Matresses and Boxes and Tables, Oh My !!

[Bluerauder]

We've heard of close calls out on the highways with a variety of objects.

On the way back from the CAM meet on Saturday, I was traveling westbound on US 50 between Annapolis and Washington, DC. Right at the US50/US301 junction, a pick-up truck loaded with stuff is merging onto US 50 WB. All of the sudden, I see what appears to be a cloud of smoke and sparkles sliding across the ground. Brake lights come on and cars are trying to dodge something.

As I pass by two lanes to the left in the through lanes, I notice the bent and twisted frame of a patio table still sliding along behind the pick-up truck. Apparently, he was carrying a glass top patio table in the bed that was not properly restrained. The "smoke" and "sparkles" were the busted glass all over the road. As he gained speed on the acceleration ramp, air got up under the table and it became airborne ….only briefly. Must have scared the crap out of the folks behind him. Fortunately I was not in the direct line of the problem and blew by off to the left of the incident.

Ya’ll be careful out there. And keep your eyes peeled. You never know what’s up ahead or in the truck in front of you.

[alarmguy]

Yikes!...scary!

[MAD-3R's Wife]

And that is why I ALWAYS tie things in. Some people say I even take it to excess.

[the_pack_rat]

I'll never forget the day I bought my MM new off the lot in Maryland, & drove it back down here to Florida.

Middle of the night I am just crossing the border into Florida. All of a sudden the cars ahead are trying to dodge something. Well ... here comes the culprit in mid-air .... & huge ass cardboard box.

Well ...

Trying to dodge an object of un-known weight & mass flying at you in mid-air, when your moving at 75mph is a pretty hit & miss prediction & task(pun intended). I was able to swerve to the left & avoid a direct hit(hood or windshield), but the RF corner of the car nailed the box as it was hitting the ground. It made on hell of a thump ... & I thought for sure that I would be getting off easy, if the only damage was some marred paint at the corner of the header/fender & bumper cover.

I think I took a minimum of 10 years off my life ... as my blood pressure shot up after I hit that.

Fortunately ...

My then new MM made it thru un-scatched. There wasn't even so much as a scuff on the under-side of the bumper to polish out.

Got REALLY lucky there.

Another time in the Cutlass I had to dodge a hubcap flying over the median at me on the interstate. Doing @ 65 mph & locked the rear end up trying to dodge that. Avoided a direct hit again to the hood or windshield, but the hubcap hit the ground on it's side & rolled into the drivers door or just behind it into the rear 1/4 at full speed.

Wheels were already turning in my head before I stopped later ....

GRRRR .......

Muthafornicater I'm thinking.

New upper/lower door @/or rocker stainless mouldings at a minimum, & more than likely a nice sized crease in the drivers door or 1/4.

Well, I got lucky AGAIN ... fortunately there was no damage at all to the side of the car.

[Hotrauder]

My best was a living room sofa on 17 in rural Tioga county New York at about 70MPH. Fortunately a semi hit it in front of me and reduced the thing enough so that my rear tires stayed on the pavement as it wedged under the Crown Vic. Interesting ride. I would have had a coronary if it had been the Marauder. Damage was relatively minor and paid for by my company insurance. Once in a while the good guys win. Dennis

[seans]

Iwas traveling on the highway in a motorcade when a mud flap from a tractor trailer flew off the truck and into the air in front of us. It skimmed the roof of my vehicle and went through the windshield of the cruiser behind me. Fortunately no one was injured.

[jgc61sr2002]

DL04, Nextstar and myself were victims of the famous mattress toss.
We were lucky to dodge it with no damage.

[jimlam56]

Top this...
Driving down 75 between Venice and Port Charlotte a few years back, the car carrier in front of me swerved to miss a "road gator".
The Audi TT in the top back decided to try to fly...
Luckily it's momentum sent it to the roadside, but needless to say by the time it stopped rolling it was just a ball of twisted metal.
Always wary around car carriers since then...

[Bluerauder]

Top this. The Audi TT in the top back decided to try to fly......

Didnt realize that this was gonna be a "Top This" thread; but a flying Audi is gonna be hard to beat.

[MarauderMark]

My dad had the same thing happen to his car last week on 495s in delaware except he ran over(he thinks thats what it was) the patio chair. it cut his front bumper , broke the headlamp and the grill.i wonder if its the same knucklehead.