11.05.2010

Did you know that people actually TRY to hit your stuff when it is on the highway?

No. For reals.

Let me start from the beginning.

So, we have some time to do this move, so we are gradually packing and moving stuff over this past weekend. We had already done a few runs with my Dad's small Toyota pickup and we were making some seriously good headway. Progress is always a good thing when working on a move. So, we were basically happy.

It was Saturday, midday, and we were loading up several freshly packed boxes onto the truck - most of them came from my Studio. We saw that the smaller of my Expedit shelves would fit nicely (It's the 2x4 one.) and decided to put that on the truck, too. It fit perfectly, we wrapped a sheet around it to protect it from scratches and saw that it was quite secure...or at least it seemed that way at the time....

...yup...that's officially foreshadowing. Just say'n.

SOoooo...we added a few more boxes (one row) in front of the shelf, as they fit snuggly and perfectly right between the shelf and the tail gate. WONDERFULLY packed, if we said so ourselves! We added the straps and bungie cords and The Hubbums felt pretty good about the load.

We climbed into the cab of the truck and started making the journey to the new house. It's about 21 miles and mostly highway, so not a difficult trip, but you have to take it slow and in the right lane because you have a truck loaded with your stuff and all. Which, we totally did. So....we are sitting in the cab chatting as we drive down the Interstate highway.

"Oh. Shit."

That's what The Hubbums said. Note: There are no exclamation points. That is precisely how calmly those words came from his mouth. (And no, I didn't edit it because 'Oh, Shoot.' just isn't as accurate. Just say'n.)

Now, understand that for many people, calm is good. Very good. That means the situation at hand is not panic inducing. Well, you see, The Hubbums is not the panicking type. He is the 'handle it' type. And that means that when he is very very very calm, something really really really bad probably just happened. (Like the time when he asked me in his calmest tone to get the first aid kit, please...yeah...he had just sliced off the tip of his finger...so you see what I'm say'n? K? K. Now that we have that clear...)

"What happened."

That was my response. After years of knowing what that calm tone ACTUALLY means, I now know that something has happened.

"We just lost the Expedit and all of the boxes behind it."

Yup. On 495. Actually, all OVER 495. We pulled over to assess the damage, not really sure how to handle such a situation. Yes, it seemed that the tailgate had broken open, causing the load to shift, the wind caught the sheet on the Expedit (you know..the one to keep it SAFE!) and the shifting movement, the open tailgate, and just bad luck in general caused the shelf to fly OFF the truck and onto the highway. In the middle of the road.

No...really...it was like between the left lane and the middle lane and TOTALLY in the way of traffic.

Also on the road was my entire box of 'white' embellishments (those of you who have seen my system know that I store things by color in the cubes of my large shelf), a box of art prints and other art pieces, The Hubbums' vintage Return of the Jedi lunch box from when he was a kid, an entire file box filled with software and manuals, and...I'm not really sure what else, yet, to be honest.

THEN...no, for reals....this happened.

The Hubbums sees that someone could get seriously hurt if they hit this stuff, so he watches traffic (remember...this is an interstate highway - a real one - with 3 lanes of Massachusetts drivers going around 85 mph), steps out onto the road, and walks to the shelf to protect the public. He got it. It was in ONE PIECE! (Yup...buy IKEA - I now know JUST HOW sturdy that stuff is!) The corners were banged up something fierce, though. Seeing as he was able to get that, he decided to go try to save what he could. Soooo...he carfully rescued what he could off the road kindly focusing on the art pieces he knew I would be so sad to lose! REALLY! THE MAN RISKED HIS LIFE FOR THE ART HE KNEW I LOVED! *sigh* I love him. He's crazy, though. But I love him.

This whole time only ONE person stopped and that was just because his wife made him! LOL! I was by the truck several yards away and she stood and kept me calm while my husband was walking onto the highway. It was all a bit surreal, actually. Her husband went and helped The Hubbums with what he could. It was really scary. BUT...you wanna know what was worse - nobody slowed down! I mean, some people did just to get around stuff, but not a SINGLE person tried to block traffic or help or ANYTHING! AND THEN....

Wait for it....

...We watched while a truck towing a boat INTENTIONALLY swerved to HIT one of the boxes. Yup. That happened.

...The Hubbums watched as an obnoxious SUV HIT his vintage lunchbox and shattered it.

...It was a sad sad study in human behavior. Really. It was.

Now, to be honest, the stuff is just stuff. We had to leave the shelf on the side of the road. The corners were mangled and it is IKEA so while I didn't really WANT to have to replace it, I can. I lost a couple of my art dolls...remember Mary? Yeah...she was shattered all over the road. I lost Lucy, too. That made me kind of sad. I really liked Lucy. I also lost several art prints that were created by others and some of the contents of my box of white embellishments (although not nearly as much as I could have, as The Hubbums totally rescued the box!). We lost all of the software that was in the file box and, well....probably some unknowns and we are just hoping they remain unknown...you know...stuff you don't even remember because you really didn't need it.

Anyway, the stuff is just stuff. But, the human behavior was saddening. All I can tell you is that if you ever see this happen to someone...please stop and help them. It will be appreciated. And...to the kind family who stopped to help us...thank you. I don't know your names, but you got to be an angel for a day. That is something special. And, know that you are unique in a world of people who just don't care.

The absolute BEST news, however, is that nobody was hurt in any way! That shelf SO could have hit a car and even killed someone! We are so amazingly grateful that, while quite an ordeal, nobody was hurt and all remained safe. Thank the LORD for that!

And...now we have a KILLER moving story! HA! And...next time you wonder how that random stuff ended up on the side of the road...

...well, now you know!

(Oh...and we saw later that the Expedit was gone, so hopefully someone took it home and is rescuing it for a new life!)

