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01/22/2007: "You Need to Make the Corner"

I was going to write today about all of the many, many things that have happened in the last few weeks. I have my computer back and I could tell you all about our trip to the beach, our farm sitter, progress with the cow, the big freeze and snowstorm we had, woodstove cookery, duck care in winter and plans for the next few weeks. But there was a strange car in the driveway when I got home today, so I think I should write about that to get the ball rolling.


Living Green Farm is on the outside elbow of a 90 degree turn. The driveway is a pullthrough that wraps behind and around a metal railing. The railing has several chevron postings indicating the direction of the turn. It is marked as 20mph.
Here's a look at it. The house is off to the right. There are two large walnut trees along the road, a heavy gauged wire fence and then the south pasture behind. You can barely make out the duck's shelter in the right midground.


Well, about 1pm today, a neighbor was driving home to meet his wife, who was going to take him to a doctor appointment. He said "I looked down at my coffee cup at the wrong time". He failed to complete the corner. He caught some air as he came over the bank and screamed into the south field.


He tore through the heavy gauge fence. He managed to snap one post, and pull the other out of the ground. This is a picture of the concrete that was poured around the post in the ground. I was unable to pick it up to move it. It's about ten feet from the hole it came out of.


He made a diagonal through the two walnuts and skidded to a halt about ten feet from the neighbor's house. He missed the ducks, as well as the walnut that probably would have made this a fatal accident. It looks like one of the fence posts knocked his windshield pretty hard.


He drove his beaten up car over to the driveway. Nate and the neighbor Ed both came out to check that he was okay. The driver called his wife and had her come get him and take him to his doctor appointment. The car is not driveable on the road, and so it'll be towed tomorrow. He left his insurance info in case we want to claim the damage to the fence.

We're happy he's alive and relatively unharmed, but my, what a way to start the week!