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Witnessed wrong way on the freeway - What to do?

PugslyCat

PugslyCat

Early Saturday morning, just after midnight actually, I was driving southbound on I-29 just north of Council Bluffs, IA and noticed something wrong in the northbound lane. It was a set of tail lights. I made a quick cell phone call to 911 and reported the problem, they thanked me and hung up. I stayed alongside in my own lane as long as I could, and made another 911 call when I had a better description of the vehicle and saw them go the wrong way on an off ramp that would take them to I-480 and into the heart of Omaha.

What else is a guy to do other than to watch and wait for head on collision?
 
demaro

demaro

You did all you could do.. I have been in that spot , only , two pickup trucks were headed my way in my lane at a high rate of speed one night a couple of years ago. One of them almost hit me . I don't know if I would have survived that kind of crash in my Honda Civic. I was never so scared in my life , One of them went up an embankment and the other collided with cars behind me. Very horrible experience.. I called 911 when I got off the highway , but emergency crews were already on their way..
 
one cut

one cut

not all that much you can do, honk the horn flash your lights, hope they understand. perhaps film it with your cell phone.
 
PugslyCat

PugslyCat

one cut said:
not all that much you can do, honk the horn flash your lights, hope they understand. perhaps film it with your cell phone.
Click to expand...
Yea, I matched their speed with my four way flashers going, flashed my headlights on and off, and honked the horn. I was a bit concerned that my antics might distract the oncoming traffic that had the other vehicle headed towards them.

Today I called the non-emergency numbers of law enforcement agencies in the area. They saw the radio calls in their logs but were unable to locate the vehicle and had no accident reports in that area at that time. I have to conclude that the driver made it to safety without causing an accident.
 
rajagra

rajagra

PugslyCat said:
What else is a guy to do other than to watch and wait for head on collision?
Click to expand...

Personally ... I'd get as far away from the accident-waiting-to-happen as I could.
You probably weren't as safe as you thought, even if there was a barrier between the lanes.
You did the right thing in reporting it. Not much else you could do without putting yourself (and others) at risk.
 
PugslyCat

PugslyCat

rajagra said:
Personally ... I'd get as far away from the accident-waiting-to-happen as I could.
You probably weren't as safe as you thought, even if there was a barrier between the lanes.
You did the right thing in reporting it. Not much else you could do without putting yourself (and others) at risk.
Click to expand...
Yea, I thought about the likelyhood of flaming wreckage coming my way but I've never seen a big accident before.

For part of the way I had an extremely deep, wide median between us. I kept thinking the driver would figure it out and take one of the three or four exits she passed rather than taking the only one that actually increased the danger.
 
N

nesta

Most of the times when this happens they either are suicidal or heavily intoxicated. In which case either they won't figure out they're going the wrong way until it's too late or won't care. I've heard stories from folks who've been in the wrong and got home safely and scott free somehow....those are few and far between, though. There's nothing you could have done that you didn't do. Never film it on your cell phone unless there is someone else in the car to do it for you - no sense in putting more people in danger by not paying attention to the road around you. I'd second the idea of getting off the road, as well. If they crashed near you an debris flew your way, who knows what would happen?
 
AABCDS

AABCDS

If that had happened in Atlanta, I wouldn't have even blinked. Atlanta has the worst drivers I've ever seen and I've driven in quite a few states.
 
garyg

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
I think Paul did the right thing, video is the wrong thing if you are supposed to be driving.
 
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