Happy Friday, folks!

29 comments:

  1. Wow, that is a crazy story! Sorry you did lose some pieces, though.

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  2. I was waiting to hear this story. This happened to me when my mom and my 2 kids and I went camping. The carrier on the top of the car flew off and there went our tent and sleeping bags and stuff all over the highway. We were able to dangerously get everything back but I know how you felt when your stuff flew off. So sorry to hear about your dolls and your hubs lunchbox. ;0(

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  3. Oh man! That stinks! I'm so sorry that you lost some of your stuff! I can't believe the way people behave sometimes! Just so you know, we would have totally stopped and helped 'cause that's just how we are :o)
    {Rebekah}

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  4. Gotta love Mass drivers! (I know! I live in Mass) Lol. Its a shame that you lost some of your stuff. But at least everyone is safe.

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  5. And what a story it is! Goodness, I am so sorry that it happened but so very pleased that hubby didn't get hurt playing frogger!

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  6. Awwww...what a crappy thing to do--try to hit stuff. Karma baby!

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  7. bummer on the lost shelf and lunchbox, what a shame.

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  8. I don't always understand human behavior or lack of! It is a good thing that no one was hurt with the objects falling from the truck or attempting to collect the lost items. At least the moving is done and it is the weekend - almost! Enjoy it!

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  9. Yikes! Sorry to hear about all that... And even sorrier for the asshat in the SUV. He's earned himself some bad lunchbox karma, so he'll get his.

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  10. People are amazingly awful sometimes. Glad someone stopped to help.

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  11. So glad that nobody got hurt - I'm from Jersey - it wouldn't have been any better. The aiming for the box is what gets me - people are just so effed up sometimes!!!

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  12. O
    M
    G!!!! I can't believe that people were purposely swerving to HIT your stuff! How sick is that? And well, I hope that the person who ran over your hubbies vintage lunch box ended up with a flat tire because of a sharp piece.... Man, that's so sick!!!!

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  13. OH that so sucks! I just don't know what to say, but that you are handling it quite well. Poor Mary. :(

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  14. So glad no one got hurt.

    Sucks about loosing your stuff, especially your hubby's lunch box.

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  15. This is so sad! Especially about your dolls. I'm going to believe there were caught on a gust of wind and went to Dollonia. It's a special land for Dolls. They won't be lonely.

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  16. Oh my GOODNESS! I don't know where to start...ok, yeah, good stuff that no one was hurt (including your or your hubby!).

    I am so sad over the vintage lunchbox and Lucy and ...oh my. I can't think about that stuff.

    It is definitely a story and I am SO so glad everyone is ok.

    but ...wow.

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  17. I'm glad that no one got hurt and everybody is safe. I'm FURIOUS about the sh*thead in the truck pulling a boat - and sadly, I'm not even surprised about that. How sad is that? Where has our compassion gone, our hunmanity?
    Sorry that you lost some of your stuff, especially that lunchbox. What a creep (sorry, I'm having a hard time getting over that...).
    Hopefully you can relax over the weekend, and I admire how you handle the situation.

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  18. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! You lost some dollies?!!!!

    I'm glad everyone is ok...but what a creep that intentionally hit your stuff!

    I don't know whether you call your hubby a hero for rescuing your stuff, or an idiot (respectfully, of course!) for risking his life! AACK!! Ok, I'll go with hero! :)

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  19. I'm glad you guys are ok. And my heart would have just sunk to watch someone deliberately run over your stuff. Particularly when it was hard to miss that you guys were trying to retrieve it.

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  20. Something similar happened to us as we were moving our son into his dorm in Savannah. Travelling from Boston down 95 all of a sudden stuff started flying out of the back of our pickup - luckily it was just a comforter. And, of course, no one stopped to help as my husband darted across Rte 95!

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  21. I'm so sorry to hear your story. It really saddens me that we live in a world where very few people reach out to help others and on top of that....will intentionally do terrible things. I'm glad you were able to save most of your white embellishment collection!

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  22. How terrible! While you are right that it is just stuff, it's more the reaction (or non-reaction) of others that's more unsettling. In the end, everyone is safe - and that's what truly matters. Theresa

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  23. Darn it! I so would have tried to help stop some traffic for you..but then again I wouldn't want to meet the same fate as Lucy..or Mary! Some people really just have no manners and the SUV that intentionally hit your stuff needs a swift kick in the a$$!

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  24. We had this happen while moving, thugh lucklily what fell out on the freeway was mostly couch cushions (they were forever stained with black after that, though, and mostly unusable). They fell out because the wind knocked the back off our bookcase (so that was in pieces on the freeway).

    My husband and I both picked up pieces off the freeway (some people drove over the couch cushions-they were in the middle of the cars, so no tires--but very dirty and further down the road after that). It felt like a human frogger game.

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  25. Holy Heck!! That is a crazy story!! I'm glad no one was hurt! So crazy that someone aimed for your stuff!

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  26. So crazy!

    I thought I'd let you know about the giveaway I'm hosting right now for two pairs of Kendra Scott earrings & some OPI nail polish - come check it out!
    http://elizabethsdailyadventures.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-first-giveaway.html

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  27. I feel so much horror at the meaness that some feel when they can destroy someone's special bits and pieces of their lives. Your husband is a hero ladybug! I will keep my eyes on the lookout for a special Jedi lunchbox. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

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  28. HOLY COW! That is a terrible situation...that you guys handled so well. I'm so glad no one was hurt. I am so sorry about the loss of your art dolls...that is so sad...but even sadder the stupid SUV and boat that purposely hit your stuff. I can't believe what people do sometimes. That goes for good and bad. I have been pleasantly surprised by the good that people share in life, but am put in a stupor when people blatently do something so mean.

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  29. WOW, that is all I can say, WOW. :(

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