The Wreck

As we were in route from Virginia to the Hot Rod & Harley’s show  in Rahway, New Jersey in our ‘58 Vette, the plan was to first stop in at the Jalopy Showdown in Latimere, PA for the evening. As we crested a hill on Rt.15, just south of Harrisburg, PA. we observed an early Chevrolet pickup (38?) sideways in the road. It was apparent from the glass and debris in the road that the truck had rolled and with no emergency equipment on scene, we stopped.

The truck had been done nicely, late model drivetrain etc. and the two occupants, young men, were conscious, alert and standing, even though on the second roll (it had rolled twice) the passenger had been ejected from the truck. I checked them both out and found only minor cuts and injuries.

When I asked what happened the driver said that the accelerator had stuck.  When the passenger tried and failed to pull it from the floor, he threw  the truck in park, causing the truck to slide sideways and then roll over.

I did not want to bring up that just shutting down the power by turning off the ignition would have worked much better.

They were in route from Delaware heading to the Jalopy Showdown for the weekend. To add insult to injury, they were only one mile  from their destination. However, in true Hot Rod mentality, the driver was more worried about his truck than himself.

The reason for relating this sad story is this:

Don’t overlook the small details when you check your ride before a trip.  Take a few minutes and look over the Whole Ride.  A weak linkage spring, misaligned linkage or even a bad motormount could cause an accelerator to stick.  Yes, I am guilty of it too. I admit that I don’t check all the things I should before I leave, but I am going to make a conscious effort to do so.  Also, just turning off the ignition would have changed a disaster to a roadside fix.

Life is too short and too much time, effort and love
is put into our rides to risk losing either.
These guys were lucky, all they lost was their ride.

Keep Em Runnin’
Big John