Holy **** what a crazy day

So, I'm assuming we've all been involved in or played witness to a crazy event. One of the most heart pounding experiences I have ever had just happened to me a little while ago.

I had to drive up to Home Depot to buy some paint. I took my father's Jeep, because he needed me to pick him up some of the big buckets. While I was sitting there waiting for the light to turn red (at a major intersection - 8 lanes in each direction) I saw a truck flying up out of the corner of my left eye. I turned my head to see a Ford Explorer bearing down on me at 60+mph.

I was completely terrified, as I had my 5 year old son in the passenger seat. Since I had nowhere to go, I was fully expecting to be killed or severely injured. About 10 feet from me, the driver jerked the wheel.

The truck came across the median at a sideways angle on two wheels, and missed be by such a short distance that it shook the Jeep like a hard wind does when you drive over a bridge on a windy day.

I turn to look behind me in time to see him destroy the car just behind me, which then knocked it into another car. The Explorer would have flipped over had there not been a car sitting there for him to hit.

I threw the Jeep into park and turned it off, and started to unbuckle my seatbelt to get out and see if I could help the injured. (I was trained heavily in the Army and DOC to do so, so I was more than qualified)

Right as I'm about to get out, the driver of the Ford Explorer takes off down the road against oncoming traffic, trying to flee the scene. I immediately turn the Jeep back on, and do a u-turn over the median to track him down and get his plates.

After I get close enough to get his plates, I pull up beside him as he's slowing down to check out the scene in his rearview mirror. I yelled to him that he was going to jail, and he floored it - straight into a light pole. We were doing about 40-45 when he hit the gas and hit the pole, so his truck is destroyed.

So he hops out of the truck, and pulls a gun out and starts to randomly fire. Nobody was hit thankfully, but then he tried to flee on foot. In his drunken stumbling, the idiot drops his wallet right next to his truck and takes off. I am physically unable to chase him down, and I wouldn't have left my son alone anyway, so I let him go, and took his wallet off the ground and drove back to the scene of the original accident to see if anyone needed help until the EMTs and police arrived.

I pull up and hop out, and you would have thought I was the messiah by the way these people reacted. When they found out I had not only found him and got his info, but that I also had his wallet, they couldn't have been any more gracious. Surprisingly, other than the elderly female driver of the car that was hit, there were no injuries, excluding the driver of the Explorer.

There was an 86 year old passenger in the car, who was unhurt but extremely shaken up and grateful that I did what I did. When the police arrived and everyone told them what happened and what I did, I gave a report to the police, turned over the wallet, gave a description of the guy, etc. and they proceeded to also thank me profusely.

I help people all the time, and I think nothing of it. It took a while for me to realize what a huge deal this actually was, and it didn't fully sink in until I saw Chopper 10 from WAVY TV 10 flying over head, and a news crew pulling up. They talked to me for a while and wanted to do an on camera interview, but I just couldn't do it. Not only am I extremely introverted beyond description about 99% of the time, but I like to think that most people in my position would have done the same thing.

I am beyond grateful that nobody was seriously injured, and I think I love my son just a bit more now that we are ok. It was definitely an experience that will make you rethink your views and priorities and life, and make you realize the petty bull**** really doesn't matter.

Do me a favor tonight. Give your kids a hug, if they're not at home anymore call them and tell them you love them. Life is too short to worry about the small things. I nearly died making a trip to the store 2 miles from my house, and there was nothing I could do but sit there and watch helplessly.

We need to learn to appreciate what we have and put aside our differences. Never turn down an opportunity to help somebody or change someone's life. I think my dinner might taste just a little bit better tonight.

I don't think most of us would have chased that guy down. That was pretty gutsy.

What road where you on? Will watch the local news tonight to see if they have anything.

Henry said:

I don't think most of us would have chased that guy down. That was pretty gutsy.

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See, I have in my mind that it was a normal reaction. Then everyone has pointed out to me that I have military and corrections backgrounds, and that I was the only one to pursue the guy, so maybe people are worse than I give them credit for

MikeSr619 said:

you introverted? HA!

