Goodlet: Woman dies in freak accident

[seamusTX]

The term "freak accident" is abused. Most so-called freak accidents were perfectly avoidable examples of bad judgment.

That said, anything involving a cow qualifies as a freak accident.

Near Goodlet (rural area near the Oklahoma border), a 21-year-old woman was riding in a vehicle that collided with a cow on the road. The woman got out of the vehicle and was standing by the road when another vehicle "happened upon" the wreck site and ran into the woman, killing her.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?secti ... id=9026877" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't mean to make light of this sad accident, but it reinforces the lesson that it is very dangerous to be anywhere near a wreck or broken-down vehicle on the highway. There are too many distracted and impaired drivers who can't deal properly with these situations.

- Jim

[jmra]

Sounds like it was a bad day for the cow too - hit by both cars.

[GrillKing]

I don't mean to make light of this sad accident, but it reinforces the lesson that it is very dangerous to be anywhere near a wreck or broken-down vehicle on the highway. There are too many distracted and impaired drivers who can't deal properly with these situations.

- Jim

Excellent point. Not to ignore the dangerous situations our law enforcement community face every day, but I believe most LEO fatalities are related to traffic stops, by distracted and impaired drivers . I always slow way down and give wide berth to a traffic stop ahead of me on the road. When they see you slow down and change lanes, they know you have done your part for safety. It's the law, but it's also the right thing to do...

[seamusTX]

Excellent point.

Thanks.

Not to ignore the dangerous situations our law enforcement community face every day, but I believe most LEO fatalities are related to traffic stops,

Yep. Drunks just seem to steer toward the light bars like the proverbial moth to a flame. That's why traffic cops now often turn their vehicle at an angle to the left and approach the vehicle that they stopped from the right—keeping themselves out of harm's way as much as possible.

I remember having an actual nearly nasty argument with a friend of mine, years ago, about his wife trying to repair their car in the breakdown lane on the interstate. A cop told her to get off the road and call a tow truck. Of course, like most of us in our 20s, they had beater cars and not a whole lot of money. But it's better to spend $100 on a tow truck than $1,000 on a casket.

- Jim

[jmra]

I don't mean to make light of this sad accident, but it reinforces the lesson that it is very dangerous to be anywhere near a wreck or broken-down vehicle on the highway. There are too many distracted and impaired drivers who can't deal properly with these situations.

- Jim

Excellent point. Not to ignore the dangerous situations our law enforcement community face every day, but I believe most LEO fatalities are related to traffic stops, by distracted and impaired drivers . I always slow way down and give wide berth to a traffic stop ahead of me on the road. When they see you slow down and change lanes, they know you have done your part for safety. It's the law, but it's also the right thing to do...

While I lived in New Orleans every few years you would hear about an officer getting hit by a car and thrown into the lake on the causeway. Two lanes going each direction but little shoulder on a 24 mile long bridge. Always slowed way down and took other lane when I saw flashing lights on the bridge.

[jmra]

I remember having an actual nearly nasty argument with a friend of mine, years ago, about his wife trying to repair their car in the breakdown lane on the interstate. A cop told her to get off the road and call a tow truck. Of course, like most of us in our 20s, they had beater cars and not a whole lot of money. But it's better to spend $100 on a tow truck than $1,000 on a casket.

- Jim

For several years my wife and I both commuted from Hammond to New Orleans. We worked different hours so we both drove. Most of the drive is on elevated highway over water or marsh.
One morning my wife passed a guy who had just finished changing a tire where I-55 merges with I-10. The speed limit at this point is 60 mph. The guy looked like he was stepping back to admire his work. When I passed through the same area 45 mins later, traffic was moving about 10 mph and the guy was almost a quarter mile down the road with a sheet over him. Took a ride on the front of an 18 wheeler.

I'm sure his family wishes he had called a tow truck.

[K.Mooneyham]

Texas has a law about moving over a lane, if possible, and slowing down when passing an LEO involved in a "stop". A lot of folks extend that courtesy to any broken down vehicle on the side of the road. Most people here in Texas seem to get it, but other states don't have any sort of laws like that, and I noticed that they don't move over or slow down when they go by a broke down vehicle, either. Sad business.

