04 November 2005
I told you my commute was killer
Today, on my way to work, there was a majour, fatal accident on the tollway I take to work, I-294. A 76 year old woman was killed when her minivan was hit by a semi, which forced her into a semi in front of her, basically collapsing her vehicle, which then exploded, burning her car to the pavement, and catching the semi that rammed her on fire as well. In one news story, they said that they don't know what caused traffic to slow, causing the accident. As anyone who reads this regularly knows, the damned construction on all 50 miles of the tollway that I take on a daily basis causes all these damned slow downs and back ups. This occured right in the spot where the first backup of the day usually starts. It was just a matter of time. May her spirit rest in peace!
As a result of this accident, traffic was backed up for miles. I was stuck in the same spot for an hour, until the authorities were able to get a median open, and had all cars (not trucks, etc) do 3 point turns, and drive south on the northbound shoulder, till the opening in the median, till we could merge into the southbound side of the higway. Below are a few pictures I took with my phone. And yes, at one point the road was effectively stopped, with people walking around on the highway itself!
