You're right, gdub; So-Cal is nuts. I think close calls are a way of life out there.
One day while I was on Camp Pendleton headed to a buddy's place to help him move, I came upon a construction zone. This was a 4-lane road that they had shut down to 2 and were stopping vehicles occassionaly to allow the heavy equipment an opportunity to enter/exit the site. It was well-known that the lane closures existed - they had been doing this for about 3 weeks.
I'm one of the lucky ones that got stopped waiting for a truck to get across. Everyone comes to a stop and we're just sitting there waiting. All of a sudden - BLAM - my wife's van lurches forward and the seat back reclines a few inches forcing my foot off the brake. I pull myself up and stab the brake again before I move far. About this time there are some things flying through my head:
1 - What happened?
2 - Why did the damn seat recline during this?
3 - This van is only 2 months old - my wife is going to kill me.
4 - Did I hit anyone in front when I lost the brake for a second?
5 - Guess I won't be helping my buddy move his junk.
I collect my thoughts and get out to investigate. Turns out there's a white Ford Explorer that decided his front bumper and my rear gate could, despite the laws of physics, occupy the same space at the same time. I didn't hit the car in front.
The trick here is; he was stopped! Before this happened he had come to a complete stop. After talking to him he tells me he thought traffic was moving again and took off...right into my van. :rolleyes: I think he was intimidated a little too, since I was an NCO and he wasn't.
Anyway, his insurance paid for everything. My van was fixed and hasn't exhibited any problems related to the accident in the 3 years since.
Don't get me started on what happened to my Escort
