Please be careful driving home!

[buzznwoodysmom]

Everyone please be very careful driving home from vacation, especially in bad weather. I totaled my expedition on our drive home from WDW Sunday evening. We are all ok, but it's not a very fun way to end a trip.

The roads were wet and as I got on top of an overpass I hit a pool of water and in a second we were sliding sideways across the overpass. We ended up hitting both sides of the overpass, it felt like we were the ball in a pinball game, and ended up smashing the entire drivers side against the rail and slid all the way down the overpass facing backwards. I thought for sure we were going to tip over and go crashing off the top! Definitely the most scary moments of my life, but no one was injured and we didn't hit any other cars.

Please, please be extra careful. I hope no one ever has to end a trip that way.

[Aurora]

OH MY! :eek: So glad to hear you are OK but what a terrifying experience!

I second the hope that everyone stays safe on their summer vacations. We just did a seven-hour road trip home the other day and you are right -- accidents can happen in a split second and roadways can be treacherous!

My husband spun out on the highway a few years ago in a similar fashion -- hit the median but luckily didn't hit anyone else and no one hit him.

We need a "stay safe" smilie!!

[cer]

So very thankful your family was unharmed and no other vehicles were involved.

God bless you!

[kakn7294]

I'm so glad you're ok! That had to be a terrifying experience!

[Tink#64]

WOW! So very glad that you are all ok! How scary! I can only imagine how terrifying for you all!

Our vacation started on a very scary note this year! We were on the expressway, maybe 15 minutes from home, just heading out and a really bad accident unfolded in front of our eyes! Maybe I should say the eyes in the back of my head, because i heard a horrible noise that I didn't recognize as screeching tires & watched a car (complete imbosile) come screeching across many lanes of traffic, Friday rush hour, and hit the vehicle directly behind us, HEAD ON! The car behind that van, of course hit them, forcing the back end up in the air! i thought the van was going to flip over head first! I was driving and swear I shook for an hour. Only by the grace of God that it wasn't us!

I can't imagine how scared you were with your whole family in the vehicle, just prayers of thanks that everyone's ok! I believe some guardian angel's protection at work here! :angel:

[Kairi_7378]

I'm so sorry to read about your experience. Glad to hear that your family is safe.

Thank you for the reminder to drive safely.

[TinkerbellT421]

Oh my! so sorry to hear this! thankfully everyone is okay and glad to hear! that is definitely not how anyone should end a vacation!

[VWL Mom]

What a terrible way to end your trip, thankfully everyone is okay!

[darthmacho]

Glad to hear that you and your loved ones are okay.

[AgentC]

Oh no. That sounds so scary. Glad everyone is okay.

[stephicakes]

So glad everyone is ok!! You definitely had some :angel::angel::angel: with you!!

My DD and I were in a scary accident in January - we were rear-ended hard by an SUV which pushed us into a truck. Airbags went off and car was totalled... but thankfully we were fine besides minor injuries!

After something scary like that... it sure makes you hug your family tighter, doesn't it??! So thankful you are all ok! :)

[BrerGnat]

Oh Denise, what a horrible way to end a vacation! So thankful that you are all okay!!! :hug:

Thanks for the reminder about being careful. We are driving down to FL at the end of next week and I HATE long drives. I hope the weather cooperates.

[faline]

Whew! So glad there were no injuries! What a frightening experience and, you're right - it's a lousy way to end a vacation!

[DVC2004]

OMG! I am glad you are all OK. How scary that must have been. :(

[Belle of the Ball 051411]

Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you and your family are okay. Great reminder for everyone to be more careful when on the road.

[Auntie B]

You certainly did have angels watching over you! So glad everyone is ok.

[January-2007]

How absolutely terrifying! I am so glad that you and your family are alright!

[disneymom15]

How scary, so glad no one was hurt.

[SBETigg]

How awful for you! I'm glad everyone is safe and well, but that's scary, and of course not good at all. Worse maybe if it happened at the start of your vacation, but not good at any rate. I'm sorry. Sometimes no matter how careful we are, things happen. A reminder for caution at all times.

[Strmchsr]

I'm so sorry that happened! But definitely glad you're okay.

[Dopey's Girl]

Wow, so scary! Happy to hear that nobody was hurt.

[laprana]

So glad to hear that you're all OK! Sounds like someone was watching out for you that day! :thumbsup: That is a terrible way to end your vacation, but a great reminder to all of us to be careful!

[Joannelet]

Oh geez, what a way to end your vacay but thankfully you were all okay! That is what matters most! The car is wrecked but that is replaceable. You and your family are not.
Wet roads can be so bad. Thank you for the reminder to take it slow during ALL weather conditions-even ones we may drive through all of the time.
You definitely had special angels watching over you that day!

[Disney4us2]

OMG... how scary. So glad you were all ok.

[Melanie]

Oh Denise!!! How terrifying. :( I'm so glad you guys are okay. Really! I'm so sorry that happened to you guys.

[brownie]

Glad to hear everyone is ok.

[minnie04]

WOW!! I'm so glad you are all ok. :mickey:

[joonyer]

Most of us tend to forget that driving or riding in a car is one of the most dangerous things we do on a regular basis. And, we are easily distracted form focusing on driving. Be careful everyone. :thumbsup:

[Wolf]

So happy yall are okay, poor thing, I know that must've been awful..

[Katzateer]

Not a great end to your vacation but I am glad you and your family are ok!

