https://www.wkrg.com/mobile-co...ris-impales-his-car/

Brent Carlson was driving home in his Hyundai Genesis Wednesday night from Signature Training Studios, where he is a personal trainer in Daphne, when he noticed something on Interstate 10 westbound near the Dauphin Island Parkway exit.

Initially, Carlson thought it was just trash in the road. He said he didn’t have time to avoid it and drove over it.

Brent Carlson said it quickly became apparent that this road debris was unlike any other he experienced.

“I go over it, and it sounded like a shotgun went off in the back of my car, which then, of course, I hear the car jump up and down, and so my assumption is I just destroyed my tire, my back tire,” he said.

He pulled over to see whether he had blown a tire, but his tires were just fine.

Still confused, he looked under the vehicle to find a small bar sticking out of the bottom.

He said he initially thought it was an axe head lodged into his car. It wasn’t scraping the road, and he couldn’t remove it, so he drove home.

When Brent Carlson arrived home, he went to get bags out of his backseat.

And that’s when he noticed a 5-foot iron rod had shot right through the floor of his car and backseat.

I recognize that. I've got a digging bar just like that on the ranch. That sucker is tough! I'm a little surprised it bent that much.

He's lucky it came up under an unoccupied seat. Yikes!

Many years ago this happened on the SF Bay Bridge. A piece of rebar got kicked up and penetrated the car of a woman driving across the bridge. Tragically it came up directly under the driver's seat, fatally impaling her.

He should buy a lottery ticket.

quote:

I've got a digging bar

That is my standard gift for new homeowners. With caveat of you don’t think you need it, you don’t know when you’ll need it, but when you do you will be glad to have it!

My personal Attorney and a great guy was killed on I-70 West of Columbus when a piece of scrap iron fell from a semi trailer and went through his windshield.
Never did find the trucker responsible.

Circa 2000, on California Route 58, a trucker failed to secure a load of concrete pipes and took a curve (that section, between Kramer Jct. and Boron, at the time was still two-lane) too fast. Without one or the other, there might not have been a problem, but some of the pipes broke loose, fell off and crushed two cars, killing six. IIRC he was criminally charged.

As for the person in the OP, he was lucky to not wind up like Phineas Gage or worse. The objects are similar, almost identical, in size and shape.

It boggles the mind that people can't simply secure their loads.

Similar thing happened in south Florida years back, piece of rebar picked up by a truck tire came through the windshield, impacted the passenger's shoulder horizontally (young girl), and pinned her to the seat.

If I remember correctly, the fire department had to cut the seat out of the vehicle so she could be taken into the emergency room.

About 5 years ago I hit some angle iron on an IL freeway, luckily I only had one instant blowout. I was able to slightly avoid the worst.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
It boggles the mind that people can't simply secure their loads.

I am CERTAIN that the volume of garbage on the roads in the U.S. are nearly 100% because the shit just blows out of the back of garbage trucks (and pickups) at speed. I've seen it several times.

I can't remember the last time I saw someone purposefully litter, with the exception of many cigarette smokers, who seem to be wholly immune from any shame, and deeply settled within their ignorance.

2 weeks ago I got sent to a road hazard out in the county. It was a really foggy morning, visibility was horrible, and the speed limit was 55. Some shithead had dumped a recliner, an air conditioner, a mattress and 3 or four office chairs in the middle of the road. Accidental or intentional, he had to know he lost that much stuff in that short of a distance, but he just drove off and left them. Could have killed somebody.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig: I've got a digging bar just like that on the ranch.

We call these "Spud Bars". It has a nice ring to it.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
It boggles the mind that people can't simply secure their loads.

Years ago a client of mine lost one of twin daughters because some knucklehead didn’t secure his load. They were in a small fender bender on the side of the freeway. Daughter is sitting in the car waiting for everything to get settled. Dude loses a ramp from his trailer. It’s the kind of ramp used to elevate a car for oil changes etc. Range Rover hits the ramp at 75+ miles an hour and plows into my client’s car. 15 year old daughter is killed. That family will never be the same.

Saw another dude lose a chair from a trailer. Way back in the 80s. It skidded into the left lane in a curve on the freeway. Later that night I watched the accident report on the local news. Don’t think there were fatalities on that one.

Loads shift while driving. If I had an open trailer with sundry items, I’d tarp it or at a minimum cargo net it. It doesn’t take much extra effort to secure the load.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
He should buy a lottery ticket.

And maybe go light a candle.

Looks similar to what I call a Tankers Bar


I narrowly missed a heavy duty dolly laying in the middle of HWY 85, night time doing 80 mph. Definitely woke me up

I alway knew that 'Tankers' bar as a 'persuader'.

Wow. Right where a child seat would get strapped in.

He really should have bought a lotto ticket.

I was acquainted with a retired LEO that was a customer at one of the dealerships I worked at. He was killed when a piece of scrap metal bounced up from the road and came through the windshield.