I traveled from Auburn AL to Mebane NC today, to make a delivery tomorrow in Durham NC.


On NB I-85, at the Pee Dee river crossing..about the 83 MM, I ran into a traffic back-up. It was about 1/4 of a mile up to the reason for the slow down.

On the right shoulder of the road, under the Exit 83 overpass, there was a group of cars, pickups/camp-trailers and RV's. As I approached the stopped outfits, I slowed down and enlarged the gap between my truck and the FFE unit I was behind..to about 175 feet. A group of those stopped vehicles used that gap to jump back out into traffic..and I saw an ambulance coming up the left shoulder, while they were jumping out....so I stopped at the rear of a pick with a camp trailer, to let the ambulance cross the road way, and get in where it needed to be.

As I looked back to the right shoulder to be sure I had left enough room, I saw an older gentleman sitting on the pavement behind another camp trailer,(about 100 feet ahead) with several people holding his head and shoulders. Now....I figured, Heart Attack...turned on my flashers and sat right where I was until the EMT driver cleared his door and got behind the unit..then I started creeping past the scene..since the left lane was clipping along at about 35 or 40, and showing no intentions of letting anybody over from the right lane.

As I am idling past the older man, I see two small feet right by his left buttock....then I see that the man is sitting in what looked like animal guts. Just as I was starting to accelerate, he bent down..and two little hands, a small white face and blonde hair appeared.... and I about fainted dead away!
The man was holding a boy whom couldn't have been 7 years old...and those were the internal organs of the boy the man was sitting on!!


I do not know how such a young boy came to be on the side of the road, between those vehicles... his death is incomprehensible..yes..he was dead..I could see that in that one quick glance. The next truck past the scene called out on the CB that people were standing there unfolding a tarp, and then holding it up so traffic could not see the group.

How could someone approach such a large group of stopped vehicles (there was an RV...the pickup & camper that the man & boy were behind...then a gap of 150 or so feet and the pickup & camper I stopped beside to let the ambulance in), and not be paying attention to them?

I do not know what type vehicle hit that young boy. It could have been a SUV, another pickup pulling a trailer...or it could have been an OTR truck. Really doesn't matter. Even with my flashers banging...the EMT's arriving at the scene, and the right lane stopped or slow..the left lane kept right on running. To cross the left lane the ambulance had to jerk itself in between two cars that weren't slowing or stopping for it.

1 mile past the scene, traffic was rippng at 75 +, and cars were zigging and zagging.

I was so pissed and disgusted with the American Motoring public for the next 20 miles.

Even now....4 hours later..I feel so bad for that old man sitting there in his anguish (he had to be "Grampa").....and worse for the parents of that boy...whom I could not see in the crowd.

 

That is very very sad and god bless you, the little boy and his family.

You because you are so caring and the family for their loss. It's just so sad to lose life, let alone little kids at such an inoccent age

 

I'm sure it doesn't change the way you feel, Tex, but Grandpa actually killed his life-long love.

But, you are right about the traffic in that area. It's been under construction for years now, and even with a posted speed limit of 55, the normal speed through there has been about 70!

That is actually the Yadkin River, part of the Pee Dee River Basin.... but that's not important. Thanks for caring. Wish I'd known you were coming through. I was at home off exit 71 and would love to have met you.

[BTW, Archdale is only about 20 miles north of there. They were ALMOST home! Very sad!]


http://sls.live.mediaspanonline.com/...-woman-on-I-85

 

First off, Orangetxguy....God Bless you for caring. Even though there wasnt anything you could do at the scene, its good to hear that some people out here really do care about whats happening on the highways.

Ive noticed in my 6 "short" years on the road that the Motoring Public (this includes, Big Trucks) are getting more and more reckless in there driving totally ignoring obvious safety risks and total disregard for "appropriate" speeds on the highways.

I would have to assume that most all the Truckdrivers that have been out here for more than a month or so have witnessed an accident occurring, or have come across one that had just occurred. If not....you will. Its quite disheartening when the majority of the traffic almost considers it a nuasance that it had to occurr in front of them and its an inconvience that they now have to slow down and literally drive into the medians to get around it.

Sometimes I think Ive "witnessed" more than my share. From cars and vans flipping or rolling for what was no apparent reason, single vehicle self induced "accident". With "passerbys" going on like nothing happened.
One or two will stop to render aid.

I remember coming upon a "fresh" accident on the Ohio turnpike involving a couple of motorcycles that had just a few moments earlier had passed me. One of the riders was flat on his back in the middle lane, and a couple motorcycles laying down in the lanes. An SUV with a camper trailer was stopped in the highway mostly in the right lane. A female was kneeling over the rider rendering aid. (he didnt look good). I put my 4ways on and begun a fast slowdown, and you know what 4wheelers will do when you put your 4ways on, they started coming around me at highway speeds. I noticed them starting around in my mirror and I just started moving left "blocking" them and slowing them before the accident scene. Of course they are determined but I did manage to slow the traffic and "push" them to the left lane shoulder. I stopped, blocking the traffic in the right and center lanes, till Troppers could get there.

I could probably count at least 5 more that Ive seen occurr or came upon immediatley after the accident, and each time most all the motoring public look on it and keep going. Thinking only of themselves.

 

Thanks for posting the updated info Golf...On one hand...yeah..it's good to know some heartless slob didn't run down a kid....on the other...That man is going through shear hell right now.and my heart goes out to him.

The story in the paper has vehicles misplaced though....the RV she was behind didn't have a car behind them...just anothe pickup pulling the same style trailer..all the cars were in front of the 2 pickups/trailers. The ambulance I waited on pulled into the gap between the rear pick up...and where the couple was on the ground.

I still feel bad for the guy.