Close Call

[VEGASRIDER]

So I had a close call at an intersection tonight on the way home from work. It was around 1:00 am, approaching an intersection in which I had a solid green the whole time so I never slowed down going about 45 mph. The intersection is somewhat commercialized with businesses so it's not wide open, but I still scan left and right, habit by nature. As I scanned left, I saw an ambulance with lights, and I guess sirens too, but I did not hear it. Instinctlively, I applied both brakes on a dime, but realized I was not going to be able to stop in time for the ambulance to go by. Forturnatley, the ambulance was able to stop, and I throttled out using the "when it doubt, throttle out" phrase. After analyzing the situation, three things came to my mind: First, I never heard the ambualnce, which was approacihng perpindicular to me. So wearing an I-pod wouldn't have mattered for all the members who listen to music. Two, I was pleased with my emergency braking, utilizing both brakes, even though I wasn't able to stop in time. Third, if it would have been any vehicle running that light without slowing down, I wouldn't be posting this thread.

 

[reiobard]

good reminder, good Ipod reference, and good to hear that you are ok :thumbup:

 

[mikebike]

Gald you are ok... be safe ---"it's a Jungle out there":thumbup:

 

[aussiejules]

I find the sirens over here aren't good enough to hear either. Lucky break.

 

[Nelly]

Sounds like a quality brown trouser moment. I am glad your ok. So were the sirens on or not? you said you were guessing, maybe the Paramedics screwed up.

 

[wrightme43]

Scary there. Glad your ok.

 

[sportrider]

glad your ok!!!!

 

[reiobard]

Sounds like a quality brown trouser moment. I am glad your ok. So were the sirens on or not? you said you were guessing, maybe the Paramedics screwed up.

not sure what the ordinance in Vegas is but in NH the ambulance needs the lights flashing whenever there is a patient in the vehicle but only the sirens if it is a life threatening situation. So a lot of ambulances are flashing silent during patient transfers, sports injuries, broken bones... things of that nature

 

[jsteinb95]

whew.....glad you're ok.

 

[craig007]

glad you are OK. I notice that some ambulances around here turn on the noise when they are entering the intersection and then turn it off after they go through (but they keep their lights on all the time). I don't know why. We also have these thingys on the traffic lights that turn the traffic lights green for the ambulance and red for anyone else

 

[poorwboy]

Glad your ok, he probably didnt have his siren on.

 

[christod1]

I'm happy to here your ok.Stay safe.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Sounds like a quality brown trouser moment. I am glad your ok. So were the sirens on or not? you said you were guessing, maybe the Paramedics screwed up.

The ambulance was running thru a solid red light at a major intersection, so I figured that they had to have the siren's on.

On another note, when I got to work this afternoon, I found out that one of our pilots who rides a motorcycle had an accident on the way to work. Apparently, a cager pulled out of the gas station nearby the airport and he went flying head first over the car. Fortunately, he was out of the hospital that afternoon. The story from the cager was that he was blaming that he didn't see the bike because the headlight on the motorcycle was not on. As the cops picked up the bike, they turned on the ignition, and amazingly, the headlight worked. Of course, the cager had no insurance.