Well I wasn’t working today so I agreed to go pick my mate up from Heathrow.
Coming round the M25 in my car I was in the 2nd lane, overtaking a 4x4 pulling a caravan.
About 400 yards infront of the 4x4 was a 18T Flatbed, with a load of sofa’s strapped on the back.
Just as I pull level with the 4x4 one of these sofas comes flying up into the air, me and 4x4 man both slam on our brakes and he comes to a halt in a cloud of smoke, and I stop just level with his caravan, smoke clears and there we both are, his bumper about 2 feet from the sofa which is perched in the middle of our two lanes, blocking both of them.
A Polish artic driver ahead see’s this and pulls infront of the flatbed and starts gesticulating, driver eventually notices and pulls onto hard shoulder, by this time I’ve checked its clear and set off round the sofa, the guy in the 4x4 has pulled over on to the hard shoulder.
The driver who lost the sofa looks out his cab, rolls his eyes and speeds off!
I saw the 4x4 driver calling what I presume to be the HA so I didn’t stop and report it.
But to anyone who got held up by the purple 3 seater sofa on the M25 clockwise, after the M23 junction today - If I’d have been doing 10mph more that would have probably landed through my windscreen!
Well until I had driven past, both the 4x4 driver and the driver who lost the sofa had both stopped on the hard shoulder (until he drove off, when I was past)
So with two people parked on the hard shoulder I didn’t think a third one would be necessary.
Also, strangely enough, for the motorway and time of day, there was nothing behind us for a good quarter of a mile at least, so thankfully accident was avoided.
Normally I would have expected someone to run up the back of us, but lady luck was obviously wandering the hallowed lanes!
Whast a frightening experience.
It always crosses my mind that each time I travel I could easily die through no fault of my own. Sobering thought.
What is also worrying is whast happened to the sofa? Was it just left lying there for another vehicle to colide with?
Fair enough mate. It just struck me the other day how we all go around a problem in the road and none of us do anything to help. And yes you were lucky.
truckyboy:
Lucky for you…can you tell me if it was a recliner…was it a 2 or 3 seater…was it damaged in anyway…had it been sprayed with chemicals…just asking…
You should work for the Sun Scarab…Eye grabbing headline…crap story.
Now if a metal spike had pierced your car/truck narrowly missing every
major organ in your body by inches, or someone ran you off the road and you just managed to control it before going into a rivine…maybe that would of been a story worthy of the title.
I had a french truck overtaking me on the M25 last month when the front nearside tyre blew out…it was a scary moment I can tell you and he very nearly wiped me out,but me saying "I nearly died today"maybe a bit of an over exaggeration. most people could say that everyday of their lives if they had been there seconds before,this and that might of happened…but it did’nt so you’ll never ever know.
Also,you should never rely on OTHER people to report it??,a lot of the problems in this country is the attitude of “its someone elses job” not my problem.
you keep seeing the Health and Safety signs everywhere…NEAR MISS??..dont leave it to someone else,or words to that effect.
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most people could say that everyday of their lives if they had been there seconds before,this and that might of happened…but it did’nt so you’ll never ever know.