could see that we would not slam into him, but I thought for sure we were going to push him into a rollover.
His tail light went out of sight in front of my hood as he spun by, and I thought for sure I was going to give him an unintended PITT maneuver, but he slid by onto the side of the road. He was doubly fortunate that he went off the road in the only nearby spot where there was no K rail.
I have no idea if any other accidents happened because of the mattress idiot. I hope not.
Rick Potter
PS: Driving home today, in a 15 mile stretch of I 10 near Quartzite, the weather went from 109 degrees with a few clouds to 83 degrees and thunder/lightning/rainstorm under the one big cloud that was dumping, then back to 113 degrees. That one stretch of highway seems to get a lot of weather.
PPS: Oh yeah, tool gloat. I brought back a 1965 JC Penny/Rockwell 10" turret RAS that I bought sight unseen six months ago for $50. It's a one owner, low mileage crème puff. I will try to get pics.
While there, we loaded up some stuff to take to Goodwill the next morning, including a box spring and mattress. My son in law and I tied it down really good, as we were using the truck to take people out to dinner that evening. It was dark when we left for dinner, and we stopped at a light before getting on I-17. Several cars in front of us was a pickup loaded with furniture, including a box spring and double mattress that were stacked on end. I asked the SIL if he saw any rope holding them, and he agreed he couldn't see any either.
Light changed, we all hit the freeway, and the other truck took off for the fast lane, while we went for the slow one. We were watching for a mattress, because we couldn't believe the idiot could possibly keep them in the truck. We didn't get a quarter mile, before we saw people braking and trying to avoid the mattress in the fast lane. Less than another quarter mile ahead, we spotted the other one, also in the fast lane (70 MPH).
We just came abreast of it, in the slow lane, when a car spotted it too late and swerved to miss it. He did, but lost control of the car which spun a 360 across four lanes and went right in front of us. I was braking to avoid hitting him, while not getting hit from behind. Since his forward momentum was still about the same as mine at the crucial moment I could see that we would not slam into him, but I thought for sure we were going to push him into a rollover.
His tail light went out of sight in front of my hood as he spun by, and I thought for sure I was going to give him an unintended PITT maneuver, but he slid by onto the side of the road. He was doubly fortunate that he went off the road in the only nearby spot where there was no K rail.
I have no idea if any other accidents happened because of the mattress idiot. I hope not.
Rick Potter
PS: Driving home today, in a 15 mile stretch of I 10 near Quartzite, the weather went from 109 degrees with a few clouds to 83 degrees and thunder/lightning/rainstorm under the one big cloud that was dumping, then back to 113 degrees. That one stretch of highway seems to get a lot of weather.
PPS: Oh yeah, tool gloat. I brought back a 1965 JC Penny/Rockwell 10" turret RAS that I bought sight unseen six months ago for $50. It's a one owner, low mileage crème puff. I will try to get pics.