[A/S] Trauma on I-40

[hhamp5246@xxxxxxx]

H Gang,

Well, you know how I like excitement, but this was a little more than I ever 
wanted.

After walking all around the state park this morning, with my nice neighbor, 
and taking lots of pictures... I hooked up and pulled out.

I drove south on I-81, a beautiful ride, more beautiful in Tennessee than it 
was in West Virginia.....  I stopped at a rest stop just before I-40 and threw 
the Frisbee for Tucker, got some lunch and went on to I-40. I did notice an 
inordinate amount of RVs headed north, I suspect many were going to Bristol for 
the races.  

Life was good, nice day, beautiful scenery.  Then all of a sudden the 
steering wheel started jumping in my hands.... I was doing about 60mph in the slow 
lane, almost to 640, the Knoxville bypass.  What the hell is that? I wondered 
and started looking for a place to pull off... maybe there was an exit ramp 
nearby....

Then KERPOW!!!!!!  I mean I've never heard anything like it, the dogs jumped 
up crying, I thought Oh God, I'm going lose control of the rig.... I 
remembered the red truck I saw yesterday that had flipped, it was like an omen.

I held the wheel, put on the emergency flashers and slowly pull off the 
freeway, all the way off into the grass.  Trucks were flying by at 70 mph..... I 
snapped the dogs' leashes on in case the wheel caught fire and we would have to 
leave the truck fast.....

I got out, to see what happened. The truck's silver rear wheel, on my side, 
was showing clear through where the tire used to be.  I looked back down the 
road and rubber was everywhere.... The fender was bent under, the umbilical cord 
to the trailer was on the road and the mud flap was gone.  The trailer had no 
damage, at least not that I've found.  I took some photos and called my 
insurance company who has road service.

They said they'd send someone.  I was a basket case. 

I can't tell you how scary it was sitting there, I was especially upset when 
two state troopers blew by and never slowed down )c:

I realized I had tears in my eyes... I was crying.  I never cry.     

All of a sudden the cavalry arrived.... in a lime green truck with Highway 
Incident response Unit in big letters across the front.  Seems Tennessee has a 
program where state troopers call the road service guys when someone is broken 
down.  They patrol the highways from 5:00 am til 10:30pm on weekdays and 
8:00am to 8:30pm on weekends. Bill Powell was my hero today.  He got out my spare, 
jacked up the truck and changed the tire... then he put air in the spare for 
me.  All while the trailer was still hooked up.

While he was working in the hot sun, I sat on the hillside with the dogs, 
incase...... Tuck kept licking my tears, which I couldn't stop. I kept thinking 
about how differently it could have played out.  Thinking about the truck and 
trailer I saw yesterday that were totalled after rolling over.  Thinking about 
how important it is to have a big truck and a superior hitch...... and being 
thankful that I had that big truck and superior hitch.

Bill was so dear, he wouldn't take any money, said he couldn't..... he said 
he likes his job because he gets to meet pretty girls on the highway, like 
me..... that made me laugh.... there I was looking all pitiful with red eyes. 

I don't know why the tire blew out, I do know that I'll be buying four new 
tires tomorrow.  The tires on the truck are Firestones... I have no way of 
knowing if it was their fault..... or mine....but I want them off and new ones on.

My home and my family are riding on those tires..... (Picture little dogs and 
kitties sitting in a tire floating through the clouds, like the Michelin 
commercial) <g>

I'm at the Escapee campground just north of Knoxville now.  Still shaken.

Hunter  

http://members.aol.com/ILuvBrady/summer2004.htm