Can I write my "I'm still here" story too?

[ghostjmf]

OK, I was enroute Tuesday to an appointment in southern Vermont. I got off I89 in Lebanon New Hampster, & was intending to follow route 4, which conveniently has the same state route # in both NH & Vermont, into Vermont. It was I guess pretty easy to tell that I had not yet left New Hampster, as there were a lot of election signs dotting the highway; they weren't holding any primary (yet) in Vermont. However, I get anxious about this sort of thing, & was looking out the window for those little signs saying "route 4", which there were far fewer of than elections signs, or than signs advertising completely alien routes coming up as though you were already on them (thank you, sign people of New Hampster). Also, you cross a big river on a bridge to get into Vermont at that point, & I hadn't, but I had crossed a little river or maybe just another overpass over a road or whatever by that point, so I was anxiously checking for those route signs.

I was doing what all people who don't have GPSs in their car, & wouldn't trust them if they did, do; driving a little under the speed limit (25 mph instead of 30) & looking for signs & landmarks. There's a tricky rotary in downtown Lebanon, with blinding sun at the eastbound patch of it on such a sunny winter day, but I was already well past that.

2-lane highway (1 lane west, 1 lane east), & I'm being tailgated by a box-trailer (way smaller than a semi, & all one piece). I can see their grill in my rear-view mirror. I wish they would slow up so I could slow up & pull off the road somewhere & let them go faster, since this is evidently their wish. But I can't pull into one of the businesses that line this route at 25 mph, not without a probable accident.

The road turns into 2-lanes-west; I honestly can't tell you if at this point the eastbound widened too. I am of course staying in the "slow lane". Box truck makes their move, but apparently their move is to try to kill me.

Its not like "they couldn't see me"; there was no sun blinding west-bound traffic at 11:45am on January 8th. And they had been tailgating me for about 10 minutes; its not like they didn't know I was there. They moved into the "fast" lane without slowing up enough to give themselves room to pass; they took off my driver's-side mirror, that nice rubber strip some cars (like mine) have (now, had) midway horizontally down the side so that parking-lot smackers nick it instead of the door, left truck-tire-shaped marks on my fender, etc, etc, etc. They did not manage to peel my door off the car "like openning a tin can", & me out with it, but it was certainly not for lack of trying.

They then took off at about 50+ mph (still in a 30-mph zone) down the road. The cop, when they finally arrived, kept asking "did you get their plate". Well, I don't recall a front plate from the being-tailgated experience, but all I could really see, even back when I had all my mirrors, was the top of their grill & bottom of their windshield. And after they hit me it just didn't occur to me to follow them down the road at 50+ mph & do I-don't-know-what in order to get their ID.


So I'm cooked, insurance-wise. I don't have collision on my own car, only "comprehensive", & NH truck-driver road rage does not count as "an act of G-d".

"Be glad you're not in a hospital" said the officer. Well, I am glad, but....

[silvercamaro]

ghost, I'm sorry -- for the fright, the expense, and the overall frustration you must be feeling. I am very happy, however, that you were not injured.

[geoffil]

Wow, I can't believe the guy would risk a serious collision over nothing. What a jerk.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I am glad that you weren't injured and I am sorry that you didn't get their plates so that they could pay for the damage.

Did the trailer of the truck have a company affiliation? Sometimes the trucks have GPS inside and they can be tracked that way.

[tlynn78]

What a bastidge. Glad you are okay, though. The hassle sucks, too,.


t.

[Beebs52]

Yowzers! How horrible and nasty. I'm glad you weren't hurt. What a massive creep!

[ghostjmf]

Thank you all for the condolences. If I had any kind of company logo on the creep, believe me I'd have told the cop.

In my thought processes (& you know what they are!) this all may have "started", though I certainly didn't think I was starting anything, when I pulled between a much bigger truck which definitely did have a logo (which I can't remember) & the truck that tried to kill me, right after the rotary in downtown Lebanon; they may have been feeding into it from the southwestbound, I think. I was fed into it from due westbound.

Now, I never try to insinuate myself into a convoy of any kind, because I know that's just bad news. Trucks or whatever trying to follow each other. Because these 2 trucks were entirely different (large white box truck with logo writing on it, smaller silver box truck with a texture to it that made it look like it was panelled with horizontal silver siding [I kept pointing to the siding on a nearby building for the policeperson & saying "if that were silver-colored", which they did not appreciate]) I did not think they were related to each other. And they very likely weren't a convoy.

Its just that some truck-drivers think anyone pulling in front of them & then going slow is a terrible affront to their macho style. But those of you familiar with New England rotaries know that you have to pull in front of someone, or you'll just be going around the rotary forever & ever.