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For the most part I really am. The interwebz are anonymous, so it's different here. I do speak my mind a lot and make a spectacle of myself sometimes, but as far as speaking in front of a crowd - I don't have a phobia and can do it no problem, I am just a really private person in real life. I have a small group of friends that I have known for 10-20 years, and I don't leave my house too often or go out much anymore, although that's mainly a result of mellowing out and doing the family man thing.

riggins44 said:

What road where you on? Will watch the local news tonight to see if they have anything.

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It was at the intersection of Princess Anne Rd and Lynnhaven Pkwy by the Super Walmart and Home Depot. The Explorer hit the light pole at the corner of Woodbridge Rd. and Lynnhaven Pkwy.

glad to hear you and son came out the other end un-scathed!

Thankfully, when you pulled up next to him, he didn't fire a shot through the door and kill your son.

It worked out fine, so you should be thankful for that.

But it was also a reckless thing to do with your son in the car.

You were lucky, this time.

You seem to live an interesting life.

My day consisted of going to the gym for routine exercises, weight lifting/training, and time on the treadmill. Talked to my daughter on the cell two times. Talked to my mother on the phone - they are returning from Virginia Beach on Friday after a two month stay. Caught a brief afternoon nap. Gave the cat a new toy.

Now you know why I don't blog, tweet, facebook, or share too much on a message board. Routine day, routine week, routine life. I like it that way. No need to bore all of you anymore with it - you know the basics and that is good enough. Carry on.

Ax said:

Thankfully, when you pulled up next to him, he didn't fire a shot through the door and kill your son.

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Very true, but it's very unlikely that a drunken idiot would have the coordination to drive, pull a gun, and fire with accuracy all at the same time.

The situation turned out pretty good considering, so I don't bother with what ifs. There are a million other what ifs that could have occurred. What if I had left minutes earlier and missed it completely? What if I had let that car in front of me, then I was the one that was hit? What if he had swerved at me and ran me off the road? I could think of a million what ifs. That doesn't do any good. The only scenario that matters is the one that played out the way it did.

Ax said:

It worked out fine, so you should be thankful for that.

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I am very thankful.

Ax said:

But it was also a reckless thing to do with your son in the car.

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Hindsight is 20/20. If everybody stopped to think before they did things, a lot of things in this world would be different.

It's not like I'm some random idiot off the street with the IQ of a gutter rat. I can think on the fly, I knew what I was doing and I rarely make stupid decisions. Any situation can be dangerous, but now this guy won't get away with what he did.

Ax said:

You were lucky, this time.

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You call it luck, I call it mad skills

Burgundy Burner said:

You seem to live an interesting life.

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You know, it's funny you say that, because I honestly don't. I am a homebody. I rarely leave the house unless I have a good reason to.

I don't drink, I don't go hang out anywhere other than my house or a friend's house. I go to the store to get what I need, not to browse or shop, and I am unemployed.

With all that said, I do have some amazing stories. This pretty much tops them all, but I could dedicate my entire blog to crazy **** that's happened to me over the years and have months worth of material. In fact, I should do that now that I have a premium

It baffles me that I have experienced the things I have with as much time as I spend at home. It makes me think if I was the type to go out and just cruise around or hang out at bars and stuff, the kind of additional things I would see or be involved in.

Every friend and relative I have shares a common favorite pastime- listening to me talk about my life stories while they get drunk. Some of it's hilarious, some of it's wild, and some of it is oh my god how are you still alive?

I can't say I haven't had some unbelievable experiences, but I can assure you I live a pretty simple and drab life. I'm not too social, I don't play many video games or watch much tv, I don't read books almost ever, I don't like the beach unless I'm fishing or out on a boat, but I have seen and done a lot. It's just so far between different events in my life that maybe that's why I think my life isn't interesting. But when I get talking about things with a group of friends or family, I tend to be able to talk for hours and have everybody hanging on every word the whole time.

I'm still trying to figure out if that's because I'm good at how I tell the story, or because they think it's interesting. I've heard both.

I agree with Ax, that was reckless. We have systems in place to solve these issues, without putting you and in your case your offspring in danger. The first and main one is the police, who have a convienant contact device called the 911 number.

You had the make of his vehicle and direction he fled, police through 911 would have had ample information to track this guy down. I agree with you that you made their job easier doing what you did, but if you would ask me if I approved of your actions(especially with your kid in the car) I say no.

