Monday, May 13, 2019

My Garden Also Grows...

Tuesday last, around 11:11 AM, the electricity went out. I tried to notify the electric company of the power outage, but the app needed to be updated and it took forever. No one on the Facebook town site was having problems with their electricity.

I wandered into the living room thinking I'd go old school and just call the electric company. I saw a police car in front of the house and an officer walking down the front steps. I opened the door and asked if I could help him.

"I thought no one was home..."

(Note to self make a note for the storm door. Knock out of order. Enter porch and ring the doorbell)

"Did you see a red truck hit the telephone pole at the end of your driveway?"

"Oh, so that's why the electricity went out."


"Yeah, your house and probably that house." He pointed with his chin to the Leaf Lady's house. "The guy knocked the framus at the top of the pole. See?"

I squinted. Couldn't see a thing, but offered an, "Oh! I couldn't get through to the electric company to notify them of the outage. And I didn't see or hear anything."

"That's ok. My dispatcher called in the outage. The guy left his tire on your lawn. I'll send Highway over to remove it. Has that pole always been leaning like that?"

"Thanks. Yeah. It's not the first time the pole has been hit and the pole is in the ditch so not in real solid ground."

His turn to say Oh.

Lots of hub-bub on the town's Facebook page. No one but us lost electricity. A lady further down the road said the guy drove by her house real slow. Like 30 miles per hour. Another woman further down the road, said sparks from the rim ignited leaves at the end of her property. Fortunately, she and her husband had just gotten home so they were able to put the fire out with a garden hose. Someone else said the police caught up with the guy 2 miles from my house.


I boiled water for another cup of tea in Cauldren Fyre. and had a cup of tea. Priorities. The electric company sent a bucket truck and a couple of guys. They got the electricity back on an hour and a half later. I went out to check the damage. A pretty good skid mark into the ditch and the tire.


This is the third time this pole has been hit. The first time by a teen driver driving her daddy's brand-new, little red Porsche. She hit the pole and careened across the street coming to stop a few yards up and not hitting any of the trees. She ran screaming down the street.  I sat with her girlfriend on our steps to make sure she was ok. while Himself went to call the police and report the accident. The second time, a kid driving a truck, bent to retrieve a CD or something that fell in his car. He whacked the pole and sheered it from the base. The pole fell but miraculously landed upright in the ditch though the wires to our house sagged nearly to the driveway. In the middle of the night, the electric company and telephone company argued outside who's pole it belonged to before it was replaced.


So, when I saw this I was 😲 Now, I thought the officer meant, the tire came off the car and the guy continued driving on the rim. But not only did the tire come off, but the axle, suspension. Whatever holds the wheel on the car. The guy must have driven two miles down the road on the chassis. Everyone lean to the left!

20 comments:

  1. We love on a spot like that. Our house sits up on a hill but the road curves and people always take the corner way too fast. So I what you are saying. It is always something, isn't it? Happy Monday. Hope this doesn't happen again-or for awhile. Hugs-Erika

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    1. Fortunately, no one was hurt. I'm sure this won't be the last time that poor pole gets whacked.

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  2. What a funny story! Sorry you lost electricity though. Seems to be a dangerous place to live. The power cables are mostly underground here, so don't get hit by mad trucks. Have a great week, Valerie

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    1. It wouldn't be so dangerous if people obeyed the speed limit. Cars and especially trucks fly up and down this road. The speed limit on my section of road is 35 miles per hour.

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  3. Losing electricity is always unpleasant. But I am shocked the car could even drive after losing the tire and axle like that. That's awful that he started a fire further down the road! It's lucky those home owners came home when they did and were able to put it out. The road looks pretty straight where your pole is, so I'm wondering how people hit it so easily. (I could understand it more if it was a curve.) I guess probably speed (porsche) and not paying attention (CD). Who knows what it was with the current accident, but the fact that he drove away with an axle missing is very odd.

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    1. People really speed down this road. I can't even imagine how he was able to drive the car let alone drive 2 miles down the road.

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  4. Oh wow, what a thing to have happen - and a bit of a mess at that. Don't you just love how people pay attention these days? ... between cell phones and texting like morons, I do not know what is worse - drivers back when I began driving or NOW!

    Glad the guy did not hit your house!

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  5. Wow! I have a "thing" about drivers and the planners who create spaces that encourage speeding. A sign doesn't do nearly as much to control speed as good road design would ;)

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    1. I live in a rural area albeit on the main road. Which is why people think they can hurtle down the road at the speed of light.

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  6. WOW! I'd be curious to hear what he had to say when the cops finally caught up with him! :-/

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  7. Good grief.
    I can remember when the kids were in high school and we passed a 24/7 store and noticed a car sitting upside down on the small boulder in front of it and I said, "Isn't that K's car?" A friend of my daughter's. It was. She'd reached down for her soda....Luckily she wasn't hurt.

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  8. What a thing to happen!
    Losing electricity is never good, but how on earth did he continue driving for two miles minus a tyre and axle like that!!

    All the best Jan

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  9. That's one tale you had for us in this post. It's great that the car didn't careen into your house. I can't believe how far that guy got after losing the axle and what looks like a sprocket.

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    1. I didn't even think of him crashing into the house
      :-O

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  10. Wow, what an experience! How did he keep driving with the wheel and everything else off? LOL! Glad no one was hurt! Big Hugs!

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    1. Just makes your head explode thinking how far he got on 3 wheels.

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