5/18 -Almost died on Rte. 2, I'm serious

Well, somehow I'm home alive on Wednesday, May 19th at 8:45 PM.

I'll briefly talk about my day at the park, but what I'm really here to talk about are the dangers of Route 2.

First, the easy stuff- the park:

CP still seems to be in working order. Very light crowds today...my friend and I had a WT train all by ourselves! Everyone sprints to Dragster when the gates open so Dragster was literally empty. Hit up three walk-on Magnum rides, two in back one in 1-3. Trims are off, and Magnum is really hauling this year.

Headed around the back of the park, Gemini and MS were not open yet. Too bad, I really wanted to try out the slightly improved MS thsi year. Walked around to MF, got a handstamp and headed into the short line. About 25 minutes in the line, another 25 for the front. MF, even after several seasons, has not lost its touch. This baby can still haul some serious boo-tay. With our freeway we got on in about 10 minutes in the back seat. The back seat has redeemed itself this year for me. MF was stacking BAD, but it was only because the ops were REALLY cracking down on heavier-set people. Belts seemed shorter, don't know if that's true or not.

Also got a run on Iron Draggin (very fun in the front!), Wildcat (what a masterpiece), and the Mantis. Mantis was practically a walk-on and was running pretty well back at two-train operation. I have to admit, I am a sucker for those trims. Mantis was running trimless, and although my calves didn't hurt and the ride was FLYING, I really miss that wonderful hangtime in the first two inversions...

Didn't get to ride Dragster, not due to mechanical failure, but due to inclement weather. We waited at the front entrance for 2.5 hours as the sun came in and out, teasing us with the possibility the rain would stop. My friend and I finally decided to bail, the rain did NOT look like it was stopping anytime soon. We couldn't ride anything else anyways, almost everything was down. So new rule for me: No matter what the conditions, ride Dragster when it is running. You never know what mgiht happen, so I am not waiting anymore, Dragster is my number one priority...if you wait for it, chances are it will be down.

OK, now onto my accident. First the appropriate preface: Two seasons ago on WT's opening day my friends Tim and Jason and I were driving home on Rte. 2 due west. My friend Jason was driving and underestimated my car's acceleration capabilities. It was night, and my interior lights had shorted out earlier in the day somehow. While on the cell phone with his mom he passed a car but totally miscalculated the distance and we had to swerve onto the LEFT side of the road, narrowingly missing a head-on collision with a semi-truck. He shouldn't have tried to pass, but he was used to faster cars and was distracted by his mom.

Fast forward to yesterday: My friend Tim and I were driving on the same stretch of Rte. 2 due west, on our way home to Detroit. It was light out (about 6:30), and the rain had just stopped pouring down. For some reason, the semi in front of me was slowing down. I slowed down to nearly a stop behind the semi, wondering why traffic suddenly came to a standstill when I didn't see any cars turning in front of the semi, etc. Then, WHAM! Disturbingly, I remember the crash vividly. My car got rocked from the back, I went airborne, then we hit something else and the car came crashing back down to the earth. I don't think my car got that far off the ground, but I do remember just flying around, even wtih my seatbelt on. It HURT, but somehow we were OK.

So here's what basically happened:

The car behind me was passing, so either they didn't see me stopped, couldn't swerve to the left because of oncoming traffic, or simply were going to fast to stop. They hit my car in the back, completely crushing my entire trunk. My car was pushed into the semi in front of me. The loading bar or whatever hit the passenger side of the front hood and then the corner of the semi sliced through the window, ripping the door frame down. The real miracle is that both our seats had collapsed when we were initially hit. This protected both of us from all of the flying debris and glass, but most importantly, my friend WASN'T decapitated by the corner of the truck slicing through my car. Even more amazing is that both me and my friend walked out of my car with nothing more than sore necks and one cut each. The people in the other car seemed to have as broken ankle, and I think a broken foot. They were taken to the hospital. I could go on and on, but all you really need to know is that my car is GONE, and my collapsed seats saved both of our lives.

After my near miss and this accident, you can be assured I will never ever drive on Route 2 again. It is simply not worth the danger at all. I'll take the 3 dollar hit and drive 15 minutes longer to take the turnpike. So if you're driving Rte. 2, please be EXTREMELY careful and always be aware of your surroundings!

Next week my friend will be flying me down to Sandusky so at least I won't have to worry about driving!

How did you copy it exactly the same on CB?

That sucks. I take Rte. 2 all the time when I go down. Hope everything works out alright.

Yeah, dude, that sucks. It coudl've happened on any road...the first incident was your friend's fault, and tonights was a random act of idoicy by another driver. Rt. 2 isn't the only road with idiots....

-seth

I personally would take the Turnpike with idiots, over Rt. 2 with idiots. Granted there will inevitably be idiots on both roads (for one example, while driving down the turnpike headed to CP last summer, I passed a woman driving a van using her wide-open window as a foot-rest...for both feet...I'm not really sure how she did it, but she did, my whole car-load saw it.), but at least on the turnpike there are multiple lanes, and it's relatively straight, and all that fun stuff. It's good you and your friend are okay though.

Cruise Control Mox?

Cruise control yes...either that or a little Oompa operating the peddles...but I was more confused with how she got both legs up there to begin with, or why. I would think that that couldn't have been very comfortable, but I've never tried it, so what do I know...Cruise control can be a dangerous thing if the driver isn't paying attention. Maybe that could have contributed to why you were rear-ended on Rt 2, Craig.

