My neighbor was out this morning cleaning out is car.  Sipping his coffee, getting ready to go get his vaccuum to get the inside, he heard something.

Turning his head, he saw a small grey pickup truck hit the culvert for the driveway accross the street from me, careen past him, hit the next culvert, and flip upside down.  The truck had rolled over.  And at least it didn't roll over and over and over.

Calling 911, he got transferred to 7 different operators until he finally said that there was a truck upside down and the guy may be dead.  "Oh, well then, let me get you some help."  Duh.  Kinda thought that was why you called 911?  Twenty minutes later emergency services show up.  The guy had already crawled out the window by then. 

"Twenty minutes, that's not bad is it?"
"That firetruck came from right down at the Shell station."
"Oh, I guess that's pretty bad then."

Ok, so in small town Arkansas, we're apt to grab our tractor and tow chains and flip the truck back over and the guy hop in and drive off, and have it done less than twenty minutes.  I actually live in Conway, a large town near Little Rock.  Small enough to be friendly, large enough to have stuff.  Close enough to pop to Little Rock for dinner and theatre, not close enough to be corrupted by cityhood.

The guy crawled out of the window, and the truck wasn't too badly damaged.  The top wasn't caved in or anything.  Just banged up.

Many major car crashes and rollovers are caused by drunk drivers.  Given that this particular instance was a "mild" roll over and I don't know the status of the driver, it still made me think.  And Think = Blog.

If a drunk driver has a wreck, it's usually a dramatic wreck.  The irony is that the very thing that caused the wreck in the first place, is the very thing that may save their life.  The relaxing effect that alcohol has on the muscles and the loss of motor control that causes a drunk to veer off and roll the car, is the same relaxing, ragdoll effect that causes them to be able to walk, or stumble, out banged up but alive. 

It's the sober person in the next lane that paid the price.  The sobriety causes them to tense up, adrenaline flows, trying to control the situation and ultimately causes them to be the trig that breaks instead of the twig that bends.

Do not EVER drive drunk.  Don't put yourself in the situation of having to live with the horrors of seeing the bodies of those you have killed.  Because ironically, you will often live.  But you'll live with the guilt and the thoughts and the images of the innocents that you hit.  If you don't avoid driving drunk for your safety.  Then avoid it because of the others that just happen to be on the road at the same time.