Perspective

OK…This morning got off to a slow start.

I am now at my office extra early and the birds are singing outside my window and the train horns are blowing in the valley. I’m getting better.

I then remembered what almost happened to me yesterday while driving to Columbia for a meeting.

Just passing the Aiken County / Lexington County border, I was behind a white utility truck that was passing a straight, box truck. Without any warning, the box truck started drifting over into the passing lane, pushing the utility truck into the barrier cables. The driver’s side wheels of the big truck were off the road and on the grass when he realized what was happening.

He then over-corrected went back across the two lanes and flipped onto the passenger side. It then continued to skid down the road for a bit.

This is looking westbound. The white truck at the edge of the photo was severely damaged on the drivers side as he was pushed into and drove along the safety cables. That driver was not injured.

Luckily, I was trailing at a safe distance and no one was right up on me. I slowed down and actually passed the big truck as the driver was falling out of the space that had been the windshield. I pulled up a safe distance and got out to help.

He was hurt pretty bad, but there was a nurse, an off duty firefighter and an army medic stopped to help within a minute. The Lexington County Fire Dept had a nearby station, so they were on the scene quickly.

At that point, all I had to do was wait for “HP”, (Highway Patrol) to arrive so that I could give my witness account.

My guess is that he was not wearing his seatbelt as if he had been, he would have been restrained in the seat. Instead, when the truck flipped, he fell to the open, or broken window on the passenger side and got a very severe case of “road rash” from the shoulder of the road as the truck slid on it’s side.

Looking Eastbound. The load of tires made the truck very top heavy, making it easier to flip.

No apparent reason why he wouldn’t survive his injuries, but he is having a much more challenging morning today than I am.

Remember….Things can always be better…but the can always be worse.