Final Destination VII - LJ Edition

SouthernLJ

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 13, 2022
Messages
206
Location
South GA
So,, I'm driving home from work on Friday. It was a rough day so I'm ready to get home to have some crispy garage beers. Here I am, cruising at a steady 65mph when I see a semi with a wide load turning off of a side street onto the 4 lane I'm currently on. Little did I know, I was soon to produce a wide load myself...

This guy turns onto the 4 lane.

Semi with cable on the ground.png



As this behemoth turns onto the road I'm traveling on, I look to my left and notice the plethora of wires above his rig start to wiggle. I thought to myself, "Self, this ain't right." About of second after that, my thoughts were confirmed. This monstrosity hooked the cabling for real, which immediately snapped the power pole next to it.

Downed Pole.jpg



I started to brake at about the time I saw the the wires wiggling, but alas, it was too late. When the power pole snapped, which was reminiscent of an artillery shell hitting an unlucky tree in the Ardennes Forest, several of the cables going over the four lane I was traveling on started coming down, also helped by the power pole on the opposite side of the road snapping.

Wire on Jeep 2.png



So as I'm driving, foot on the brake, all this stuff starts falling. Decision time... I stood on the brake. I somehow entered the Matrix as I gained a moment of clarity as things slowed down to a snail's pace. Unlike Neo dodging bullets, I did not manage to dodge all of the wires, despite slowing down at a rate of approximately 5 G's. When I came to a complete stop, I find my self in a Tesla coil of bullshit.


Jeep wrapped up in power lines.jpg



While I am not a Mensa member, I am smart enough to remain inside. Knowing that this is hazard for anyone traveling this road in either direction, I called 911 to have first responders show up and secure the scene. While I'm sitting there, I mention that they should probably roll Fire as well because as soon as the first pole that snapped hit the ground, the electricity immediately started a fire in the ditch.


fire.png



I get off the phone and I'm just sitting there in the Jeep. I look to my left and there is a cable wrapped around the door.


Wire on jeep.png



I look to the right and there is a cable there.

cable right.png



I look behind me and there are cables there.

Wire wrapped around tire.png



So I'm just sitting there, cables all around me, watching this small fire in the ditch getting bigger, thinking "This is just freaking.... weird." Right after that that thought, I heard a female call me by name. I wondered, "Is this an angel? Did I actually die?" Turned out to be a co-worker who was taking the same route home as I was and she was just making sure I was OK. After about 20 or 30 minutes sitting in the Jeep, a guy from the power company shows up a frees me from the metallic spaghetti. I pulled away, asked the trooper on scene if I could cut through the median, he said I could, so I did and went and parked by the oversized culprit.


State patrol with semi and spotter car.png



I get a copy of the driver's insurance details and head on home for those crispy beers. There were no injuries. I hade some paint damage but that's about it. I consider myself lucky. Had I looked down for a split second to check the message on my phone, I could have hit this at 65mph and that would have been no bueno. The power company guy said that they wire around the front was just coax, but there was power line in the back.


Also, just a couple weeks ago, I replaced the front brakes with Centric rotors and pads from Black Magic Brakes.. Shoutout to Blaine.

Unfortunately, I did not travel back in time to 1955 like Marty McFly and this did not fix my PCM....
 
So,, I'm driving home from work on Friday. It was a rough day so I'm ready to get home to have some crispy garage beers. Here I am, cruising at a steady 65mph when I see a semi with a wide load turning off of a side street onto the 4 lane I'm currently on. Little did I know, I was soon to produce a wide load myself...

This guy turns onto the 4 lane.

View attachment 532381


As this behemoth turns onto the road I'm traveling on, I look to my left and notice the plethora of wires above his rig start to wiggle. I thought to myself, "Self, this ain't right." About of second after that, my thoughts were confirmed. This monstrosity hooked the cabling for real, which immediately snapped the power pole next to it.

View attachment 532383


I started to brake at about the time I saw the the wires wiggling, but alas, it was too late. When the power pole snapped, which was reminiscent of an artillery shell hitting an unlucky tree in the Ardennes Forest, several of the cables going over the four lane I was traveling on started coming down, also helped by the power pole on the opposite side of the road snapping.

View attachment 532385


So as I'm driving, foot on the brake, all this stuff starts falling. Decision time... I stood on the brake. I somehow entered the Matrix as I gained a moment of clarity as things slowed down to a snail's pace. Unlike Neo dodging bullets, I did not manage to dodge all of the wires, despite slowing down at a rate of approximately 5 G's. When I came to a complete stop, I find my self in a Tesla coil of bullshit.


View attachment 532386


While I am not a Mensa member, I am smart enough to remain inside. Knowing that this is hazard for anyone traveling this road in either direction, I called 911 to have first responders show up and secure the scene. While I'm sitting there, I mention that they should probably roll Fire as well because as soon as the first pole that snapped hit the ground, the electricity immediately started a fire in the ditch.


View attachment 532387


I get off the phone and I'm just sitting there in the Jeep. I look to my left and there is a cable wrapped around the door.


View attachment 532388


I look to the right and there is a cable there.

View attachment 532389


I look behind me and there are cables there.