If you had just followed him till a police cruiser could take over, I would maybe say yes. Still I say you give the police the details and let them do there job. The confrontation part with your kid in the car is what I have issue with, I dont fault you for being a hero I fault you for doing it with your kid there. If you take a bullet so be it, its part of being a hero.

Dreamingwolf said:

I agree with Ax, that was reckless.

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You're both entitled to your opinion. In my opinion, seeking justice is more along the lines of reality in this situation.

Dreamingwolf said:

We have systems in place to solve these issues, without putting you and in your case your offspring in danger. The first and main one is the police, who have a convienant contact device called the 911 number.

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Yeah smartass, and on most of these convenient things called cell phones, getting a hold of 911 is not as simple as just dialing the number.

For the record, the first thing I did was call 911. Instead of a dispatcher, I got an automated recording that said than you for calling Verizon 911, you will be connected shortly. That was followed by music playing, and I put my phone down. After I got the guy's wallet, I picked my phone back up and it was still on hold, so I ended the call. Not only did a few minutes pass, but it took 12 minutes before dispatch called me back saying they got a hangup call from my number. Calling 911 from a cell phone isn't as cut and dry and simple as it should be.

Dreamingwolf said:

You had the make of his vehicle and direction he fled, police through 911 would have had ample information to track this guy down.

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Really? A Ford Explorer headed North on Lynnhaven Pkwy is ample information to track someone down? Are you not aware that Ford Explorers are one of the most common vehicles on the road?

What if it was a stolen vehicle? Then not only would they not have been able to track the guy down, but they would have no wallet, no knowledge of who he was, etc. Even if he hadn't lost his wallet, I would have been able to give an accurate description - something nobody else at the scene was able to do, which I know for a fact since two were talking to the police and telling them that it was a large black male, when it was actually a slight built tanned white male about 6 feet tall.

Dreamingwolf said:

I agree with you that you made their job easier doing what you did, but if you would ask me if I approved of your actions(especially with your kid in the car) I say no.

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I didn't ask for approval, so I'm fine with my decision.

Dreamingwolf said:

If you had just followed him till a police cruiser could take over, I would maybe say yes.

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He hit a light pole only a few blocks from the scene of the accident. You could see the original scene from where he hit the pole at. I didn't have to follow him too far.

Dreamingwolf said:

Still I say you give the police the details and let them do there job.

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Without help from witnesses and people getting involved, a lot of cases would go unsolved.

Police officers aren't psychics, they can't do everything on their own. If we didn't live in a society full of bitches and people too afraid to stand up and do what's right, I wouldn't have been the only one trying to do something.

Dreamingwolf said:

The confrontation part with your kid in the car is what I have issue with

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The guy came within a few feet of possibly killing me and my son. Not only was I pissed, but I wanted to kill the guy once I saw him trying to flee. I lost a friend 12 years ago to a hit and run drunk driver, and they never caught the guy. I will never play witness to a situation like that and stand around and make no effort to do what's right.

Dreamingwolf said:

I dont fault you for being a hero I fault you for doing it with your kid there.

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I hate when people throw the word hero around. I'm not a hero, I did nothing heroic in any way. I righted a wrong, simple as that. I acted on instinct, and I don't know how that is heroic.

Dreamingwolf said:

If you take a bullet so be it, its part of being a hero.

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When the guy came out firing, he could barely stand up or walk. Every shot was wildly shot, and other than one that hit the pavement, the rest went upward.

Bullets flying is always a tense situation, especially when a drunken loon is involved, but his lack of coordination and aim never put anyone in real danger or even close to being shot.

If he had actually fired in my direction, for my son to be hit, this guy would have had to aim and shoot while running, and have that shot go over the hood of his truck, past the guy on the bike, through the door of the Jeep I was driving, and through me. It was not as dire as you're making it out to be.

The only person directly in danger of actually being shot was the guy on the bike, who was only a few feet away from the driver. The driver would have had to come around his truck and come at me for me or my son to be in the line of fire, and by that point I would have hit the gas.

I don't know if you've ever fired a gun, but I was a hawkeye in the Army and it was still hard as hell to hit a moving target. Most professional marksman have trouble hitting a high speed moving target, and they have skills and sobriety in their favor.

Were my actions well thought out? Probably not, given the fact I had my son with me. Were they reckless? Not hardly. Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Absolutely, and in my opinion if more people were willing to do the same, less things like this would happen.

