I had to go to the office on Friday.
I swear, it doesn't matter how early I leave the house, there's always juustt the right amount of traffic to make me a half hour late.
I was supposed to be there at 10. At about 9:25, I was at Lloyd Center. It's usually about 2 minutes from Lloyd Center to the other side of the Marquam Bridge. Friday, it was 27 minutes.
I was in the far right lane. Traffic was moving like a snail on xanax in the right two lanes, going along normally in the left lanes which go to a different freeway.
I passed a semi s-l-o-w-l-y on the right and there was a large open space in front of him.
I turned on my turn signal, made the lane change, about four seconds went by as I straightened out and kept going. I was in the lane for at least five seconds after that when a van came at me broadside from the other side of the freeway. I'm not sure where it came from, really. He was merging in but I don't think he checked his blind spot ahead of time. Dumbass. Guess he stayed in the lanes that were moving along fast and figured he'd get over at the last second.
He was just... there. He didn't hit me, but he accelerated and merged in front of me, almost catching the little snub nose of my car.
Then he slammed on the brakes.
And that asshole held a pistol out the driver's side window of the van.
Pointed up, not at me.
Traffic started moving normally all of a sudden, and he accelerated again and moved up the road and I didn't see him again.
I was a little shook up, which I would think is understandable.
But mostly I was pissed. HE was in the wrong. He decided to switch lanes without looking and almost took me out, then acted like it was my fault.
I'm still pissed off.
I didn't have a chance to get the license plate even if I'd thought of it. I know it was a beat up van, white and dented here and there. Washington plates.
I made it to the meeting a half hour late.
Before you ask, yes, I checked my GPS before leaving the house, there was nothing but that blue line that signifies open and moving freeway.
I swear the Marquam bridge is gonna be the place someone finally gets me.
The traffic around here is getting worse and worse. I suspect part of it is company bosses dragging work-from-home employees back to offices as much as they can, resulting in more and more commuters on the roads.
ReplyDeleteThe asshole driving seems to be getting worse too. Maybe the isolation during the pandemic destroyed a lot of people's normal sense of how to interact properly with other people.
I don't have an explanation, although I'm guessing it's several factors combined. Another thing I keep noticing are more and more lunatics riding donor cycles. I can *kind of* understand lane splitting when traffic is going along at 10 mph... still dangerous but at least theoretically more reaction time. But I've had them blow past me at 80 and even 90 BETWEEN LANES.
DeleteI do not understand anyone who would do that.
Oh man, what a jerk. I'm glad he didn't shoot the gun off.
ReplyDeleteI still can't even believe it. What a crazy nutjob. I didn't see him at all, just his arm, no idea what he looks like. My husband is still in a state of fury, he wanted to go look for the van and maybe catch the guy. While I appreciate the support, tracking him down doesn't seem possible, ya know??
DeleteA pistol? Like, literally? Flabbergasted. As a Canadian, this is SO foreign to me. I would be A LOT shook up.
ReplyDeleteYeah, either real or 3D printed... I didn't get a good look at it. It's foreign to me, too, at least in that usage. Pretty surprising.
DeleteYes, you being a little shook up is completely understandable. Glad you are OK.
ReplyDeleteI'm still pissed off. It wasn't my error, dammit!!
DeleteScary. Glad you're okay. In this day & age my guess this idiot was looking at his phone vs traffic. Since we live in world where no one takes responsibility this type of behavior will continue. It is always somebody else fault. You just keep yourself safe.
ReplyDeleteI am a careful driver. Sometimes, that doesn't matter. I do see a lot of people looking at phones, I don't understand it. I can't be safe behind the wheel if I'm not actually paying attention, I'm guessing they can't either.
DeleteOMG how terrifying! Scary Assholes with Weapons, how do they manage to always pass background checks, assuming the Gun was even Legal and he's allowed to have one and not already a Convicted Felon with one? While doing Environmental Cleanup we also pick up spent Brass from Shooters discharging Weapons in places clearly Posted you can't, too near Residential Property or in a Wildlife Preserve, yet, we get tons of Brass every time we go out. America is pretty Gun obsessed and far too many irresponsible and angry folks own them, thus, all the Shootings that should never happen.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with firearms for the most part, grew up in a rural area. But it's just gotten crazy out there with people just waving the damn things around everywhere and shooting at anyone who pisses them off.
DeleteIt may even have been 3D printed, who knows?
We used to pick up brass when we went out picnicking, but it's been awhile since we did that.