I hate rude people

[pnwradar]

Had an interesting event, this afternoon. I was coming down off Snoqualmie Pass, after checking out the surprise snowfall (dumped about a foot at the top), and there was a PSD wedged into the snowbank on the right side of the road, where the grade was fairly steep. Looked like he'd swapped ends at speed and slid backwards (hard) into the snowplow pile.



So, I pulled over just uphill from his rig, set my blinkers, and got out to see if everyone was okay. By this time the driver had walked up to my rig and started to unhook the winch fairlead. I asked him if anyone was hurt, and he said "Nope. Shouldn't take much to get out. " I asked if he wanted me to call for a towtruck on my cellular, which is when he looked at me funny and stopped fiddling with my winch. "Aren't you gonna help me out?" I looked again at his truck, driver's side sitting several feet deep into the drift, and said I didn't think I could do him much good -- he should probably start digging the snow out from the underside of the truck, so that the tow truck could pull him free before dark.



He started to get rude, mentioning how much money a tow truck would cost him, and the least I could do is "try" pulling his rig out of the snowbank. I do carry extra gloves and a small snow shovel with me, just in case I ever need to dig out. But, this is the side of the I-90 freeway, barely five miles from the nearest truck stop and service station, not halfway up the Dawson Highway. I again offered to call a tow for him, and he replied with a nice selection of Navy terms (last time I heard them, some Chief was yelling them at me) and suggestions for me to pursue impossible physical acts once I was alone. I shrugged and climbed back into my truck, listening to him shout at me, "You Dodge owners are all $*&%^", etc.



To be fair, we probably could have pulled out his truck, with a bit of hard work with the shovel and some creative pulling with the winch. But, there wasn't really a good spot to winch from, and he was too rude for me to go out of my way for. I did call the local state patrol office, and let them know where he was sitting. I'll check tomorrow morning, to see if he was as rude to the trooper. It's a long wait for the spring thaw.



-jon-

 

[jodog]

This is not a flame

I know I should keep my mouth shut. [been a problem all my life] But here goes ,if I was stuck and some one with a 4x4 an winch pulled over. I would assume he was there to pull me out. But I come from farm country, an not scared to work my truck!!

Put his shoes on ,his driving a ford an stuck in the snow,how bad does it get. [oh yea his only hope is a dodge]





PS you should of given him a tug showed him dodge people have CLASS!!!!!!!

 

[Briar Hopper]

How hard is it to be friendly, and thank somebody right away for stopping, whether they actually help or not? A little kindness goes a long way.

He was already fiddling with the winch by the time you got out of the truck? How presumptuous of him. If that'd been me, I would have used the opportunity to maybe make a new friend.

What a short-sighted , mean, hard-bitten clown.

 

[illflem]

Jon, if it's any consolation it's great you called the State Patrol. WA has that BS law that if you slide off the road you get a $120 ticket for driving too fast for the conditions. Cop doesn't even have to see that you were only going 5mph. Tow trucks can't pull you out until the patrol comes and gives you the ticket. His rudeness didn't save him any money.

 

[Hammer]

With the amount of miles I drive per week I have been there and done that,,Its a shame that people with a problem can be such jacka**es,,Had one woman a few years ago in a major area that called the cops on me when I stopped to help her,,I stopped my rig during morning rush hour to help her change a tire and she went ballistic with comments never said by sailors during leave,,as I'm driving away State Police stop me down the road to question me,,It was then I decided to adopt a poor attitude towards those brokedown in cars,,As I pass I call police on cell phone,move to left lane,grab the next hole and proceed on,,Too words for the rude,crude and socially unacceptable Phord puke you run into would have been this... . "SEE YA !!!!"

 

[jwdeeming]

It had been my observation that "road manners" in general improved significantly post 9-11.



It also looks to me like things deteriorated after Thanksgiving - I guess it's that good ol' holiday spirit.



But that butthead who likes to cut me off where my commute merges from two lanes into one got a surpise last night. I spent my TG weekend installing DDIIs, so this time after the light turned green he saw nothing but my tail lights dissappearing through a black cloud of smoke!



Merry Christmas to you too, buddy!

 

[DRR-24V]

The Old Attitude Test !!

Pnwradar,

Sounds like this guy failed the attitude test as soon as he started screwing with your winch. Some people get what they deserve. You done good.