View attachment 532390


So I'm just sitting there, cables all around me, watching this small fire in the ditch getting bigger, thinking "This is just freaking.... weird." Right after that that thought, I heard a female call me by name. I wondered, "Is this an angel? Did I actually die?" Turned out to be a co-worker who was taking the same route home as I was and she was just making sure I was OK. After about 20 or 30 minutes sitting in the Jeep, a guy from the power company shows up a frees me from the metallic spaghetti. I pulled away, asked the trooper on scene if I could cut through the median, he said I could, so I did and went and parked by the oversized culprit.


View attachment 532391


I get a copy of the driver's insurance details and head on home for those crispy beers. There were no injuries. I hade some paint damage but that's about it. I consider myself lucky. Had I looked down for a split second to check the message on my phone, I could have hit this at 65mph and that would have been no bueno. The power company guy said that they wire around the front was just coax, but there was power line in the back.


Also, just a couple weeks ago, I replaced the front brakes with Centric rotors and pads from Black Magic Brakes.. Shoutout to Blaine.

Unfortunately, I did not travel back in time to 1955 like Marty McFly and this did not fix my PCM....

Congrats on continuing to live
 
So,, I'm driving home from work on Friday. It was a rough day so I'm ready to get home to have some crispy garage beers. Here I am, cruising at a steady 65mph when I see a semi with a wide load turning off of a side street onto the 4 lane I'm currently on. Little did I know, I was soon to produce a wide load myself...

This guy turns onto the 4 lane.

View attachment 532381


As this behemoth turns onto the road I'm traveling on, I look to my left and notice the plethora of wires above his rig start to wiggle. I thought to myself, "Self, this ain't right." About of second after that, my thoughts were confirmed. This monstrosity hooked the cabling for real, which immediately snapped the power pole next to it.

View attachment 532383


I started to brake at about the time I saw the the wires wiggling, but alas, it was too late. When the power pole snapped, which was reminiscent of an artillery shell hitting an unlucky tree in the Ardennes Forest, several of the cables going over the four lane I was traveling on started coming down, also helped by the power pole on the opposite side of the road snapping.

View attachment 532385


So as I'm driving, foot on the brake, all this stuff starts falling. Decision time... I stood on the brake. I somehow entered the Matrix as I gained a moment of clarity as things slowed down to a snail's pace. Unlike Neo dodging bullets, I did not manage to dodge all of the wires, despite slowing down at a rate of approximately 5 G's. When I came to a complete stop, I find my self in a Tesla coil of bullshit.


View attachment 532386


While I am not a Mensa member, I am smart enough to remain inside. Knowing that this is hazard for anyone traveling this road in either direction, I called 911 to have first responders show up and secure the scene. While I'm sitting there, I mention that they should probably roll Fire as well because as soon as the first pole that snapped hit the ground, the electricity immediately started a fire in the ditch.


View attachment 532387


I get off the phone and I'm just sitting there in the Jeep. I look to my left and there is a cable wrapped around the door.


View attachment 532388


I look to the right and there is a cable there.

View attachment 532389


I look behind me and there are cables there.

View attachment 532390


So I'm just sitting there, cables all around me, watching this small fire in the ditch getting bigger, thinking "This is just freaking.... weird." Right after that that thought, I heard a female call me by name. I wondered, "Is this an angel? Did I actually die?" Turned out to be a co-worker who was taking the same route home as I was and she was just making sure I was OK. After about 20 or 30 minutes sitting in the Jeep, a guy from the power company shows up a frees me from the metallic spaghetti. I pulled away, asked the trooper on scene if I could cut through the median, he said I could, so I did and went and parked by the oversized culprit.


View attachment 532391


I get a copy of the driver's insurance details and head on home for those crispy beers. There were no injuries. I hade some paint damage but that's about it. I consider myself lucky. Had I looked down for a split second to check the message on my phone, I could have hit this at 65mph and that would have been no bueno. The power company guy said that they wire around the front was just coax, but there was power line in the back.


Also, just a couple weeks ago, I replaced the front brakes with Centric rotors and pads from Black Magic Brakes.. Shoutout to Blaine.

Unfortunately, I did not travel back in time to 1955 like Marty McFly and this did not fix my PCM....

Buddy if that had happened to me you would not have been able to drive a needle up my rear end with a sledgehammer-

If you had touched the body of the jeep you would have been gone I think- Thinking something like 5500 V

Man I just can’t get over it-

Glad you’re safe- Keep the information if you didn’t have PCMtrouble before there’s no telling what you’re likely to have come up with all that

Nice shades too!
 
Buddy if that had happened to me you would not have been able to drive a needle up my rear end with a sledgehammer-

If you had touched the body of the jeep you would have been gone I think- Thinking something like 5500 V

Man I just can’t get over it-

Glad you’re safe- Keep the information if you didn’t have PCMtrouble before there’s no telling what you’re likely to have come up with all that

Nice shades too!

Thanks man!
 
  • Like
Reactions: AndyG
Great story!! Thanks for sharing. Good plan to stay in the vehicle. If those wires had been hot, you would have known it. Although we ride on rubber tires, the tire makers put a conductive material in the rubber to allow lighting strikes to go to ground. Hot wires would have done the same and you would have seen a cool light show until the fuses blew. I'm thinking the fuses blew as soon as those wires hit the ground. Super pictures!
 
Wow! Freakin amazing!!

Seems like you never can tell when “adventure” is gonna reach out and grab you!! 😵‍💫

Good thing you understood not to ground yourself! And hopefully any repairs are cheap and easy!

Plus, now you’ve got one hell of a Jeep story to tell around the campfire!! 😉