About an hour ago, as I was driving towards the office, I saw the craziest thing. My CD player had just started on “Go Mental” by the Ramones. I was in the leftmost lane, nearest to opposing traffic (noted for those of you not familiar with right-hand driving). And then I saw it coming at me…
It was a wheel. Not just a tire, but an entire wheel with hubcap and all. And it was flying through the air in an arc, faster than oncoming traffic, towards the spot where my car was about to be…
So I did a little Bond-esque driving, I.e. I hit the brakes and moved into the shoulder/verge, just in time to avoid trouble. But as I did so a large truck (18-wheeler) came speeding past me on my right. The projectile wheel bounced once, spinning into the undercarriage of the truck, and hit the truck’s rear wheels like a baseball being struck by a skilled batter.
The rebound was amazing. This tire flew back through the air at easily twice my vehicle’s speed (maybe 100-120 mph) toward the oncoming traffic, where it hit the side of a blue BMW. Bits of plastic, probably from the hubcap, shattered into the lane ahead of me but posed no risk. In my rearview mirror I saw traffic slow and bunch up around the BMW, but it didn’t look like there was any serious damage.
Nevertheless, damage or not, it was awesome. I don’t want to suggest that I’m unconcerned for the other drivers’ safety. But that tire flying toward me, scaring me at first, and then being launched into the air, demonstrating the basic physical laws… That was amazing to witness.
Now let’s see if I can settle down enough to focus on my work…