 

[jodog]

Just to lighten things up a little,I have a stop to help story. I just got my frist 4x4 an used to carry a chain waiting for chance to use it. [1983] Came across a young couple that slid off the ice covered road[you know can't stand up, put on brakes go faster,don't walk with hands in pockets kinda road] Well it was on a small down hill grade and it was a small car. So I backed up an we hooked up the chain. I told the guy to stand in my mirror and give me good hand signals because I have a large cap an can't see good. Well here we go his giving me the signal to tighten the chain. [I feel the chain lose slack] Now he's giving me the signal to pull and I do. I look over in the other mirror to see the car coming up out of the ditch.



Now I'am going to stop story and ask you guys were do you think his wife is? steering the car right!!!Nope she is standing on the other side watching. I can't believe my eyes. To late the car is now chasing me an my pride an joy down the hill. Remember I am still chained to this sucker. The man starts to run but falls on his face. I try to slow down, the car trys to pass. This goes on for about a block untill I ski rope back into the ditch.





YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR IN FOR!!!!!!!!

 

[QRTRHRS]

Lived near a ski resort years ago. The skiers in general were rude, naturally much better then the local commoners. First flakes and they would ***** about road conditions.



We would see them ditched on the way to the slopes. Stop the truck and yell "20 bucks up front to pull you out". Sometimes they would say, "I don't have 20 bucks". See ya!



Geez, I just realized I was PC back then. I did not discriminate. Either they coughed up 20 bucks or they sat.



I will slow to check on things but if I don't see what looks to be a serious or potential problem, I am outta there.

 

[admin2]

Well.....

I helped a man and his wife to put a spare on his trailor full of cows. His jack wouldn't lift it, cops and tow trucks passed by without so much as slowing down. I drove all the way home, got my 4. 5 ton floor jack and came back. Still, no one stopped to help this couple.



My floor jack BARELY got the trailor up, and that was with the help of my car jack and his truck jack. We managed to get just enough clearance to pull off the flat, put on the spare and get him going down the road. He offered me $50, I turned it down and told him to help the next person he saw who needed it. To this day, I don't know his name, where he's from, etc. The leason my daughter (who was in the car with us) learned was worth more than any $50 bill.



Why do I tell this story?



Because taking advantage of people stuck on the site of the road for $20 is not something I would brag about... .

 

[forr]

pnwradar



Sounds like you did the right thing. People under stress react differently and this fine fellow sounds like he just might have been ready to crack. While you'll probably never know, you did the safe and responsible thing - skirted a confrontation and still made sure the patrols knew he was out there.



Several years back I happened on what I thought was a stranded car on a two mile long bridge with no shoulders. Turns out a lady was inside the car. Her four ways weren't working and she must not have been able to start the car (or she wouldn't have been there). It was just about dark. I pulled in some 50-100' behind her and hit my fourways. As I called the bridge patrol with my CB, she left the car and began to gesture and yell at me (and not in a kind way) - I can only guess that she was upset about the car. I just stayed in the truck until the tow bus pulled in. No sense in making matters worse.

 

[The patriot]

Aint never been to N. J. eh?

Eric

 

[QRTRHRS]

Re: Well.....

Originally posted by admin





Why do I tell this story?



Because taking advantage of people stuck on the site of the road for $20 is not something I would brag about... .

Well, that's cheaper than the 50 bucks it would have cost for a tow truck.



Ever live in a tourist area and try to eck out a living? At that time, I worked at a gas station. Full service. It does get tiresome to go out to the pumps, but before you can ask how much, have someone demand to know where the ski area or whatever is, not thank you but dam near run over you on the way out.



I guess you never lived or traveled in an area where being a good semaritan can cost your life did you?



Like I said, I access the situation. Last summer, as I exited this one ramp where I have often seen cars down in the hole, happened to spot one. Were' talking a 40 foot or so drop that has killed more than one. Seeing this car down there, I stopped to see what was what. Two young guys, shaking in their shorts. I pulled them out before the cops came. Would not take their money. Turned out they were young volunteer firemen heading for a convention.



I am just saying that I am particular about where I stop and who I help. It's not just self preservation, it's about responsiblity to my family. And yes, it's a heck of way to live but until accountability and responsiblity become fashionable, that's how I see it.

 

[DarrellB]

I always try to stop and help, Ive gotten offered money and even got 2 dates from helpin a couple young women change their tires.



My rule is simple, Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.



A also never aproach some one's car or truck with out my trusty 45 Kimber always cocked and locked. ( you can never be too careful )



Big D

 

[CumminsAholic]

What I learned

If you do pull someone out and charge them be careful. If you break/scratch, or do something on their car they can sue you for the damages. That's assuming they know who you were. I know it's stupid but there's people like that. That makes me mad... somebody's trying to be a Very Generous person and then they get screwed. When I pull someone out and they ask me what I want, I say nothing... I might need a pull someday. 2 people have actually given me their cell phone #'s and said if I ever need help to give them a call. Both of them are people that I had never met, but am now friends with. And they both want to see the cummins in the mud... . I said I dunno, for one it's my baby, and 2 Who is going to pull me out when that thing sinks up to the doors in loon sh$%?

