[DeTomaso] speaking of wheels falling off---

JDeRyke at aol.com JDeRyke at aol.com
Sun Aug 22 15:15:15 EDT 2010


I've also had a 'memorable' experience with OTHER PEOPLE'S wheels falling 
off. Commuting to work one morning in N CA in my modified Corvair, a cement 
pumper truck on its way to a job site broke a rear axle flange off, freeing a 
gigantic 'flotation' tire, wheel & brake drum at 50 mph on the freeway. He 
was some ways behind me and I saw the accident in my mirrors, but as race 
announcers say, in heavy traffic 'I had nowhere to go' except to lean away. 
The 250-lb assembly bounced off guard rails and hit my drivers door a glancing 
blow that knocked the 2500-lb car sideways half a lane, in spite of the 
traction from the same size tires I run on the Pantera. The wheel finally 
stopped in the median-strip Oleander bushes. Lucky me- I was the only car it hit! 
  The dent in my car was a foot deep but luckily was confined only to the 
door.
A gigantic traffic jam occurred between my banged up car and the concrete 
truck tipped at an angle across 2 lanes. Once he saw I wasn't hurt or angry, 
the truck driver (also the business owner!) was very apologetic but was MUCH 
more worried about the full load of concrete he was to have processed, 
rapidly setting up behind us in a second truck (pre-cell phone days). 2 hrs 
later I drove the beat up car into work and got no crap about being late. His 
business insurance bought me a new door and a full paint job. FWIW- J DeRyke



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