As we drove back from Birmingham the other night, which is where S, a colleague and I had been working for the day, reports on the radio warned that the M40 was closed off as there had been a "nasty accident" earlier that morning.
It transpired that not long after we'd driven up to Brum on the same motorway, a northbound lorry jack-knifed across lanes of traffic, went through the central reservation and ended up smashing into the southbound lanes. At least eight cars had tried to get out of its way. Three people died at the scene, many others were injured. The motorway was closed for eight hours.
With the debris cleared, the sight of the lorry's tyre-tracks indicated that it had somehow done a 90-degree turn at one hell of a speed to end up where it did. The black skid marks and the bollards protecting the temporary replacement central reservation made me want to weep.
Earlier in the day, a car transporter, in the middle lane, weaved around dangerously (obviously). The driver was chatting and laughing with someone else in the cabin. I gave the driver a dirty look as we overtook his vehicle. What a fucking imbecile. For fuck's sake. THE FUCKING BASTARD CRETIN. I would loved to have smacked his face with my fists and shaken him until he screamed and UNDERSTOOD that he was in charge of a fucking lethal weapon. ARGHHH.
On the way home, we saw a dark blue lorry weaving in and out of the hard shoulder. As he did so, dust rose from the verge. The driver was obviously distracted and either falling asleep or chatting to someone. We consequently left the motorway as soon as we could, wondering whether to call the police – but what would we say? A small, blue lorry somewhere on the M40 is weaving about? It happens all the bloody time.
I lay in bed and thought of those poor, poor people that didn't make it home on Wednesday, and of their families and friends, and of how their lives would never be the same.
My hatred of people who drive lorries (or cars) on motorways – or on any roads – with any degree of nonchalance is intense. I slept very, very badly.
I know, Mell D, when you witness the aftermath of an accident, it is always chilling to think of those lives changed so abruptly & violently . . . and unnecessarily.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I picture them getting ready that morning and doing the most mundane things – eating toast, washing their hair...
ReplyDeleteWe all know many people are killed on roads (and I didn't know any of these, if that is even relevant), but goodness, it's just awful. It makes me SO angry when people drive like idiots and kill others. I don't know what happened in this case but on that one day witnessed so many people driving like idiots that I tend to assume negligence was the cause of any accident, rather than, say a patch of oil or mechanical problem.