You are both lucky to be alive! Other stupid drivers are the main reason we ALWAYS take my 4x4, or my fiance's duelly to CP. I know if (God forbid) an accident occurs, we have a better chance of doing more damage to the other than vice versa.

A PRIME example of other stupid drivers and WHY I rarely go near CP in just a car anymore:
In 1998, my daughter (who was 8 at the time) and I were on Rte 4 just outside of Bucyrus. It was one of those warm August mornings and there was HORRIFIC fog. Visabililty was MAYBE 15'. Those of you who know Rte 4 know it is a 2 lane back country road with very little shoulder room, mostly ditches. Suddenly I happened to notice head lights in MY lane coming STRAIGHT at my ('93 Hyundai Scoupe) car. Without even thinking, I slammed on my brakes, swirved the car way to the right to avoid a head on (@ 50mph) crash. I tried to swirve back onto the road, but when my car hit the gravel on the shoulder, it started spinning. I remember when I was back on the black top, and the car was spinning I was thinking "Oh dear God PLEASE do not let an oncoming car hit us and kill my daughter" By the time we stopped spinning, we were on the OTHER side of Rte 4 on that small shoulder, barely missing a mailbox, facing south. My car had stalled out (I must have taken my foot off the clutch) and the rearend was still in the road. I was shaking so bad, my daughter had woken up when we were spinning and when we finally stopped she asked me if I hit a deer. I got the car started, moved it up so we wouldn't get hit. Literally I sat there for 5 minutes thanking God my kid was ok and thinking what a stupid IDIOT that guy was for passing traffic in almost 0 visibility fog. It is a pretty safe bet had the accident occured both my daughter and I would have been history, rarely does anyone survive a head on crash at that speed, not to mention the Hyundai Scoupe had a reputation of being not too safe in an accident. For WEEKS after that, my tire marks were on Rte 4. You could see where I slammed on the brakes, where the car hit the gravel, and the tire marks from the 180. I would get sick to my stomach every time we went back to CP and I saw them. We started taking 98 to 4 to avoid that spot all together. Needless to mention any time I see fog I think about that. Now my fiance has me hooked on the 71N to 250W route.

I don't think any specific route is more dangerous than another. I think the best way to avoid an accident is to be aware of EVERYTHING going on around you. I have avoided many accidents in my life just by watching others and being prepared that they might do something stupid. Which most do. I feel pretty confident that if I do ever get into an accident, it WON'T be my fault.

I'd like to get out and slap the people who insist on tailgating when we're hauling horses or the idiots who slow down when they get in front of us. Obviousely those idiots don't know the extra weight of the horses and trailer makes it harder to stop??? Duh!

None the less, glad you guys were ok and you were very very lucky!!

Jo
2000 Raptor Crew
2002 Raptor Crew
2003 Raptor Crew

Craig the Coaster Freak: I'm just curious what stretch of Rt. 2 you were on when that happened. I'm assuming that it was in the stretch where the road is only 2 lanes, I'm just curious. But LuvRaptor is right, the only way to drive is to drive smart, and to be 100% aware of everything. If everyone else would drive that way, then accidents would be a rare sight and everyone would be so much better off. Unfortunately, I think there are just too many ignorant, self-absorbed, idiots on the road to make that happen...(My apologies to any ignorant, self-absorbed, idiot drivers reading the boards...)

---

Craig the Coaster Freak said:

Next week my friend will be flying me down to Sandusky so at least I won't have to worry about driving!

---

Glad you made it out in one piece! Interesting sign when leaving Cuyahoga County Airport: "You are leaving the safety of flying, please be careful driving!"

I'm glad you're all ok!

I have no problem taking the two lanes roads to the park while it's light out (not SR2 in my case but US24 and US6) but I always take the half-hour and $6 hit to take the turnpike back to fort wayne at night. Those two lane roads just aren't worth it after dark IMO.

--James

It's not the road, but the stupid drivers. I was on a 4 lane road, stopped at a red light in broad daylight when some little chick who wasn't paying attention slammed into my Camaro. My seat also collapsed, and my car was totalled.

Admittedly, there are stupid drivers everywhere, and the small portion of Rt 2 that is two lane certainly has it's share of drivers who are in such a hurry they feel they must pass cars (like mine) going the speed limit. But I don't believe it's any less safe than the turnpike, and because it's not as well travelled, there are far less stupid drivers.

I've been taking Rt 2 to CP for 34 years. I've seen three major accidents in those years, all caused by people trying to pass slower traffic, including a kid who passed me and several miles down the road rolled his car and landed upside down in a field. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

I've always said that route 2 is a dangerous road at night, it's like the passing mecca of northwest ohio. It's especially dangerous for me since my night vision isn't that great and they don't have highway lamps.

It's better on the highway turnpike, though slower at times. Especially since they have the construction, but you shouldn't be effected by it if you are from detroit, it's west of that.

I agree it's not necessarily the road, but I am just not gonna feel comfortable on that road anymore...

To answer Mox's question, apparently we were traveling home West before we passed the power plant (Bessie Davis?). I thought we had passed the power plant, but apparently we had not. Basically then, we were hit right after it goes down to two lanes.

Even if I was completely aware and was watching my rear view mirror like a hawk, I highly doubt I would have had time to move. This onw was completely out of my hands, in the sense that I was the one that got hit and in the sense that God protected us!

Probably just after the military camp there. I think this is just before it becomes 2 lanes heading westbound..

Glad to hear you are ok after that!

I know after reading this story I will be 250% careful on Rt 2 coming from Toledo...

I never had a problem on 2. Then again, I take the freeway Sr 2 East Ohio.