HammerDown, I wanted to click the "Like" button on your post, but I sure do not like what happened to your daughter, so it seems more appropriate to just say I agree with you and have a good thought that she completely recovers.
I now have a rule for myself that if my vehicle is moving, my cell phone is off. If I absolutely must make a call, I safely bring the vehicle to a stop first.
I have noticed that several posts extol the benefits of texting, as if some of us are so dense that we can't imagine that there must be at least some beneficial uses for texting. Please guys, that's a little insulting. We get it. Personally, however, I would bet that 99.9% of all texts are along the lines of what cute boy has the hots what cute girl, or the like. But if you text, you don't need to justify it to me. Just don't act like anybody who doesn't want to bother with texting must be an old dinosaur. And please text in a manner that is not dangerous or obstructive to others.
As for texting to get reference material, prices, etc, at a gun show table:
Once there was a thread by a guy who was upset that gun show dealer sold a gun "out from under him" while he was standing at the dealer's table, looking up information about the gun in the SCSW and consulting a friend he had with him. Most people here thought the gun show dealer acted appropriately, since from the dealer's point of view, this "buyer" was standing there blocking the table while reading a book and talking. Maybe texting / Kindle-ing / etc is "more discrete" but is it any less obstructive? DON'T BLOCK THE TABLE UNTIL YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT BUYING!
Hello Jack
I certainly appreciate your Kind thought's and word's. By Luck my Daughter is not dainty, she is 6'-2" like her dad. That said helped her in this Horrific crash. her seat belt is what Caused most of her injuries. The Crash was so Violent that it bruised her Kidney's and she was Black & Blue all the way around her waist and across her chest where the Belt clamped down with great force. I can't tell you what was going through my mind when that call that all of us Father's Dread came in. Nicky was Frantic as she told me that she had been hit from the rear and then she said dad, I need you Now. I Jumped in my Dodge Ram and Laid it on the wood. I have many years experience behind the wheel of a circle Track car so my driving was at Mach Speed but not unsafe considering the Bad News I had just got. I approached every red light with caution with my Flasher's & Light on laying on the horn as I threaded the Needle getting to our Daughter as fast as I could. I also drove Roll back and Wrecker's most of my life so working accident scene's was not new to me, but this time it was My won I was working. I was the first one there with my wife. I had her comfort our Daughter as I blocked the road and set flares. I then checked on the Poor old Guy that was turning left. he had a busted left leg and was Bleeding from hitting the windshield. I ripped up my T-shirt Sleeve and applied a pressure Bandage to his Facial cuts then returned to our Daughter.
My son in law came in next he Parked his care down the road from the scene and walked up to Join us. I then could hear the Fire department Pumper coming and the siren of the Tennessee Highway Patrol off in the distance. My wife sat with our Daughter as I and my son in law tried to figure out Just what had happened. The Text Messaging Punk first told me that his Brakes had failed...
I looked down and there was not one skid Mark. I then opened the door to his ranger pick up and depressed the brake, and saw nothing wrong with the brake pedal it was rock hard and fine. I Then returned to him and said there is Debris well over 50 Feet from the accident scene and I added Now, Don't Lie to an old man that has worked more accident scenes in the past 40 Years than you will ever know, Just tell me what you were doing here, as I couldn't smell any Booze on his breath so the only thing in my mind that was unanswered here was the Possible cell phone useage? He began to *** and replied Mister I am so sorry "It was all my Fault I was text Messaging" As soon as he admitted it, I told my son in law that I needed to get away from him before I Placed the same amount of Pain in him that he had done to our Daughter, I wanted to Choke him Out right there in the accident scene for what he had done to these Two very Innocent people, so I told him to stay away from me & my family he had done enough damage all ready from his total Negligence and Disregard for other's on the road. When the Tennessee Highway Patrol car rolled up, I happened to know the Officer. I shoot with him at our Local Range, and he is All Business when in Uniform. I told him that the Punk that caused all of this Mess and Injury to our Daughter and the Old Man told me that he was Text Messaging. He nodded and told me that he would take care of it. I returned to the Crown Victoria as I heard them trying to start it to no avail. I knew Ford's have a Fuel Pump relay switch in the trunk so I raised the trunk lid and pushed the fuel pump circuit breaker back in and it started so they moved it out of the way so it could be towed in.
The ambulance crew took our daughter out on a straight board, and she was in severe pain and crying, This really enraged me as I know that she is not a whinner and almost never cries about Pain when she has been hurt in the past so I knew her injuries had to be very serious. They then took the old Man out of his car and took him to the hospital as well. The Text Messaging Punk got to Walk away, which really tore me up as he was the cause of the whole accident, he did not need to go to the hospital he was fine. The Tennessee Highway Patrol asked me if I needed our Daughter's Vehicle towed and I told him I think it is drivable, so I jumped in it fired it up and drove it Ten miles to the Kid's house and put it in their garage. My son in law had followed me back to their home so he drove me from there to the hospital where our Daughter and the old Man were taken. Upon getting there I learned that the old man had broken his left leg as I saw it at the accident scene and he was going into surgery for it. The medical Team thanked me for Bandaging up the old guy, and I told them that I had worked Hundred's of accident scene's in the past and you just have to jump in and care for the victims until the Proper medical people show up. The Tennessee Highway Patrol officer was nice enough to come to the hospital to check on Nicky & The Old Guy. I thanked him for it, and that is when he shared with me that The Text Messaging Punk would "NOT" admit to his Text Messaging, but the trooper said he would follow up as he was investigating the accident scene Further.
A Few week's Month's I returned to the accident scene with our Daughter's attorney. We were not going to hire and attorney, but the Insurance company fought us from the start not wanting to Pay top dollar for our Daughters Totaled vehicle nor would they pay for the hospital bills, so push came to shove and we energized a very aggresive attorney. When her & I arrived at the accident scene area She had me show here where all of it took place and took Pictures of the scene. We measured it off and
from the time this Punk rounded the corner he had crystal clear vision for better than 600 Yards before the violent Crash happened ! I feared the worse for our Daughter's back issues as it hurt from the time of Impact. She has regained well but when we have storms coming in her back aches and throbs. I told here that was arthritis and it will only get worse as time goes on not ever getting better. At that time our Children were trying to have Baby. I was really relieved that our Daughter was not carrying our Grandchild when this happened as she had our first grand baby Addison Grace 19 Month's after this accident happened. Many Month's have passed since this accident but our Daughter continues to be very nervous driving. The attorney won hand's down and it helped our kid's in a Monetary way, but the emotional impact of it will never go away no matter what money one is paid. I have told our daughter many time's since this accident that when she is sitting still behind other car's to keep alert of other traffic approaching. I have a time or Two Myself pulled out of a stopped Traffic line, down onto the apron of the road when I saw car's coming way to fast to stop and witnessed a few rear end collisions that I would have been involved in if I stayed in the line of Traffic. People are just Idiots behind the wheel as I have witnessed some Reading Book's, The Newspaper, Shaving, Eating, Talking on Cell phones, applying Make up, Brushing their hair or Texting. My wife and I still enjoy riding our Motorcycle but I fully understand one accident on that will be lethal for both of us so we ride when traffic is slow or not existent.. Be careful and stay off the Dang Cell Phone's
there In "Nothing" in the World that Important that can't wait until you are stopped or out of your car... Be careful out there.... Idiot's & Phones Prevail...
Hammerdown
