Last Night Freeway 911 Call
I now have the experience of calling 911 on the side of the freeway to report an accident. It was not a horrible dead body situation for which I am glad.
Setting the stage: It's 11:00 pm or so. I've spent the day in Tijuana and left the border at 8:00 pm to take someone to Anaheim. I left Anaheim at 10:15 pm and was making great time and looking forward to being home. I was on the last stretch of I-5 South after Pendleton and entering Oceanside. 15 minutes more and I'd be home. Traffic was light, given the hour and only a few cars speeding along. I'm in the middle lane.
Then a big, white pickup truck completely gains ground on all of us (avg speed 75, truck was doing at least 100) and the truck swerves over to the far right, loses control, hits the guard rain and zips left across all lanes of traffic. All 5 of us cars saw this coming and were getting out of the way.
Truck hits the breaks and spins around to face us and the truck is tipping. Why no other car was hit at this point is beyond amazing. The driver must have spun the wheel because the truck righted itself, facing forward and slammed into the left center divide.
The first two cars race off. The other three of us pull to the off-ramp. I'm sure one of the other drivers called 911 as did I. I made the report and at this point no one is moving in that truck. After hanging up, I can see someone stumbling out of the car, and walking to the back of the truck and then then front. No one could help since cars were still coming down the freeway.
The three of us are watching then, when the other two cars take off and now I'm along watching this all unfold. Since I called 911 and there was someone out there, I had to stay. At this point I can't see the driver any more and it looks like he's going into hiding.
Oceanside police comes over and to them it looks like I'm parked illegally on the freeway since to their eyes, the truck was abandoned. So I tell my story and move my car in front of the cop car. I have to give a report and as I do, the fire truck pulls up and here are three firemen coming to my rescue. The cop has to explain it's not me, it's the driver in the truck, but the driver is missing and the truck is locked. CHP pulls up and I can tell now the difference in attitude between CHP and beach police. I'll take the beach police normally and CHP in emergency. Oceanside cop has to explain me again, that I'm only a witness and not involved in any way.
No one can find the driver and the police shut down the freeway. I can now add the responsibility of shutting down a freeway to my experience.
Report done, they let me go and since I'm on the 76 west ramp, it's a long detour home. I couldn't find anything about the crash on the news. I hope the guy is okay even though that accident was totally induced by reckless driving. I'm even more glad no one else was injured.
Setting the stage: It's 11:00 pm or so. I've spent the day in Tijuana and left the border at 8:00 pm to take someone to Anaheim. I left Anaheim at 10:15 pm and was making great time and looking forward to being home. I was on the last stretch of I-5 South after Pendleton and entering Oceanside. 15 minutes more and I'd be home. Traffic was light, given the hour and only a few cars speeding along. I'm in the middle lane.
Then a big, white pickup truck completely gains ground on all of us (avg speed 75, truck was doing at least 100) and the truck swerves over to the far right, loses control, hits the guard rain and zips left across all lanes of traffic. All 5 of us cars saw this coming and were getting out of the way.
Truck hits the breaks and spins around to face us and the truck is tipping. Why no other car was hit at this point is beyond amazing. The driver must have spun the wheel because the truck righted itself, facing forward and slammed into the left center divide.
The first two cars race off. The other three of us pull to the off-ramp. I'm sure one of the other drivers called 911 as did I. I made the report and at this point no one is moving in that truck. After hanging up, I can see someone stumbling out of the car, and walking to the back of the truck and then then front. No one could help since cars were still coming down the freeway.
The three of us are watching then, when the other two cars take off and now I'm along watching this all unfold. Since I called 911 and there was someone out there, I had to stay. At this point I can't see the driver any more and it looks like he's going into hiding.
Oceanside police comes over and to them it looks like I'm parked illegally on the freeway since to their eyes, the truck was abandoned. So I tell my story and move my car in front of the cop car. I have to give a report and as I do, the fire truck pulls up and here are three firemen coming to my rescue. The cop has to explain it's not me, it's the driver in the truck, but the driver is missing and the truck is locked. CHP pulls up and I can tell now the difference in attitude between CHP and beach police. I'll take the beach police normally and CHP in emergency. Oceanside cop has to explain me again, that I'm only a witness and not involved in any way.
No one can find the driver and the police shut down the freeway. I can now add the responsibility of shutting down a freeway to my experience.
Report done, they let me go and since I'm on the 76 west ramp, it's a long detour home. I couldn't find anything about the crash on the news. I hope the guy is okay even though that accident was totally induced by reckless driving. I'm even more glad no one else was injured.
Wow! After an even like that I'd have trouble sleeping. Good for you for staying. Don't know whey the other cars didn't stop. That's leaving the scene of an accident and illegal, I think. They should find the driver if it was his car using the license plate.
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