Mainly, the police wanted plate & logo (I had seen none), not iffy physical descriptions that I guess cover too many vehicles. But they could match up damage. I kinda hope some of the "damage" the police picked out of the road was from the truck, & not just stuff off my car, but I fear not, & they didn't want me hanging around to watch them stop traffic to get it, anyway. I did want to, but I felt that would be pushing it.

I am retroactively very upset that absolutely no-one else pulled over & handed me the truck's license #. But no-one else did. I would have, if I had witnessed this & been able to take down the license.

[tlynn78]

Again, bastige. Hopefully he'll get what's coming to him. Unfortunately, you (nor we) will get to see it, nost likely.

t.

[kayrharris]

I'm glad you weren't hurt. Drivers like that don't even need to be on the road. I'm very sorry this happened to you.

[lilclyde54]

Dang Ghost, I hate to hear of your road aggravations. Thankfully, you weren't involved in an even more serious accident that could have wound up injuring you. Hopefully, the truck drive will somehow be brought to justice.

[T_Bone0806]

What a rotten break. Still, as cliche as this may be, the most important thing is you're ok.

[themanintheseersuckersuit]

Do you have uninsured motorist coverage?

MASSACHUSETTS: Liability insurance required; liability minimums 20/40/5, no fault state, uninsured motorist coverage required

ask your insurance agent if this is covered.

[a1mamacat]

OK, I was enroute Tuesday to an appointment in southern Vermont. I got off I89 in Lebanon New Hampster, & was intending to follow route 4, which conveniently has the same state route # in both NH & Vermont, into Vermont. It was I guess pretty easy to tell that I had not yet left New Hampster, as there were a lot of election signs dotting the highway; they weren't holding any primary (yet) in Vermont. However, I get anxious about this sort of thing, & was looking out the window for those little signs saying "route 4", which there were far fewer of than elections signs, or than signs advertising completely alien routes coming up as though you were already on them (thank you, sign people of New Hampster). Also, you cross a big river on a bridge to get into Vermont at that point, & I hadn't, but I had crossed a little river or maybe just another overpass over a road or whatever by that point, so I was anxiously checking for those route signs.

I was doing what all people who don't have GPSs in their car, & wouldn't trust them if they did, do; driving a little under the speed limit (25 mph instead of 30) & looking for signs & landmarks. There's a tricky rotary in downtown Lebanon, with blinding sun at the eastbound patch of it on such a sunny winter day, but I was already well past that.

2-lane highway (1 lane west, 1 lane east), & I'm being tailgated by a box-trailer (way smaller than a semi, & all one piece). I can see their grill in my rear-view mirror. I wish they would slow up so I could slow up & pull off the road somewhere & let them go faster, since this is evidently their wish. But I can't pull into one of the businesses that line this route at 25 mph, not without a probable accident.

The road turns into 2-lanes-west; I honestly can't tell you if at this point the eastbound widened too. I am of course staying in the "slow lane". Box truck makes their move, but apparently their move is to try to kill me.

Its not like "they couldn't see me"; there was no sun blinding west-bound traffic at 11:45am on January 8th. And they had been tailgating me for about 10 minutes; its not like they didn't know I was there. They moved into the "fast" lane without slowing up enough to give themselves room to pass; they took off my driver's-side mirror, that nice rubber strip some cars (like mine) have (now, had) midway horizontally down the side so that parking-lot smackers nick it instead of the door, left truck-tire-shaped marks on my fender, etc, etc, etc. They did not manage to peel my door off the car "like openning a tin can", & me out with it, but it was certainly not for lack of trying.

They then took off at about 50+ mph (still in a 30-mph zone) down the road. The cop, when they finally arrived, kept asking "did you get their plate". Well, I don't recall a front plate from the being-tailgated experience, but all I could really see, even back when I had all my mirrors, was the top of their grill & bottom of their windshield. And after they hit me it just didn't occur to me to follow them down the road at 50+ mph & do I-don't-know-what in order to get their ID.


So I'm cooked, insurance-wise. I don't have collision on my own car, only "comprehensive", & NH truck-driver road rage does not count as "an act of G-d".

"Be glad you're not in a hospital" said the officer. Well, I am glad, but....

Holy Crap

Glad you're safe

[JBillyGirl]

Ratbastard. I'm glad you are OK but that sucks. I once had a hit-and-run accident that made me mad, but at least I had collision. Best of luck getting something out of the insurance, however slim your chances may be.

[traininvain]

Well thank God you didn't get hurt. Maybe the Police will turn up something. Good luck

[BackInTex]

You should have lured him to an abandoned quarry and had him try to hit you while you move out of the way at the last second with him crashing over the side.


It worked for Dennis Weaver.


Glad your O.K.

[gsabc]

Glad you're okay, which is the biggie. The car can be repaired or replaced. The driver, not so much. Hope they catch the schmuck.

[mellytu74]

ghost -

How completely frightening!

Glad you are OK.