Just a little ticked off need to vent for a few...

Going down to Cape Cod on Monday to stay with a buddy. Me and my friend were going, and since my car is more reliable and comfortable, I was driving. So we're cruising down, stop for coffee, and get back on the highway. I'm doing about 75 when my buddy and I both yell HOLY ****. A piece of metal that was unsecured fell off a flatbed style truck that was in the right lane, bounced under the car next to us (middle lane), and kicked right at the Bonneville in the left lane. I saw it the whole way and was able to avoid it with the front half of the car, then BANG it hit my back left tire area, and made me lose control breifly. Luckily I was able to avoid both the jersey barriers to my left and the car to my right. Regained control and began to feel for a flat, which I assumed was inevitable. No flat, sick. I'm ok. So the stretch of raod we were on (93north in Stoughton) had jersey barriers on both sides, and the car drove fine. I wanted to pull over and make sure everything checked out, so about a half mile down the road I tried to pull over in the BDL. When I went to stop, my brakes were soft as hell. Took me ages to stop. Get out on the side of the highway, look under the car, and realize I'm dripping brake fluid. Pulled onto the grass, called the parents, they called a tow. They came down and were able to give us a car to continue on to the cape. Since I'm rambling I'll sum it up... Metal fell off truck, hit car, busted both brake lines, 300 dollars in repairs and a miserable start to a vacation I was looking forward to all week.
We got lucky, it could have been much worse on several accounts. I didn't get the trucks plates because I didn't think anything was wrong, and honeslty it scared the **** out of me I wasnt thinking right.

Secure your ******* cargo!

I'm glad we didn't lose yet another one, but that sure was close!! Glad you were paying attention and had enough skill to keep your car on the road. Sorry to hear about the mishap though!

Its good that you were able to come out of the situation the way you did - alive.
It does suck though that you now have to dish out $300 in repairs as opposed to the truck driver/company. Had I been in the same situation, getting the license plate wouldn't have been my first thought either...

Glad to hear you are okay. I am always scared of trucks with dangerous looking loads in front of me.
I did hit a piece of flying drywall once in my wife'* Gran Prix. Still tryin to figure that one out.
But, good driving to keep you and your passenger safe. Really sucks about the truck and the $300. I can see not getting the plate # due to the situation.

Tip: Most cargo has some kind of shipping tag on it, depending on the company, they can often track down what truck the piece was supposed to be on.
So if you are hit by something coming off a truck, go back and find it.

YOU go play in three lanes of traffic on 93. My life is worth more than 300 bucks. Plus I whatever hit me I think was scrap metal or something, I have no idea, but it wasn't a packaged box or anything,

First thing to try and do is get the license plate. Then go back and get the thing that hit you. Most insurance companies can and will go after the a-hole that dropped the thing in the first place.
Kinda happened to me last winter, was driving tractor trailer out of PA on I-476 when chunks of VW size snow fell off my trailer and smacked a car. Car chased me down, (i guess took my trailer plate down) drove up beside me and took the company name and number off the side of the truck. I get back to the office, let the boss know and 2 weeks later boss tells me the insurance called and had to confirm what happened etc etc. Can't hold the driver responsible. No way in hell can the driver climb a 13'6" trailer and push snow off the top of a corrugated trailer.

Mike, (except for you of course ) I sometimes wish they could hold somebody responsible for the snow on them trucks. That'* just freakin' scarey!! I'll do 90 on the highway if I have to to make sure I'm not behind a trucker up here in winter...

Sully, glad to hear you and your buddy came out OK. Like you said, your life is worth a lot more than $300. Mine, on the other hand...

Chris, glad you are ok. I bet it was a bit scary seeing that thing coming.
did you notice if it hit anybody else behind you?

as for you guys telling him to go back....... 93 is a freeking expressway.
Nobody would go back.


Enjoy the Cape for the rest of the week.

Sully:
I feel your pain, man! I had a similar instance a while back. Some hoser had lost the aluminum ladder off his truck. It had been laying there for a while cuz it had been tagged by several vehicles and pieces were everywhere. I was unfortunate enough to be a little behind and to the side of a lady who hit one of the ladder rungs that was laying on the freeway. She kicked it up and into my brand new Silverado. I watched in slow motion as the chunk of aluminum hit my headlight & grille, ricocheted off my hood (chipping the paint on the way) and cleared my windshield by fractions of an inch. My damage was fairly minimal and all cosmetic - not life endangering like yours. Nevertheless it was a pisser and was the first damage to my new truck.

Not a whole lot you can do about those things. Yeah, you'd like to find the conehead that dropped the debris in the first place and at least be able to give 'em the bird, but usually that'* not practical and it'* just easier to get on with life. I've gotten past it, anyway. *eye twitches*