So anyone ever hit a ladder on the highway? i did

**6-Speeder** · 09-28-2008, 05:30 PM

So i left my friends house about 7 tonight headed up 495 and its dark i switch the center lane to cruise at about 60 not near anyone, i see the car ahead of the one in front of me swerve violently to the left and the one in front of me just keeps going, a few seconds later it come into view a medium sized bright orange ladder the legs facing me laying directly in front of me. Not really any time to react i nail the damn thing and for a few seconds thought it passed completely under me... but no there's the loud grinding and i immediately pull over 3 lanes to the right side. Low and behold under my car is a totally demolished ladder.

I try to pull it, it wont budge, then i get back in my car and back up a few feet which helps. Eventually i give up and call 911 and they say they will send someone. After a few waiting about 10 mins I try again to assess the potential damage and what it could be stuck on. The step side of the ladder luckily is not the top side and so all the thinner bars on the other side were what had managed to wedge itself up and over part of the upper control arm another part was jammed into my headers. After some pulling and checking over the car to see if anyone is going to fly right into me and kill me i actually manage to unwedge the part stuck on my LCA and then actually BREAK the ladder and pull just about everything out. What remains the the parts that were jammed into my passenger header. I give up on that and wait.

VDOT guy arrives to my surprise i was expecting a state trooper. To make a long story short we jack up the car by my passenger SFC, get a better view but cant get it off, eventually a 2nd VDOT guy arrives and we proceed to remove the tire, while hes dealing with that the other guy turns out to be another FBODY fan\ owner! How random! He was very friendly and talked to me about his IROC and things hes done etc etc he understands me better about where this ladder is jammed and is amazed at this sight. Eventually we get it off and chuck it over the side with the rest of the ladder. There was actually NO damage to my car whatsoever, some red\orange paint flakes on my air dam but otherwise NOTHING amazing. I thank the two men and get on my way.

If i can later this week unless it was picked up im going to take some pictures of that ladder. ironically ive been having dreams about wreaking my car this week...

**Sarge** · 09-28-2008, 05:34 PM

I ran over a guy once that was stuck under my truck. He was moaning and crying....I pulled on his leg but he didn't come out. But I never ran over a ladder. Yet.

**paul100** · 09-28-2008, 06:17 PM

My boss lost an aluminum ladder once. It landed straight across a lane and a guy ran it over and just kept on going. It was kind of flat when my boss picked it off the road.

**scooley** · 09-28-2008, 07:19 PM

I ran over a wooden palet once, I had a triple flat. That was a bummer. It was heavy freeway traffic, I could not avoid it. Thank God for AAA.

**Spaz** · 09-28-2008, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by paul100

My boss lost an aluminum ladder once. It landed straight across a lane and a guy ran it over and just kept on going. It was kind of flat when my boss picked it off the road.

hehe... i lost a bundle of packing/moving paper once on 76... i looked in my mirror to see that about 5 or 6 cars back traffic was at a dead stop...

about 45 mins later leaving philly to go back to my shop ii'm on the other side of 76... it was all backed up...

**TempleU_WS6** · 09-28-2008, 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

hehe... i lost a bundle of packing/moving paper once on 76... i looked in my mirror to see that about 5 or 6 cars back traffic was at a dead stop...

about 45 mins later leaving philly to go back to my shop ii'm on the other side of 76... it was all backed up...

way to go!

**JoshieDoom** · 09-29-2008, 02:30 AM

Ill try to dig up some old pics on this one but right after I got my license I hit a road reflector that had been chipped up by a snow plow. It bounced up and put a fist size hole in my gas tank of my truck. Had people honking and freaking out right before I pulled over. over 25 gallons of gas on the street. City paid for it since i only had liability .. w00t.

**rbob93** · 09-29-2008, 04:50 AM

You called 911???

**Spaz** · 09-29-2008, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by TempleU_WS6

way to go!

like that road ever needs help getting backed up...

**2002WS6TransAmT56** · 09-29-2008, 09:03 AM

Never ran over one but got a brand new 12 foot aluminum extension ladder along side the highway that fell off someones truck. Not even any damage other than some small scratches and grass stains. It would have destroyed any F body if it hit that one.

**Y2KArcticSS** · 09-29-2008, 09:24 AM

A watched a lady in a Ford Focus ram the living shit out of a horse when I was in Arizona...bloooody mess. open ranges in the Navajo Reservation... you never know what's going to walk out in front of you. In my own experiences, I've never run over anything bigger than a bed mattress, and that was in a truck, so I was lucky.

**chuckie669** · 09-29-2008, 09:46 AM

Ford Focus: Now with 160 +1 horses.

**Y2KArcticSS** · 09-29-2008, 09:48 AM

Originally Posted by chuckie669

Ford Focus: Now with 160 +1 horses.

"Wwwwilber, don't you run over me you crazy son of a--AAAAAAAAHH---CRAAASSSSH!!!"

**TempleU_WS6** · 09-29-2008, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

like that road ever needs help getting backed up...

Very true.

**zero_proto** · 09-29-2008, 02:30 PM

i ran over a dog once, it made me so sad.

**GTP231** · 09-29-2008, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

hehe... i lost a bundle of packing/moving paper once on 76... i looked in my mirror to see that about 5 or 6 cars back traffic was at a dead stop...

about 45 mins later leaving philly to go back to my shop ii'm on the other side of 76... it was all backed up...

You mother fucker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**SouthernBornThriller** · 09-29-2008, 08:22 PM

No ladders, but about 7 or 8 years ago, long before I had my license, I used to ride back and for to school with a neighbor. One day his dad had just bought a massive desk from someone, and needed help moving it. So, we made a detour on the way home to go help him.

Problem was, the guy didn't own a pickup...just a station wagon. So...he ties the thing down as best he can to the top of the wagon, and starts going down the road at like 15 mph with us following.

If you havnt guessed already, he took a turn a little to fast, and we were following a little too close...

Desk pretty much exploded all over the hood/windshield/roof of the car when it fell on us. Scared the piss outa me.

**ls1bandit** · 09-29-2008, 11:25 PM

I had a huge roll of carpet that someone didnt secure in the bed of their truck come flying into my lane, i hit that thing going 80 and did a nice dukes of hazard jump over it.

**86 IROC-Z** · 09-30-2008, 08:12 AM

Never hit anything, but I see shit all over the highway all the time. Mostly truck tires, but i've seen ladders, mattresses, wooden palletes, contruction materials, shopping carts, and every now and then a dishwasher. It's insane.

**Y2KArcticSS** · 09-30-2008, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by 86 IROC-Z

Never hit anything, but I see shit all over the highway all the time. Mostly truck tires, but i've seen ladders, mattresses, wooden palletes, contruction materials, shopping carts, and every now and then a dishwasher. It's insane.

Try explaining that one... "Yeah, honey, that mother fucker just darted right out in front of me, like a squirrel or something!!! I thought I was dead..."