2009 Winter Wipeout Count

So far this year we are at 2 incidents.

We live on a sharp bend in a dirt road. Every single year we have a number of cars whose drivers are either drunk, not paying attention, or not familiar with the road who go careening off into our hayfield.

It happens in the summer too but winter is primetime. Even family members have succumed to 'The Corner' at one time or another. It happens so often that we've ceased replacing the fence posts, there are large gaps where the most cars go through. My family has owned the property for over 50 years and we have 50 years worth of stories.

Luckily there have not been any serious injuries in these accidents, the particular angle of the ditch combined with generous snow banks conspires to keeps most people in the 'embarrassed to call a tow truck' catagory rather than 'having their life flash before their eyes terrified'.

Although there was at least one that required an ambulance. It was back when my older brother Tom was in high school in the 70's or early 80's. There were signs of an accident the day before, the car had even taken out the sign that warns of the corner, but no car in sight.

So Tom goes to school and one of his class mates, a teenage girl, has her arm in a sling and has two black eyes. She was regaling her schoolmates with her story of driving down a dark country road when suddenly and without warning she was flying through the air and crashing into a post. She complained that it was an unmarked corner and she should sue the city. Sure, it was unmarked... after she plowed through that giant yellow arrow!