I just remembered that today is the one year anniversary of my own personal earthquake. I had just dumped about 60 tons of coal at in the coal yard at the processing plant and was heading back for another load. I had gone about 100 yards down the road when I noticed all the power lines and poles were shaking violently. My first startled thought was EARTHQUAKE!!! I soon realized that the ground was not trembling. Only the power poles and lines. It was only then that I looked in my side mirror and much to my dismay, I saw that my truck bed was still in he dumping position, rising some 30 feet in the air! And I had just passed under the place where those lines crossed over the road. I dont know why a sign with an arrow pointing upward and bearing the words DANGER! 120000 VOLTS had been placed there if people were just going to ignore it. Anyway, I looked around frantically. Nobody else around! I thought I might just get out of this mess with no one being wiser. So I decided to lower my bed and back away from the lines. Bad idea. By the time I gave up I must have had a quarter mile of electric lines wound around my 8 rear tires! So much for a stealthy escape. It wasnt long until there were a dozen white pickup trucks (mine bosses, electricians, etc) storming the scene. But not too closely. Remember, wee talking 12000 volts of death lying around amongst my truck. Well, after an hour or so, they had turned the power off and after a lot of snipping, freed my truck. My boss had arrived by then. He said Take it to the truck lot All traffic had been stopped for that long hour and every truck on the job was lined up waiting to dump. I will never forget my embarrassment as I looked upon the faces in that gauntlet of drivers as I drove past them. Most of them had a look on their faces that is usually reserved for a man you might see headed for the gallows. But I suppose alls well that ends well. I am back now driving those same roads again. One thing you can be sure of: that I always instictively check my bed position when I see a power line.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 03:35:32 +0000
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