Truckers come to the rescue

Truckers sometimes get a bad rap on the road. But one BB reader from Glendale offers this story from a recent drive with her children, and how big rig drivers went out of their way to help her out of a potentially dangerous road rage situation:

I was driving from Eagle Rock to Corona on the 57 south.  My two
young daughters were strapped into their seats in the middle row of
my Toyota van.  They were laughing loudly at a nearby driver's
antics, or so I thought.  When I asked them what was so funny, they
told me about this "funny" man driving a pick-up truck next to us. 
Every time they looked over at him, he would jump up in his seat, and
they would laugh.  When I looked over and caught sight of the man,
his expression was anything but benign. (Continued below)

He had a determined, mean look on his face, and I knew immediately he didn't have anything
playful in mind.  I told my daughters that he was not really a friendly man, and that he was trying to do something mean.  I told them not to look at him anymore, and I tried to speed up, but my 4-cylinder van was no match for his 8-cylinder truck.  I changed lanes, and each time he matched my lane change.  He was weaving across 3 lanes in his attempt to catch my daughters' sight, and I was getting
pretty scared.  Finally, I decided to move towards the exit lane and slow down quickly, hoping not to get rear-ended by another driver.  My plan was to get behind him and stay there until I could escape. 
When I moved to the right lane, I slowed and two huge semi-trailer trucks swarmed up and blocked this maniac's access to us.  One truck moved in front of me, and the other truck stayed right by my left side.  They stayed with me until I got to my exit, and the pick-up truck driver couldn't see or reach me.  I was so rattled that I didn't think to honk or wave my hands to thank my two "knights in shining armor".  They'd evidently been watching the whole thing, and waited for me to finally make a move that they could use to rescue us.  Ever since then, I have had so much gratitude and respect for the people who drive those giant trucks. (The writer asked that her name not be used for concern about the driver).

Comments

[George]

C'Mon Everyone Keep Right

Watch the "Keep Right" music video on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJ4Yy5ZNeU

[George]

C'Mon Everyone Keep Right

Watch the "Keep Right" music video on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJ4Yy5ZNeU

[Charles Quinn]

The minivan apparently was toward the number 1 lane and she was complaining about her 4 cylinders power. Keep right if you are the slow one and maybe you won't have as many problems. Being in the left lane is not a god given right as many in LA believe. We need the slower traffic keep right signs put back on the freeway!

The reason the trucks were "hleping" is because they apparently were trying to get past the bottleneck you were causing. The lane left of the one you were in is their "fast" lane. KEEP RIGHT!

[Russell Miller]

OK, up to the part of him weaving through three lanes of traffic, I'm not entirely sure what was so offensive about what this guy did. It sounds like some trying to entertain a couple of little girls and going about it in an entirely over the top manner.

It crossed the line when he started weaving through traffic and endangering people, of course. But up until then all we have is the perception of someone who took a quick look at him and called his look "determined and mean". I'm just at a loss to figure out what his motivation was other than just trying to be funny and going about it in a stupid manner.

[909]

I was driving east on the 10 going home one afternoon and as I was switching lanes to exit my back tire blew out . Luckily I was already slowing down for the exit as this happened and I was able to keep control of my car. I exited the freeway onto the busy street but was hesitant to change my tire since I had never done so before and it was during the evening rush hour. I didn't notice the big rig parked right in front of me untilmy friend walked over and asked the driver if he could help us with the tire. This 6'2 200lb man hopped out of his cabin and changed the tire in literaly 3 minutes, something that would have taken us 30 minutes. In any other situation I would have probably been scared of coming within 2 feet of this man but I am very thankful he was there to help us out.

P.S. It's true that trucks add traffic to the already overburdened Southland freeways but they are honest people just trying to make a decent living. Next time you see one on the road think about the responsibitly needed to drive a vehical of such proportions, give them a break!