Fat, drunk and stupid = Animal House reference.

OZ

^^^ THIS ^^^

Great job by the trooper, slowing down and hitting to the side to lessen the impact.

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
Curious what the connection is between being fat and driving the wrong way. Drunk I can understand, but are you saying fat folks can’t drive?

Not at all. It was a reference to Animal House to point out that it wasn’t just stupidity alone, but other factors as well.

I have no idea how the person wound up traveling the wrong way down an Interstate. I drive through a tourist town six-eight times a day and see all sorts of odd driving. For example, making a left turn from the right turn lane across three lanes of traffic no less. Or the guy backing his trailer a mile down a two lane bridge against traffic.

I point these things out to my kids and tell them it's OK to make a mistake, but don't try to fix it by fucking it up for everybody else. If you miss your turn, keep going and turn somewhere else.

The wrong way driver is a perfect example of someone fucking it up for everyone else. I'm glad the trooper didn't orphan his family fixing the problem.

quote:

But WTH is it with people driving the wrong way? Are they just stupid?

I have no idea how they do it. Most Interstates have entry lanes that only work one way. Turning 180° to go down an exit ramp would seem to be the only method and that's just asinine.

flashguy

The truck going the wrong way had the right headlight out and the right turn signal blinking.

I am surprised the truck didn't get further off towards the rail. Looks like there was another 3 feet or so available.

Years ago I stayed in the town of Tooele several times while participating in tests at Dugway Proving Grounds.

about a mile further back on 80 there is an exit for Tooele (Rt 36)


If the pickup was on 36 and missed the lane turning from UT 36 to south bound 80 in the picture below, he could have gotten onto the lane that is an exit lane from 80 to 36 (and going the wrong way)

That is the first opportunity the truck had to get going the wrong way.



The right lane is towards south 80. If the truck got in the middle lane, there was no way out till the crash

In the picture above, the two left most lanes are for traffic coming off 80 in the direction that the trooper was driving

Sure he had a way out. As you pointed out, he had room to move over to his right and stop. He could have then waited for an opportunity to bang a U-turn. I don’t care how long he had to wait, it would have been safer than barreling down the interstate into on coming traffic.

Trooper has an interesting accent.

Perhaps Scottish or Irish, quite diminished by time in America?
.

Quick thinking by the Troop. Didn’t a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper do the same thing about a year ago. When I was a rookie a Sgt. from the PD next door just went out of service and was heading home on his Harley when a meth head hit him head on killing him on a divided interstate overpass. Don’t know how far he went the wrong way before hitting Tom.