[Dzjudz]

So I live on the main street of my town, an area restricted to motor vehicles, enforced by rising bollards on both ends of the street. Last night, at about half 5, I was still up (couldn't sleep, still browsing head-fi, you know how it is

). Because of the approaching new year's eve, there were teenagers setting off illegal fireworks now and then, illegal because of the high gunpowder content. All of a sudden, there was this enormous BANG that sounded like it came right from the front of our house. I remember thinking: that sounds like an odd piece of fireworks! I heard rumour on the other side of the house, coming from the other bedrooms. My brother and parents were up also, my mother thought somebody had smashed on of our (large) front windows. When my brother looked outside on the balcony, he saw a lot of smoke and a car all smashed up and upside down 5 meters in front of our house, with a lot of smoke emanating from it. It was completely quiet. Naturally, he immediately called the emergency services.

We went outside to figure out what was going on and to see if we could help while waiting for the police, firemen and the paramedics. My father's a GP, so we thought he might be of some use

. When we got outside, we couldn't figure out where the car came from. None of the stores or our house had any damage, nor did the lamp posts are the trees. The car looked like it had been dropped from the sky and landed on its roof. It looked like either nobody was in it or they were unconscious or worse. Finally we saw somebody inside. A man, completely drunk and with no knowledge of what was going on. Then we also saw what had caused the crash. He had come from the wrong side of the street (one-way street), driving full speed (he must've driven about 50km/h or faster) straight into the rising bollard, which was up at the time. The front of his car had come to a full stop and the back of the car had flown right over it, causing the car to fly about 5 to 10 meters and landing on its roof, coming to a stop just before a tree and our house.

The emergency services showed up very quickly and started to help the drunk driver. Turns out he wasn't hurt at all, he was just constricted by his seat belt, which was cut by a fireman so he could be pulled out. He was checked by the paramedics and taken to the hospital. He could walk, well, stagger his way to the ambulance. He was so incredibly drunk he didn't know where he was and just wanted to sit down with everyone and have a smoke. Unbelievable.

So, in the end, nobody was hurt except for the car and the rising bollard, but I don't want to know what would've happened if there was no rising bollard, with the people cycling along the street and coming out of the pubs. One of the most stupid and irresponsible things to do, drunk driving. I have no sympathy for this man at all. Luckily he only hit an inanimate object.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with you. We had quite some excitement last night.

 

[ken36]

How horrible for you and you family. The driver will pay dearly for this. Perhaps, he will learn this very expensive lesson.

 

[Dzjudz]

Thanks. Well, we're not at all that shaken up about it, seeing that nobody got hurt. We're very down-to-earth kind of people. We were only worried at first, when we didn't know what had happened. Hopefully you're right and the drunk will learn his lesson. In any case, it was a weird start for Christmas

.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Sounds like a case of drinking far too much eggnog.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

I wish my brother could learn from people like this. He has been known to drive home buzzed and one time completely drunk before and he (and probably others), think they can drive just fine. . . until they hit something.

I am glad no one got hurt this time and I guess you walked away with a nice conversation piece for Christmas.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wish my brother could learn from people like this. He has been known to drive home buzzed and one time completely drunk before and he (and probably others), think they can drive just fine. . . until they hit something. I am glad no one got hurt this time and I guess you walked away with a nice conversation piece for Christmas.

Some drunks, like this one, seem to be made out of rubber. But then some other drunks, just like anyone else involved in a serious car crash, don't come out so well, if at all.

Get your brother some help, whether he wants it or not. Otherwise, you might not have him for long. If you can't get the keys out of his hand the next time he's drunk, call the police! I'm totally serious and this is exactly what I did to one of my brothers once when he was going through a phase like this.

He got a DUI out of it and lost his license for 6 months. But he deserved it. I had told him so 100 times over before that night and really fought him hard for the keys but you can't make someone do what they don't want to do. So I called the police just like I told him I would, and it cost him dearly. He hated me about it for a while, but eventually got over it.

He also cleaned up his act and now tells his own kids (some 25 years later) that he'll do the same thing to them that I did to him if ever they try to drive drunk, even once! He used to do it at least 2 nights per week and sometimes more, so I guess I had a lot more tolerance for him that he has for his own kids. But then he's just my brother and I can't possibly love him nearly as much as he loves his kids. I'm just glad that he "made it" past the age of 25 because it wasn't just alcohol.

 

[Capital R]

Man, several students from my graduating class I knew have perished on one particular road here in Pleasanton (Foothill Road) due to drunk driving. I have absolutely no respect or pity for anyone who drives under the influence.

 

[Roam]

I am greatly disappointed. A happy ending in my books would consist of the drunk driver earning himself a Darwin Award.

 

[Happy Camper]

I guess thats another meaning of happy ending.

We all think we can drive pretty good until we hit something.