Galleria

You know it's serious when you see multiple news helicopters and the police have a whole block shut down. I saw a whole bunch of cars stopped with people walking around, but no real damage. This typically indicates that the police were involved in the accident.

Stupid Guy on Bike

Not a good idea to ride your bicycle in front of a vehicle doing 48 in a 45 mph zone. The driver's ability to stop may be compromised by the fact that you probably need to be weeded out of the gene pool.

Redneckery

The DMV says that REDNECK is not available as a license plate. And I can't figure out how to fit "mid life crisis" into 7 letters.

Other options:
EVLGNYS
TORQUE
CNV71

Any suggestions?

55 MPH

That's the point where my tires begin to break loose on the ramp from the airport connector to Warm Springs. After that the rear end begins a graceful drift to the left. Letting off the accelerator brings the speed down enough to let the tires grip again. Pushing a little harder lets the rear end push out just a bit more, causing oversteer and prompting a correction by steering slightly out of the corner.

The tires are Falken ZE-512 M+S rated tires. I wouldn't say the wet weather traction is anything more than comical, but the dry weather traction works well. They hold well in corners, and when they do begin to break free it's a resonably graceful break, not a violent swing.

Normally The Building Wins

Car vs. building: Car wins

Rescue workers save driver after freak accident collapses Merrimon structure

photo: Bill Sanders/staff photographer Demolition workers look over the remains of the Allison Building at 500 Merrimon Ave. after a car went into the building Tuesday. The car is still buried under the building rubble.

By Clarke Morrison
STAFF WRITER

published: September 21, 2005 6:00 am

ASHEVILLE — Merrimon Avenue was blocked most of the day Tuesday after a car knocked out two support columns of a building, causing much of the brick structure’s front to tumble onto the roadway.

The driver of the car, Abigail Colburn, and three emergency workers attempting to rescue her went through some harrowing moments as more of the building came crashing down while they were inside, said Tommy Brooks, division chief with the Asheville Fire Department.

The paramedic and two firefighters avoided injury and got the woman out safely, Brooks said. The driver suffered minor injuries in the 6:30 a.m. crash and was treated at the hospital and released, he said.

The accident at 500 Merrimon Ave., across from The Hop ice cream shop, shut down the road’s four lanes as city inspectors, Day Associates Engineering, D.H. Griffin Demolition and the state Department of Transportation worked to stabilize the building and clean up debris, Deputy Fire Marshal Kelley Webb said.

Traffic was detoured, and several businesses in the area were closed. Tuesday night, Merrimon remained closed as a demolition crew took down more from the front of the building facing the road.

Dozens of onlookers from surrounding neighborhoods came out to watch as crews scooped up rubble and dragged the black coupe from the debris.

“It’s hard to believe that a little car could do that much damage,” said John Field, 69.

Police said they expected to open the road late Tuesday or early today.

The car was headed south on Merrimon when it was clipped by another car, went out of the control and crashed into the building, authorities said, knocking loose a center support beam. The Allison Building dates to 1924, said its owner, Robert Johnson. The section of the building most heavily damaged was vacant, he said.

Johnson said he arrived at the scene within an hour after the crash.

“I was like, ‘Holy cow!’ There must have been 50 people down here,” he said. “The lady in the car was my first thought. (The building) is just bricks and mortar. It can be replaced.”

Ambulance Races

Not sure why, but I've been seeing at least one ambulance a week headed down Tropicana towards the stadium. It's almost like they're doing time trials down that one stretch of road. Maybe they're just trying to get the jackass drivers to get used to moving out of the way. From what I've seen, they need the practice.

Trop and Andover

Two car head on in the intersection. Ambulances had already come and gone.

One of the cars left there had a hole in the windshield. No blood, but a definite hole in the windshield. Something wasn't wearing a seatbelt, but I don't think it was a person.

Whoah... Too Much Bling

Saw a golf cart today with custom rims. And a custom paint job. Upholstered seats.

At what point is a lot of bling considered too much bling?

Alaska

I hate Alaska Airlines. I've never had a trip with Alaska that wasn't messed up.

But anyway... On the flight back I remembered why I don't like flying back to Vegas on a Thursday night.

To my left was a magnet wearing new age couple determined to spread peace and love in Vegas. In front of me was a white trash couple who, since they was on vacation, had decided to splurge and buy MGD. Behind me there were a few people loudly discussing strategies for winning at slots.
The winners, by far, were the two people to the right of me. One woman with the glazed over look of someone who lives their life with no concept of the future past their next meal. Next to her was a sixty some year old woman with entirely too little shirt and too much mouth.

The glazed woman was flying to Vegas to marry someone she'd met on the Internet. The older woman lives in Vegas. Regretably...

Both women were... stupid...

Now, the thing about stupid people is that they kind of live life on a different plane from the rest of us. Things that seem obvious to the rest of us are often new and intense to a stupid person. Things that the rest of us just kind of understand and anticipate are, to a stupid person, an often very painful life lesson.

I had to listen to these stupid people giving stupid advice to each other the entire flight. Painful advice. Obvious advice. Painfully obvious advice. Advice that was not obvious to the stupid people.

Yeah, I'm a jerk.

On The Way To The Airport

On the way to the airport at 5:30 Sunday morning, I saw the remains of a bus stop, a cinderblock wall, a light pole, and a car. I figure the accident happened at about 4 or so in the morning, so I'm hoping no one was at the bus stop.

It looks like someone lost control on Tropicana east bound just west of I95. I'm guessing that they hit the light pole, spun the car around, then bounced off the cinderblock wall and rammed backwards into the bus stop. Scattered it like a load of popsicle sticks.

Much Stuff No Time

Been busy lately...

Just recently went on a business trip to Seattle. Hertz made the mistake of renting me a Kia Optima with a V6. Reasonably stiff frame, suspension, and big engine. Traction control, however, can be described as primitive. At least it's extremely competent at over 100.

I was there with a group of customers. Nice guys, but not the quickest on the highway. Apparantly I'm a difficult driver to follow. My response was "you have a map, I wasn't worried."

Their response to that was grumbling something about a Kia, two wheels, and certain ertching noises.

Confused On The Concept

Congrats to the man in the Escalade for whom the definition of "safe following distance" is a foot and a half. At least he was quick on the reflexes when I dropped the truck down two gears and dumped the clutch.

And more congrats to the old man driving the Lincoln Towncar, who's reaction to a confusing situation was to just run over the cones and try to figure out which lane to be in later.