Most unique, amazing, odd thing ever witnessed!

[BobC]

In deference to the thread on the main forum titled "An odd fact about those alive when T-206s were released", someone posted a link in that thread to an old episode of the TV show "I've Got a Secret", that had the last living witness to Lincoln's assassination on it. I thought it might make for an interesting thread if people posted the most unique, amazing, or odd things they ever witnessed IN PERSON, so not on TV, the internet, etc. Doesn't have to be sport related, and could be a famous or historical occurrence as well. Let's see who may have the most unusual experience out there. I guess I'll start us off.

Back in the early '80s, was driving on the freeway on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the first week of September, headed for a part-time job. No one on the four lane highway except a small hatchback about 75-100 feet in front of me, one lane to my left, and another car about 100 feet behind me and one lane to my right, in the curb lane. As we are coming up on my exit, the hatchback ahead of me starts to go under an overpass, and on the far side of that overpass I suddenly noticed something falling, and it hits the hatchback right dead on its hood, the car fishtails a little bit, but then keeps going for about 100 yards before pulling over and coming to a stop on the freeway berm. I pulled over and stopped behind the hatchback, as the other car that was following me pulled over and stopped behind me as well. I didn't see anything that had fallen from the overpass bounce off the hatchback, nor could I see inside the hatchback as the entire back window was covered and filled with what looked like clothes. The hatchback just sat there, and no one got out. So the guy behind me, and myself, both got out of our cars and gave each other a true WTF look. So we slowly started walking up on both sides of the hatchback, him on the passenger side, me on the driver's side. I said something like, "Did you see that, it looked someone threw a mannequin off the overpass." He answered that was kind of what he thought, but then asked where was the mannequin, because he didn't see it or anything else bounce or come off the hatchback either. So we slowly went up to the front of the hatchback on either side, until I saw the entire hood was caved in, and the front windshield was blown into the hatchback. It was still sort of attached to the upper left hand corner of the windshield frame, with the blown in part basically wrapped around the driver, who was a young girl still sitting there with both hands on the steering wheel, not saying anything or moving, just staring straight ahead with a 1,000 yard look in her eyes. There was another young girl in the front passenger seat, who had her eyes closed and appeared unconscious, but was still moving around a bit and had blood coming from her nose, ears, and mouth. And sure enough, the entire back of the hatchback was filled from floor to roof with clothes, baskets, and all other kinds of stuff, and now it also had some young guy who was unconscious and jackknifed in the backseat up against all the clothes, with his butt up by the roof, and his head and feet down by the hatchback' floor.

Later on found out the two girls were 18 and on their way with all their stuff to a local nursing college to start their freshman year. And the guy was a 26 year-old who apparently had some mental issues, and had climbed the fence on the far side of the overpass bridge and then fell/jumped off it to land smack dab in the middle of the hood of a hatchback going about 70 MPH, goes through the windshield and right in between the two girls, to end up being stopped by all the clothes that were piled up in the back seat. And some how the girl driving, though in complete and utter shock, had the wherewithal to calmly pull the car over and park it on the freeway berm, despite initially being totally unresponsive and having no idea where she was or what had happened.

Okay, someone top that.

[bnorth]

Can't top that. I have just missed being in at least 6 major multi car pile ups.

Here are 2 that happened days apart. Went to St Louis for the Astros series when Clemens was pitching for them. About 10 miles before you get to the stadium on 70 interstate a pickup pulled out in front of me. It is only 3 lanes each way so it was packed. He had a kayak in the back that wasn't tied down. I was like I need to get out from behind. I got in the outside lane and when I got almost beside them the kayak flew out and went through the windshield of the car behind them. HUGE pile up.

Then when leaving St Louis in about the same place.There was no shoulder on the road. There was a big drop off at the edge of the road. I was in the far right lane and something just felt weird and I knew I needed to get out of that lane. Maybe 10 seconds later a car around 100' ahead in that lane dropped its front tire off the edge of the road. When the bumper hit the road it did a 180 and I just missed another HUGE pile up.

Another St Louis story. It was 1999 and the Cubs and Cardinals played each other their last 3 games. I like many others had $800 a piece bleacher seats we purchased when Sammy and Mark were both ahead of breaking the HR record. I was driving down MLK to the stadium. Had a guy going way to fast pull out of the Department of Social Services and t-bone me. Luckily it smashed the front of his car so bad he couldn't drive it away. Rental car company tried to make me pay for their car because the driver that hit me had no insurance, drivers license, and gave the PoPo a fake name.

[BobC]

Oh wow, it is crazy how things seem to happen in bunches sometimes. Seems like you had some sixth sense luckily working for you back then.

You're not alone though in having multiple incidents happening all together like that. About 3-1/2 - 4 weeks before my incident above occurred, I stopped by an older co-worker's house on a Saturday afternoon, and was talking to him while standing next to his van, outside in his driveway. He suddenly reaches his hand out to brace it against the van, and I look and see his eyes kind of roll back into his head, and hear him say "Oh my God!" as he collapses. I catch him before he hits the ground, while screaming for his wife to call 9-1-1. Tried giving him CPR for what seemed like an eternity before the paramedics got there, but didn't matter, he literally died in my arms from a heart attack. He was only 52.

Then after witnessing the kid jump off an overpass a few weeks later, I kept thinking how it was always said that things happen in threes, and I was freaking out over the next six months waiting for a third accident /death to occur. The guy I saw jump and hit the car was actually still alive after the incident. I later heard he died a couple days after from internal injuries, but never regained consciousness. Talk about a Summer from hell.......

[bnorth]

Keeping in car accidents and groups of accidents.

I have spent most of my life in a rural area with a lot of deer. If you do a lot of night driving chances are you have hit one here. I remember bragging in my early 20s I had never hit a deer. then I hit 4 or 5 in one year and have not hit another one in the last 30 years.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Keeping in car accidents and groups of accidents.

I have spent most of my life in a rural area with a lot of deer. If you do a lot of night driving chances are you have hit one here. I remember bragging in my early 20s I had never hit a deer. then I hit 4 or 5 in one year and have not hit another one in the last 30 years.

Gee Ben, seems you and I may be the only two members to have witnessed such odd and outrageous incidents. This thread seems to have fallen flatter than a pancake!

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by BobC

Gee Ben, seems you and I may be the only two members to have witnessed such odd and outrageous incidents. This thread seems to have fallen flatter than a pancake!

I have seen a lot of outrageous stuff but it is way past appropriate to post on a card forum.

Staying in the car theme. Ever notice when you get in a good wreck everyone wakes up about the same time?