Beautiful Winter Hazards

When I was middle-aged and reasonably experienced in winter driving, I was run off an icy road by a passing suburban utility vehicle going the usual speed limit of 45 MPH in a beautiful, deadly blizzard. I was on my way home from work in rural Illinois, driving 8 to 10 MPH in the right-hand lane, trying to see through the driving snow and to avoid the iciest patches. I was crying with fatigue and white-knuckle tense knowing that this hazardous winter drive would last for hours as my home was 1 ½ hours away on a good day.

There was no impact, just the abrupt draft from the heavy SUV as it sped past my sedan sending me sideways down into the winter field. I got out to see what the situation was, saw the beauty of that Illinois winter landscape, and immediately took this photograph. A police office was by my side within seconds, asking if I was okay. Yes. I asked him what had happened and he said that he had been following me and saw the SUV blast me off the road. He kindly, regretfully assured me that even if I had been going 5 MPH I would have ended up in the ditch. I started my car, drove up onto the road, and continued on through the winter.

Blasted Off The Road By A SUV

by Annmarie Throckmorton—a long time ago