Corey

pnwradar, I think you did the right thing, the guy seemed like a jerk. I also cannot stand people like that. I'd give the shirt off of my back to someone that'd do the same for me, but wouldn't think about doing it for someone who has to act like that.

 

[Joe G.]

Ya gotta be careful about stopping to help someone. The guy who lived next door to me in the '70s was a CHP officer. Before coming to Humboldt County he was stationed in the Mojave Desert south of Death Valley sometime in the mid '60s. One evening while he was on patrol he saw a car in the ditch so he stopped to help. Before getting out of his car he called in the GA license plate. It turned out that the car had been stolen in Georgia just after a jail break. The driver was probably an escaped con known to be armed and dangerous. It didn't take long to get another CHP car there and a couple of San Bernadino sheriff's deputies. They got the guy without any trouble. He was asleep and was woke up by poking him in the face with a pistol and screaming "freeze!" It was the con and they got a big attaboy for catching him. Might have been a lot different if the CHP guy had not called in the plate. So be careful.

 

[admin2]

I don't think you gotta worry...

I think helping out an old farmer and his wife on the side of the expressway with a truck pulling a trailor full of cows is a pretty safe bet.



Besides, if its safety you're worried about $20 is an awfully cheap price to put on your life.



And yes, I've lived in a tourist area for six years (Ft. Lauderdale). People in many tourist areas tend to forget that their economy is supported by tourists... something to consider. You want them to feel welcome so they come back!





This is one of the reasons I like visiting the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee. The county they are in has more tourists pass through it each year than any other region of the country other than Florida. But you wouldn't know it by the attitudes of the locals. They are good, friendly Southern folk that generally greet you with a smile..... Its one of the reasons I love the south. I've been all over the country and would never live any where else, except maybe Oregon, what a beautiful place (except I can't stand all the rain and I hate snow). !

 

[hdm48]

2 quick ones.



my father used to own a towing company and i would work for him on the weekends. i had towed a car to wenachee and was on my way back to marysville and saw a car on the side with seam rolling from under the hood so i stoped to see if i could help. as it was they were from everett [5 miles from marysville] so i said i would tow them there for free because it was on the way and i didn't do this for a living.

after getting them home and wishing them well i went home, called my father and told him what i did and he said 'not a problem'.

about two weeks later he called me and said he had recieved a bill in the mail for a scratch on the bumper of the car i had towed. I WAS PISSED!!! i used a wheel lift and never came close to the bumper. so much for helping your fellow man.



the other time was as i was going down getchel hill towards marysville i noticed a ford wagon on the side and a person moving around inside it with quick/jerky motions. well, pulled over to see what was going on and to make a long story short the driver was going into cardiac arrest. i was a police officer at the time and i had my portable radio with me so i called for a aid unit. i tried to stablize the driver till the emt's arived. he did.

so you never know what you'll find. i try to stop but some times it does'nt feel right or i'm unable to.

and i have stoped to find the a##h##e waiting and wished i hadn't.

 

[Joe G.]

One thing I always do if I find someone stuck on the beach or in the woods is give them the end of the chain or tow strap to attach to their vehicle. I just tell them if something gets torn off or damaged it's theirs. So far, no problems with complaints about tearing something up. That's happened. Some people really do some stupid things. Once I pulled a '56 Buick Super station wagon (big heavy car) off a soft sand beach. Couldn't believe the guy thought he could run on the beach. I never pass up someone in trouble off road. On the other hand, I seldom stop on a four lane road. Too dangerous. A tow truck guy got hit and killed by a drunk driver this year while he was changing a tire. A guy stopped last year to help a couple stopped with the hood up. He was killed and his car stolen.

 

[Amianthus]

Stopping.

When I stop, the red lights I have usually do two things. First, it deters any really hostilities. Second, it lets people know that someone has stopped that can help. But most of the people around here are pretty happy to see anyone stop. Actually, most people around here would stop no matter what. If you stop on the side of the road for any reason, I bet you'd have at least 10 people stop to ask if you need a hand.

As far as charging people, if you don't charge them, supposedly you have a very limited liability in the matter of damage. If you charge them, you could be in trouble for both damages and for being an un-licensed tow operator. As I've always told everyone I've ever helped, any damage will thier responsiblilty. Or I can call a town for them. Most of the time I don't take anything for doing something simple. But sometimes I will accept donations.