This One Leaves Me Speechless!

[Jon651]

Tragic, but good grief!

SEBASTIAN, Fla. (WCAX) - A 87-year-old Vermont man was killed on the interstate in Florida while trying to help a turtle.
As reported in the Miami Herald, Florida troopers say it happened on I-95 near Sebastian in Indian River County.
They say the man was trying to help a turtle cross the roadway. A car slowed down to avoid hitting him, but a pickup truck behind it didn’t stop in time and rear-ended the first vehicle, sending it veering off the road. The truck then hit the 87-year-old.
He died at the scene. We don’t know the man’s name or where in Vermont he’s from.

This was in our local news this morning. Now around here, stopping in the road to escort turtles, frogs and salamanders across the road in the Spring is what people do, its everywhere. With our sparse traffic people can do it with little inconvenience to others. But I-95 in Florida! This guy forgot he wasn't in Vermont and paid the ultimate price. I really feel for the other people involved in this; they have to live with what happened. Not their fault, but they have to live with it anyway.

As a nearly life-long Floridian and a retired 30-year firefighter and paramedic in Central Florida, I can say that this is not as uncommon as it sounds. The only thing I find that is unusual about this story is that it actually made the news in Vermont...

 

[AJ]

I live in Sebastian, grew up in this area. You see folks stopping all the time on two lane surface streets to move a gopher tortise. Other drivers generally stop for them no matter the direction they are going. Never have I seen a driver stop for one on a four lane road, let alone the Interstate. Sad that he got killed.

 

[steelslaver]

I was driving a small car early one morning when what I thought was a small dog darted across the road right in front of me. No way to miss it. Serious thud. Not a dog, but a big boar coon. Broke the bottom of the radiator. Better than a dog. Hit a dog once with my pickup. Stopped and went to the house and as I knocked on the door heard kids laughing about something. Seriously sucked to tell the lady who came to the door what happened. I have hit 3 deer in my travels, but have also successfully drove through a herd of elk at night without hitting any of them and another time managed to thread my way though a small bunch of horses running towards me in the fog. One of the deer I hit was kind of a sideswipe. Didn't seem to be much damage till I went to get back in the car and found out there was no door handle. I kid I went to school with spend the night on a lonely reservation road with a dead horse pinning him in the car. Horses, elk and moose are high enough they can come over the hood and smash into the windshield.

 

[Jerry in SC]

Had something similar happen a few miles from me some years ago, a dog had been hit and was in the road in front of a house. Homeowner saw it, went out in the road and was killed by a diver cresting a hill.

 

[Jerry in SC]

Was at a wildlife area near Port Clinton, OH and saw a bunch of cars stopped on one of the access roads. Saw a Snapping Turtle crossing the road. I stopped, got out of my truck, picked up the turtle and moved it to a creek along side of the road.

I saw a huge snapping turtle crossing I-85 near LaGrange Ga quite a few years ago, GSP had the blue lights on. A DOT guy had a shovel pushing it. Never have a camera when you need one.

 

[dockmurgw]

The only thing I find that is unusual about this story is that it actually made the news in Vermont...

Thats because he's from here. Small state, so every time someone from here is in the news anywhere else it usually hits our local news.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

I recently saw a FB post of a young man rescuing a possum for atop the concrete barrier wall in the middle of a very busy 4 lane. I thought he was nuts, the young man that is, but it looked like the rescue made him feel good. He wouldn't have felt so good if somebody plowed into him.

John

 

[Leonard]

An old acquaintance and I were comparing notes on hunting the Chewore concession in the Zambezi Valley back in the mid 80's. He was in a land cruiser on a single lane dirt track, (road). In heavy bush the driver made a turn in the road and ran into the back side of an elephant forcing it to sit down on the vehicles hood. The front end collapsed totally disabling the truck, the elephant righted itself and ran off. No injuries, no fatalities but a long hike to camp.