[Dyanna]

You deff had some pixie dust & Tinks wings to guide you thru that scary ordeal. Glad everyone made it out safe!

[RedSoxFan]

How awful and scary. Glad everyone is OK.

[princessgirls]

Denise,

That is awful...giving Praise that you and your family are OK.


It's just a terrible thing to have happen.

Julie:mickey:

[buzznwoodysmom]

Just wanted to update. We are finally home. We were supposed to get home Sunday night......didn't get home till around 8:30 this morning. After the accident it was too late to get a rental or really do anything so we had to be dropped off at a hotel with only a few bags I could dig out of the car before the tow truck took it away. We had to order pizza to be delivered for dinner since we were basically stranded.

Monday morning I had to start calling the insurance company and try to find a rental. I was sure we had rental coverage on our policy, turns out we didn't so I was on my own to find a rental. It took a few hours to find a rental car that I didn't have to return to Florida. We didn't get our rental till around 11am, then had to drive the 30 minutes back to the hotel to gather our stuff. Then we had to wait at a McDonald's for a half hour for the tow guy to come get us so we could follow him to where my truck is being held. We had to fit everything that was in my Expedition into a teeny, tiny chevrolet car. I don't even know the name of the car, but it's the smallest car I've ever driven. Somehow we fit everything and were on the road by around 1pm Monday afternoon with 7 hours till home.

The entire drive was through more bad weather. Weather just like I had wrecked in, sometimes the weather was even worse. I was super paranoid and was scared to go over 50-55 for fear that the wet roads would send me spinning again. We were supposed to be home around 8pm-ish, but at 9pm I threw in the towel and we stopped to get a room for the night just a little over and hour shy of home. It was just getting too dangerous to continue driving. It was dark, the rain was so heavy in some spots that it was difficult to see, and I was both exhausted and nervous.

We got up this morning and made the short one hour drive home. I've never been so happy to see my house in all my life. All I really wanted to do was rest today, but I had a very busy schedule. First I had to drop off the rental. My mom then drove me the 30 minutes to my in laws to pick up their Escape they are lending me until hubby gets home and we can go buy a new car. DH is in Germany by the way! Then my boys had a dentist appointment today, I had to bring them shopping for school shoes, uniforms and supplies (they start school on Friday), not to mention groceries for our bare house. I've decided that I much prefer doing a start of summer WDW trip than an end of summer WDW trip. Too much to tend to before school starts back up.

I didn't get any citations regarding the wreck, and there was no damage to any property other than my vehicle, so those were all good things. We were actually planning to get a new vehicle by the end of this year anyway. We almost got something new to have for the trip, but life got busy and we didn't get around to it. Now I'm glad I didn't wreck a brand new car. The most important thing is that we were all uninjured. I agree with all of you that say we had angels watching us. There were no other cars on the overpass at the time. All of the traffic was either a good bit ahead of us, or far enough behind to see what was happening and stop. It could have been much, much worse. The one thing I did find a bit shocking was that with all the cars that saw what happened not one single car stopped to see if we were OK, or needed help. Not a big deal, but I was surprised that as soon as we stopped sliding the traffic just passed us by as if nothing had happened.

As soon as we get settled in at home I'll do some trip reports! This was one of our best trips yet, too bad it had to end on such a bad note!

[vizsla]

Glad to hear everyone is okay.

[azcavalier]

Also glad that you made it home safe.

A couple of years ago when we were leaving WDW to start the 12 hour drive home...the only time i've ever done the drive in one day...we were on I-95 just north of Daytona and I saw an SUV in the oncoming lanes go airborne, about 50 yards in front of me. I was driving an Expedition, and was in the far left lane. The now-airborne SUV was also in their left hand lane, and they were heading straight for us, in the air, slowly flipping and turning so that the car was upside down, but still facing us. They landed in the median and started flipping towards our lane. I already was aware of the vehicles around us, and so I knew I could safely cut across a couple of lanes, and did so. It turned out that it stopped on the shoulder, not ever making it into a lane of traffic, so no other car was hit.

I have no idea what happened to them. We didn't stop....I saw many other cars stopping with people running to assist, and there was nothing that I could offer (and I had a couple of small kids with me). Had my DW been with me (she is a surgeon), we would have stopped to provide medical assistance. But she was on a plane to Arizona. I have often wondered what happened to the people in that vehicle.

In any case, it woke me up. I have no idea how they got airborne. But it was the scariest thing i've ever seen happen in real life. I was quite alert for the next ten hours of the drive.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I'm so glad to hear you made it the rest of the way home safe & sound. And I'm really glad to hear that you didn't buy the new car before the trip.

[disney obsessed]

I am so glad to hear you are all safe and sound!

Then you still had to drive home! Haveing been in an accident myself, that was couragous.

Anna

[buzznwoodysmom]

Then you still had to drive home! Haveing been in an accident myself, that was couragous.

Anna

Trust me the only reason I got back on the road was because I had no other choice. I did not want to do it. On top of that the weather was still horrible for driving.

[BigRedDad]

Glad you are all safe. My brother and his entire family totaled their Suburban and camper on the way for Summer vacation. A complete loss of both.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Glad you are all safe. My brother and his entire family totaled their Suburban and camper on the way for Summer vacation. A complete loss of both.

Oh gosh, I am so sorry to hear that. After going through that myself I really wish that no one ever has to go through it. I hope they were all OK.

As silly as this sounds I was glad that it was on our way home, better to deal with it on the way home than on the way to vacation.