Posted on 01/08/2014 3:19:36 AM PST by lbryce
This is why we're urging people to slow down, pay attention and watch out for icy bridges and ramps. The motorist walked away from this crash without serious injuries.
Watch the top of the bridge about 11 seconds into the video (no audio).
Have we become the 6 o’clock news ?
That driver must’ve been wearing his seat belt!
After a ride like that, the driver probably needed new skivvies...
This is one of my great fears, driving off a bridge or overpass.
There was a woman who went over the side of a bridge in the DE/MD area (I forget which one, and I don’t think it was her fault). Luckily she was either at one end or the other and landed in shallow water and survived.
Glad for her and this person also!
So, if you’re behind me and I’m driving slow, just know I’ll get out of your way when we’re across!
People just refuse to slow down. Was driving yesterday and having to hustle over to the right lane to get out of the way for the kamakazees driving up the parkway in 7 degree weather.
I can’t feel sorry for them when they drive this way.
What I found most astounding, was the apparent lack of interest by anyone, IF anyone even saw the accident. The car landed on its wheels and continued out of the picture.
The follow up to this video would be of interest.
The driver did not “survive without injury”. The driver survived, but had what was termed as “only minor injuries” and was in the hospital still as of last night’s 10 p.m. local news broadcast.
I drive that area a lot, my wife does every single day. I have been in more than one hair-raising situation on exactly that stretch of 35E. Most recently (about 5 years ago) I was going 50 in that area. While I was traveling that same direction my car was perpendicular to the road, yet I was still advancing southward (front end of my car facing the driver’s side of the one in the lane next to me). Scary stuff, but I managed to pull out of that situation unscathed. By the by, I was attempting to avoid merging traffic from 36 east and get into the far right lane (where this woman driver flipped from) so that I could exit right after the 35E/36 interchange on to Roselawn.
Fast moving Cars momentum takes them in a straight path unless the driver hits the breaks, and/or turns the wheel or the car hits something.
Most times this happens when the drivers panic.
That driver lucked out (if one can call plunging off an overpass “lucking out”). The car landed on an embankment which was angled down at about the same pitch as the car when it touched down. This helped ease the landing shock. If the car had hit flat ground I’m not sure the driver would have survived.
It looked the drive was practicing for the “Auto Olympics”.
Probably scored and 8 out of 10 for that ride.
Damn lucky the car went down that slope and missed the cars going under the bridge.
Thats what I thought it was like nothing had happened and life goes on.
You must be referring to the Garden State Parkway... if so, you already know that regardless of the temperature people can’t drive.
“What I found most astounding, was the apparent lack of interest by anyone, “
100%. That was the first thing that jumped out at me. Plenty of cars around, upper and lower road, and no visible reaction from any of them. Amazing.
Not good Samaritan country.
There was 1 car that pulled over on the LEFT hand shoulder... vid cut before we could see what happened after that.. But, I agree.. was a bit upsetting :/
Most times this happens when the drivers panic.
I live in Maryland where generally drivers cant handle ice and snow, short creeping their cars at 15 MPH.
I find it very frustrating but its still better than traffic blocking accidents.
People hit those breaks not realizing that the the ability of the car to turn depends on the front wheels rolling along the surface. As soon as a the wheels stop rotating all ability to control direction is lost esp if the wheels are turned too.
I am from far worse drivers during ice/snow.. West Texas :p If it snows there and you start losing control, “spin the wheels faster’ is the natural order ;D (slight sarcasm, but true about people not used to ice/snow :/)
BTW, if I get into a situation that seems bad (low sight, ice in road, I pull over and call into work sating I will be a bit late... (by pull over, I mean get as far away from traveling cars as possible.. a parking lot will do. No telling where some imbecile will plow over anything :p). And This is in Japan.. In Texas, problem wasn’t that bad.. was only 10 miles to my workplace, and the road crews were usually up all night laying salt on the bridges (on the interstate), so it wasn’t that bad.. on the ranches, on the other hand.. no worries about other drivers.. just had to keep the car on the caliche ;^)
I like driving in it as an adventure when fellow Marylanders have been scared off the roads by the news and most stuff is closed.
It takes self control and concentration to not panic, panic is the kiss of death.
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