[Dave2]

I remember having an actual nearly nasty argument with a friend of mine, years ago, about his wife trying to repair their car in the breakdown lane on the interstate. A cop told her to get off the road and call a tow truck. Of course, like most of us in our 20s, they had beater cars and not a whole lot of money. But it's better to spend $100 on a tow truck than $1,000 on a casket.

- Jim

For several years my wife and I both commuted from Hammond to New Orleans. We worked different hours so we both drove. Most of the drive is on elevated highway over water or marsh.
One morning my wife passed a guy who had just finished changing a tire where I-55 merges with I-10. The speed limit at this point is 60 mph. The guy looked like he was stepping back to admire his work. When I passed through the same area 45 mins later, traffic was moving about 10 mph and the guy was almost a quarter mile down the road with a sheet over him. Took a ride on the front of an 18 wheeler.

I'm sure his family wishes he had called a tow truck.

A friend and I changed the left tire on a trailer once... Even just being the lookout was one of the scarier things I've done.

[JJVP]

Excellent point.

Thanks.

Not to ignore the dangerous situations our law enforcement community face every day, but I believe most LEO fatalities are related to traffic stops,

Yep. Drunks just seem to steer toward the light bars like the proverbial moth to a flame. That's why traffic cops now often turn their vehicle at an angle to the left and approach the vehicle that they stopped from the right—keeping themselves out of harm's way as much as possible.

I remember having an actual nearly nasty argument with a friend of mine, years ago, about his wife trying to repair their car in the breakdown lane on the interstate. A cop told her to get off the road and call a tow truck. Of course, like most of us in our 20s, they had beater cars and not a whole lot of money. But it's better to spend $100 on a tow truck than $1,000 on a casket.

- Jim

$1,000 for a casket? The cheapest at Walmart is $1,200.

http://www.walmart.com/cp/Funeral/1058564" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[seamusTX]

$1,000 for a casket? The cheapest at Walmart is $1,200.

Maybe you could one at a scratch-and-dent sale price. Cuz, face it, nobody is going to see it after the funeral.

- Jim

[jmra]

$1,000 for a casket? The cheapest at Walmart is $1,200.

Maybe you could one at a scratch-and-dent sale price. Cuz, face it, nobody is going to see it after the funeral.

- Jim

Caskets aren't cheap but the good ones hold up pretty well. Dug up Mom 21 years after we buried her. Threw the casket in the back of my truck and drove from New Orleans to central Arkansas. Little rusted but nothing fell apart.

[jmorris]

$1,000 for a casket? The cheapest at Walmart is $1,200.

Maybe you could one at a scratch-and-dent sale price. Cuz, face it, nobody is going to see it after the funeral.

- Jim

Caskets aren't cheap but the good ones hold up pretty well. Dug up Mom 21 years after we buried her. Threw the casket in the back of my truck and drove from New Orleans to central Arkansas. Little rusted but nothing fell apart.

I've heard of people taking what would normally be called permanent fixtures out of the house when they move but......

[Syntyr]

Caskets aren't cheap but the good ones hold up pretty well. Dug up Mom 21 years after we buried her. Threw the casket in the back of my truck and drove from New Orleans to central Arkansas. Little rusted but nothing fell apart.

No even gonna ask!!!

[jmra]

Caskets aren't cheap but the good ones hold up pretty well. Dug up Mom 21 years after we buried her. Threw the casket in the back of my truck and drove from New Orleans to central Arkansas. Little rusted but nothing fell apart.

No even gonna ask!!!

Found some notes she had made before she died stating that she wanted to be buried with her parents. We had all moved away from New Orleans so we figured it would be neat to honor her wishes.

[Jumping Frog]

Not so uncommon. Happened six weeks ago near Alice, TX. Man & wife in pickup truck hit a cow. Truck disabled in middle of 2 lane rd, they cannot get out of truck. Another pickup comes along and hits them head-on, killing one.