scary start to commute..

pic to the right is view from our bedroom window of our backyard under water after rain stopped falling... and no that's not a pool but perhaps a natural location for one.

Okay, like my commute to work "doesn't" require getting on the freeway in order to get there, and sooooo why today in the snotty weather I felt the need to take this route is absurd. I almost paid a huge price for having made it and this is why... Whenever the rain started during the night, it poured for 6-7 hours, leaving our backyard resembling a pond, as well as the roadways.

If I get on the 91 freeway and head east, I basically exit at the third offramp past the busy interchange of another freeway that enters mine... so as I pass the the 605 interchange and it's basically just lightly raining, but the water spraying up from vehicles cast a foggy glare of water somewhat obliterating a clear view of distance. Now add to this equation that the breed of CA. drivers on the road can't slow down to account for road conditions that are more dangerous than a normal sunny Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall day they are accustomed to... Except for me of course!

As I come close to offramp #1 and I'm in the third lane from the left, I catch a glimpse in the fast lane of a car that seems stopped after hitting the car ahead of it and that of a car that has JUST apparantly slammed on their brakes, starts to spin (hydroplane) to the right, now hitting the car in the midst of the spinning motion that they were trying to avoid, and than they catapult across all lanes of the freeway and two car lengths in front of me going backwards......... They jump the curb and are basically caught by the trees in the gulley between the freeway and the Pioneer offramp, sending wood chips back onto the freeway and the car lands on it's tires at the bottom... with the whipped tree limbs now laying on top of it.. and than the sky just opens up and cats and dogs start raining down on this mess.. I pulled over along with the car in front of me parking on the shoulder even with the car in the gulley. The driver appeared to be moving and was using her phone...

I grabbed my phone and dial 911 to hear the unwelcome message that "all operators are currently busy, stay on the phone and your call will be answered in the order it was received" WHAT THE HECK ~ I pay taxes so that it's answered first time! After about what seemed like 8 minutes I hung up, cuz well, I've got other connections. I than call the Lakewood Sheriffs number I have in my phone contact list and tell the guy who answers that 911 isn't answering and where I am and what is needed.. he immediately tells me he will connect me with CHP.. after about a minute I am connected and give the details, 3 cars, no one is appearing hurt just that the car is still down in the gulley and the woman has yet to come out of it.. so while she doesn't appear to be hurt, can't be sure.. The mini cooper that parked behind me and the older gentleman who had traversed down the hill, was coming back up and said she appears okay. I tell him CHP is on it's way.. I thank the dispatcher, and hang up.. so a couple of folks who are now aware that there is a car down in the ditch who were involved and had pulled over way ahead of us, were walking towards my car, one of them on the phone and so I shared my information (through my open window where I remained dry) that help was on the way and the guy who was still waiting for the "911 answer from a busy operator" said that he was still waiting to connect.

I than turn off my hazard lights and change it to a left blinker so I can now merge into traffic and get moving along to the office I was once heading to. Now all of this could have easily have been avoided had a few simple safety steps been followed;

1. Don't start your car engine without turning on your lights to make yourself visible in the darker skies, water spraying road conditions. This is for those around you numskull so they can see you.


2. SLOW down immensly when it's raining or a storm has just recently dumped a ton of water out of the sky onto the driving surface...


3. SLOW down and give more space between you and the car in front of you, and don't floor it to make up for time when the road opens up.. conditions remain the same.

Tomorrow I will make my commute on the side roads.