Yesterday I posted a status on my Facebook page about being a 'seasoned winter driver.' I think the winter gods maybe out to get me for being overly confident. Apparently I spoke too soon.

On my way into work today I got into a minor accident. I would call it a fender bender but my fender doesn’t bend it just cracks or if I’m lucky it dents in and pops right back into place.

So the story goes, I leave for work around 12:10pm in my attempt to get to Augusta by 1pm. I live out towards Blackie’s Produce Stand in Auburn so I usually take Hotel Road to Summer St., on to Mount Auburn then cross the bridge and head up Route 202 to Augusta and today was no different. The only real difference, I don’t normally get into accidents.

I’m driving down Mount Auburn Avenue at a prudent speed passing through the green light at the Wal-Mart entrance and continue through to the corner of Mt. Auburn and Turner Streets, where I have a green light as well. This is where I hit a big patch of snow in the intersection and the car spins with the 'Traction Control' on and does about 100 degrees into a street sign on the median at the spur of the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

So as I hit the sign post, I see it start to fall on to the car of the person at the light heading up towards Walmart and BJ’s coming off of the bridge. Very weird how the sign came down, it sort of caressed the guy’s car like a model does with her hands on 'The Price Is Right' or like the 49ers players do as they’re touching a bouncing football after a kickoff. Anyway, it either grazed the car or just missed. I have no instant replay, but both the other driver and I got out of our cars and asked if the other was alright which we both were. He was an older gent who looked over his car and didn’t even see a scratch, let alone a gouge from the metal street sign pole. So, I just gave him my name and number and he took off after being very nice and calling the Auburn Police Department.

So here my car sits, perpendicular to and in the most traveled lane going on to the bridge heading over to Lewiston. I’m blocking traffic with my car as I stand beside it on the median ready to dodge traffic if needed. I would have remained in my car to stay warm but didn’t want to be hit by car that did the same as I did. So I’m freezing waiting for the police who take about 20 minutes to arrive. I wasn’t too happy to see a Sherriff’s cruiser drive by but eventually Auburn’s finest came to rescue me. The officer who arrived took a statement and told me there wasn’t enough damage to file a report; car was drivable so I continued on my way to work. I was still a bit shaken up, I white-knuckled it for a while, then I started to smile as I notice I was behind a truck with a tail-gate with lettering that had the words, 'Stuff Happens.' Okay, it wasn’t the word 'stuff' but I’m not one to swear.

Bottom line is nobody was hurt and the car is drivable. The only real upsetting thing, I wanted the street sign as a memento but it wasn’t meant to be. Auburn Public Works came by as the police were taking my statement and put the sign and post it was on in the back of the truck. So that was the highlight or lowlight of my day, how about you?

loading...

More From 92 Moose