And you suggested I couldn't get along with those who disagree w/ me?

Dude, if you can't see that your actions were reckless given the fact that you had your child in the car then you are not going to see that you were reckless.

It's not an opinion, it is a great example of recklessness by an individual who felt compelled to chase down the driver of another vehicle with their child in the car only to be shot at by the very individual they were chasing with their child in the car!

How old is your son?

reck·less   
[rek-lis]
–adjective
1.
utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action; without caution; careless (usually followed by of ): to be reckless of danger.
2.
characterized by or proceeding from such carelessness: reckless extravagance.

If you can say with all honesty that you were concerned with your son's safety when you decided to race off to...what was it you were going to do again? Oh yeah, get a license plate number by yelling at the hit and run driver you were chasing.

Here's your quote:

"Right as I'm about to get out, the driver of the Ford Explorer takes off down the road against oncoming traffic, trying to flee the scene. I immediately turn the Jeep back on, and do a u-turn over the median to track him down and get his plates.

After I get close enough to get his plates, I pull up beside him as he's slowing down to check out the scene in his rearview mirror. I yelled to him that he was going to jail, and he floored it - straight into a light pole. We were doing about 40-45 when he hit the gas and hit the pole, so his truck is destroyed.

So he hops out of the truck, and pulls a gun out and starts to randomly fire. Nobody was hit thankfully, but then he tried to flee on foot."

I highlighted where you lacked consideration for your son when you decided to chase after him.

Sorry, but to say his drunken lack of aim never put anyone in danger is ridiculous. He randomly fired his weapon, an act that kills innocent bystanders on a frequent basis. I'm glad you and your son weren't hurt, but directly confronting him was an incredibly irresponsible thing to do. Getting his license plate number was as far as you needed to go to see that justice was done. You could have gotten the guy on the bike killed. You could have gotten your son killed.

If I was in traffic with my son and saw a guy start randomly firing is gun in all directions, I'd probably be as terrified as you were when his car was barelling down on you.

Im not gonna begin to bring into the situation that I doubt this story, I am believing you did these things. I am trusting your word. Ok I understand you have military training and corrections training, but you are not jack bauer. We do not expect you, or any other civilian, to single handedly solve crime.

I get your message, we dont have spiderman or batman in reality so the only way we can keep ourselves safe is if we fill their roles. I reject that message, and I encourage others to not think of themselves as batman, spiderman, or jack bauer.

Allow our police to do their jobs, and be a witness to the crime. Be alert and observant, and collect every detail for our law enforcement teams. If your life is endanger, by all means do anything you can to survive.

As to your problems with 911, thats something you need to address with your local officials. If you are experiencing that, that means your population is retarded for letting people spend your money poorly. I would suggest moving, and if you want to stay get involved in politics. I certainly wouldnt want to live in an area where I have to be the justice, and possibly face a civil suit which you may have to deal with if the guy you chased down gets a good enough lawyer.

Again I want to make clear that my disapproval of your actions is not cause you are a hero, its that you do these acts with your kids in tow. I dont care what kind of shield of perfect you think you have arround you, to put your children in those situations is reckless. I was so angry when you so gleefully posted that thread about shouting down some roadster, that you had a big member and you justified yourself by saying kids cover your ears.

That was a wrong action, but you were patting yourself on the back. Someone really needs to tell you how to act, cause you sir are out of order. Im not telling you to think before you act in every situation, but I am asking you sir to think before you act when you have your children in tow.

Extreme said:

Very true, but it's very unlikely that a drunken idiot would have the coordination to drive, pull a gun, and fire with accuracy all at the same time.

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Who said he'd be aiming at anything. A drunk, firing aimlessly, is capable of hitting anything. Assholes don't need to be accurate, to be deadly.

It's not like I'm some random idiot off the street with the IQ of a gutter rat. I can think on the fly, I knew what I was doing and I rarely make stupid decisions. Any situation can be dangerous, but now this guy won't get away with what he did.

You call it luck, I call it mad skills

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And if you could stop patting yourself on the back long enough to look at the situation objectively, you MIGHT be able to see what I, and others in the thread, are trying to say. Once you got close enough to get the tag number, which involved enough risk by itself, your job was through. After that, you put your child, and everybody within his gun range, and his drunken ass behind the wheel range, including yourself, in mortal danger.

