Four honored for stopping wrong-way driver

The Brattleboro Reformer ^ | 11/29/06 | HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN

[Tijeras_Slim]

Finally, one of these cases that doesn't end with 5 people dead.

[Hegemony Cricket]

No kidding. Drunk, driving way too fast, driving the wrong way - amazing this story had a happy ending...

[Tijeras_Slim]

We had one out here a couple weeks ago that killed five, with one survivor (the drunk died too, but I don't add them to the total) and another which killed the drunks (2 in vehicle) when they ploughed into a semi.

[Skywalk]

'"The truth is we need the public to help," Anderson said. "We're happy you guys stepped up to the plate that day."'

Wow. Usually the cops tell everyone not to be a hero so they can't steal their limelight. It's Ok to chase down a wrong way driver but if someone had used a gun to stop an armed robber, what would these cops have been saying?

[DeFault User]

We've had a lot of these wrong-way drunks in North Carolina, so Barrett must have been aware of the hazard.

The drunk is always the one who survives the crash.

[68skylark]

I once had an encounter with a wrong-way driver. I swerved out of his way at the last second, and he killed a young woman driving a quarter-mile behind me.

[TC Rider]

We've had a lot of these wrong-way drunks in North Carolina, so Barrett must have been aware of the hazard.

I've been told by State Police that NC also leads the nation in drunks who lay naked on hot summer nights on warm highways and railroad tracks.

[Deguello]

I had two encounters when I used to drive 18's. One was at night and both were on the Interstate. I made both spin out in the median.

The key? Flash your high beams on & off repeatedly.

My third encounter was in my personal vehicle with family aboard, at night. Used same technique.

[68skylark]

I'm glad your encounters turned out okay, and I'm glad you were able to get the wrong-way drivers off the road -- you probably saved some lives.

[ASOC]

Army Pfc. David Barrett's

ARMY STRONG, yes? Yes.

[lowbridge]

Molloy's car started rolling and Barrett reached in and grabbed the keys. He and Sanborn stood in the way until two state troopers pulled up and arrested Molloy for driving under the influence and for gross negligent operation. Molloy is scheduled to appear in Windham County Court on Dec. 5.

Chances are that he'll be given a slap on the wrist and will be back drunk driving on the street in time for Christmas.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Works for snakes.

[DeFault User]

Lying naked on cold tracks, but how about smoking crack in the jaws of an alligator:

Then he saw them: a naked man slumped over, caught in the jaws of a huge alligator amid thick cattails in bloodied water. He said the man, who had been using drugs and lost a lot of blood, seemed oddly calm. ... Judd said Apgar told deputies he had been smoking crack cocaine at the adjacent park, but it was unclear why he was naked or how he was attacked by the alligator.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1746482/posts

[philled]

A couple decades ago, while in high school, friends and I were on a narrow, winding two-lane when an erratic set of headlights came at us. The driver of our car flashed highbeams to try to warn the oncoming car. Apparently it got his attention as he promptly veered off the road away from us and into a ravine. He was thrown from the open vehicle (an old Bronco with the top off). One of our went for help, three of us gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived.

The driver only ever thanked us by filing suit. As two of our party were the sons of doctors, we were apparently attractive targets. Thankfully, a "Good Samaritan law" was in place. His head and back injuries were likely from being catapulted out of the vehicle and not from the fifteen to twenty minutes of CPR we had administered. With that thwarted, the next tack for him was that our car had caused the accident by flashing highbeams. Thankfully, reason prevailed and the fact that he was almost four times over the legal BAC (and had a prior DWI)established that his actions had led to accident. On that road, it wasn't really a question of IF he would crash but WHEN. He was alive because of us and we could have been killed because of him. I think my dislike of trial lawyers stems from this incident...

[Deguello]

All three were head-on encounters. The third one I got to move back into his lanes of travel before I was to run my vehicle (backed off to 20 mph) into the right hand ditch...he kept going.

[Married with Children]

Have you a 68 Skylark?

[Old Professer]

Your post sounds as though the drunk passenger was equally to blame.