[Lurker]

Soon, you will be traveling quickly and safely to the ER while passing the corpses of those unfortunate souls who chose to drive themselves and died on the way.

You do have a way with words, sir.

But as an aside I have an ambulance story to share with you. About 10 years ago my first wife and my best friend were severely injured in a motorcycle accident and were transported to a small local hospital.

My friend was critically injured and 'coded' on the table twice, once right in front of me. My wife was cut up pretty bad but the ER folks said they were going to keep her one night and let her go. I was to go home and bring her some clothes for the night.

By the time I got home there was a message for me saying they couldn't locate a couple of her vertebrea and were going to send her to a better hospital.

So I turned around and sped back to the hospital because they said I could go with her in the ambulance.

Now most folks think an ambulance ride is at 100 miles an hour and most times it is. But this time because my wife had 3 burst fractures in her lower back they moved very, very slowly with lights and sirens.

Well believe it or not we were about half way from one hospital to the other when we got behind this woman who just froze up completely when we got behind her with the lights and sirens going.

I mean she froze like a deer in the headlights.

Of course this happened in a construction zone so there was no way to go around her.

She just sat there like her car had become the Buddha himself.

The driver got on the PA and told her to move.

Nothing.

The driver got out and started talking to her through the window.

Nothing.

Finally I got out and made some gestures which roughly translated into 'Move this *^%$**&%$ car or I'll wring your *^#$%&*(()_ neck!'

We then proceeded to the hospital at the blazing rate of 10 miles per hour.

Oh it's funny now, but at the time....

L

[wideminded]

when we got behind this woman who just froze up completely

Did you get a look at this woman? What was her age and appearance? She sounds like someone I know.

[Paved Paradise]

How's your wife now? That idiot really shouldn't be driving. Duh. But it does now bring to light why sometimes you see the ambulance speeding and sometimes they are moving slow. I never put much thought into it.

[fieldmarshaldj]

That reminds me of a scene I watched some 20+ years ago on a busy street here in my city. Some ambulance was charging down the street in a fairly heavy traffic situation, until it got stuck at the edge of a park (across from where I was standing), with some lady frozen stopped dead in front of the vehicle. The ambulance driver got on the bullhorn and blurted out, "MOVE IT, A$$HOLE !!!" and that finally did the trick. ;-D