I Almost Killed A Man This Morning
I have learned to be on the lookout for wildlife and cats and dogs that dart into the path of my truck. After all, I drive to work at 4:00AM… just when the prowling gets good for some critters like the occasional fox, coyote, coon, or possum. I’ve even had to stop for geese wandering in the middle of Neyland Drive. I thought geese slept at night. Maybe they were third shift geese, I dunno.
This morning I was headed in to start my week. I wasn’t running late, so I wasn’t “high balling” it into town. That probably saved this guy’s life. He came out of nowhere..darting out Lipencott Avenue beside Ruby Tuesday’s. He was on a small bicycle, a 20 or 21 inch bike. The guy was moving fast, and I would bet he had just roared off the hill just east of the restaurant. He didn’t just turn onto Chapman Highway, he turned right into the middle of the road, between traffic lanes.
Buster Norton does a good job on brakes. Ford did me a big favor by slapping four-wheel disc brakes on my truck. I swerved away from the bike, and threw out the anchor. As an afterthought I honked the horn. And I could tell that the bike rider had only spotted me when I was less than ten yards away, trying to avoid him. He never missed a stroke, and kept on pedaling. I drove by him in the left lane, and got a good look at his face. I couldn’t say whether he was trying to pass off his close encounter with a stone-faced look, or whether he thought the next thing he was going to see was some angry redneck stop the truck in order to deliver a more personal lesson in bicycle safety.
Having lived in Atlanta for a number of years, I learned that the best thing to do after a near accident is move on. No foul-play on, as the soccer ref would say. The other guy might have been in the wrong, but he also might be out of his mind on drugs, or armed with a knife or gun.
This morning, I came periously close to being one of those people who, by no fault of their own, had to stand on the curb and watch a fatal accident investigation, and maybe the fire department get some guy’s remains from beneath my truck. I have seen it happen to others. I do not ever want to have to go through it myself.
No matter how careful you are, it can still happen in an instant. A life ends. Your life is never the same.
Close.