Now, in seeking recognition for actions, you opened yourself up to critique. It's apparent that you don't take it well. Even when it's so obviously deserved.

Ax, Elephant, Dreamingwolf, etc. I just want to say that I honestly appreciate your concern. After having time to absorb everything and sleep on it, I realize what I did, although the outcome happened to work out, was indeed careless behavior.

It was a situation where you don't have time to think before you do something, because it all happened too fast. I'm not going to call you out directly, but to the asshole who is implying I put my son's life in danger and didn't care, go to hell. Plain and simple. To even suggest that I have no concern for his life is not only ignorant, it is a ****ed up thing to say or imply, because it is far from the truth.

Maybe by him hitting that pole, it prevented him from killing a child crossing the street further up the road, an event that has happened twice already this year on the same stretch of road. Accidents in which both children are still in the hospital, one still in a coma since March. Maybe it prevented him from hitting another car. Maybe it kept him from getting himself or somebody else killed.

Every action has consequences. Not doing what I did could have made things turn out worse. I know things could have turned out really bad, but they didn't, and that's all I care about at this point. Everybody is safe. I am thankful for that. I don't like to dwell on what ifs, because the what ifs didn't happen.

Dreamingwolf, I am going to say something here to you, just to get something out there. I don't know what your problem is with me, but you've had a problem with me going back to ES. I don't know what I said or did to rub you the wrong way, but can you please let it go? Whatever it was, I apologize for it. I just don't like the fact that any thread I start or comment on, you have to throw your snide remarks in, even at times when it's completely inappropriate. It's like you're seeking me out just to try to get me riled up. I'm not saying that's what you're doing, I'm just saying it looks that way when almost any time I post somewhere on here, it seems like you're trying to provoke me into a pissing contest. If you don't like me, that's fine. I have no problem with that, a lot of people don't like me. All I ask of you is to either ignore me, or act like an adult instead of trying to stir up **** for the sake of stirring up ****. I'm asking politely, so hopefully you get it and stop.

Ax said:

Now, in seeking recognition for actions, you opened yourself up to critique. It's apparent that you don't take it well. Even when it's so obviously deserved.

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I wasn't seeking recognition for anything at all, I was just talking about a crazy experience I had.

Critique isn't the issue, I have no problem with it. What I have a problem with is when someone implies that I don't care about my son because of what I did. It's a ****ed up thing to say to somebody, you know? That's what caused me to flip out.

I don't know if you have kids or not, but if you have one and someone said you did something reckless and showed no concern for your child's life, wouldn't it piss you off?

You can call my behavior reckless, that's understandable. Saying I don't care about my son's well being is beyond crossing the line.

For the record Ax, I appreciate your comments. You made your point and left it alone, my rant was not directed at you.

Holy hell. There's less drama around here when we stick to politics.


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Goaldeje said:

Holy hell. There's less drama around here when we stick to politics.


Posted via BGO Mobile Device

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I'm starting to think there's quite the touch of estrogen around here. It's like everyone is permanently on edge or looking for a fight.

Extreme said:

For the record Ax, I appreciate your comments. You made your point and left it alone, my rant was not directed at you.

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Duly noted.

I might add that, insinuating those that don't agree with your assessment, and/or reaction to the situation are somehow "bitches", or that you sense "quite the touch of estrogen" around here, is as accurate and useful as someone saying you don't love or care about your child.

Just a thought.

Ax said:

Duly noted.

I might add that, insinuating those that don't agree with your assessment, and/or reaction to the situation are somehow "bitches", or that you sense "quite the touch of estrogen" around here, is as accurate and useful as someone saying you don't love or care about your child.

Just a thought.

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I wasn't insinuating that anyone that didn't agree with my actions were bitches. I was stating that the fact I was the only person out of dozens on the scene to react in any way speaks volumes about how pussified our country has become.

It isn't anything to do with toughness, it was just a poor choice of words on my part, I acknowledge that. I just couldn't think of how to get my point across that people should get involved when a situation that calls for intervention, instead of just letting the idiots run rampant with no recourse for their actions.

As far as the estrogen comment, I was completely joking. That's why there was a smiley. Mike got that it was a joke Goaldeje pointed out that there is a lot of drama in here. Women are typically dramatic, which was the basis for the joke.