My wild Clemson game weekend

[im4cuse]

Have lived in NoVa since law school at SU 30 years ago, and don't get to more than one or two FB games per year. This was it, to also visit my son ('14) and watch his hockey games at Tennity this weekend. Friday night no drama after cutting it close on plane connections at LGA from DC. Saturday I am headed south on 81 after leaving the mall about 1pm when (during the downpour) BOOM, rear-ended in my rental car, part of a 4-car wreck. Accident caused by an 89-year old woman from Clay (hope she's ok) taken away by ambulance. This was the kind of wreck on 81 you rubber neck for. Two cars totaled and towed away. Sirens, lights, fire dept, cops, etc. I limp back to Avis with both ends of my car shredded, to get another car after about an hour of police reports. Still time to make the hockey game, then head to Dome, where we have seats in 301 on the 50. Get car after lots of paperwork. Drive into town and get off early at Clinton St as things are starting to back up with game traffic. Head south past about the 500 block. Parked at light ready to turn left, when BOOM, something hits the back of the car. Now I've just been rear-ended, so I know what that feels like and this is different. Sounded like a shotgun blast from a Mossberg 500. Actually it was an iron railroad spike, hurled from the freight train overpass. Direct hit on the back window. Once I moved, the whole glass caved in. A passerby (wearing a Clemson t-shirt BTW) says, "Hey did you see that kid?" pointing above. Well I didn't and he was long gone by the time I got out. Clemson guy hands me the spike. I call 911. Needless to say Syracuse PD have other fish to fry on game day. Unmarked police car pulls up and asks if I've been shot. Wow. I have lived in DC, so I get urban crime, but the manner in which he asked suggested it was no big deal to be shot on So. Clinton Street in Syracuse. Told me to follow him to the public safety building to fill out a report. More paperwork (online) and waiting around. Limp back to Avis with the nice breeze blowing through, for car #3. More paperwork. Drive back without incident, see the last 4 minutes of the hockey game (SU 5-3 over West Chester) then made the second half at the Dome, to see a wreck of a different sort. At least this wreck was expected. Spent the evening dealing with insurance.

So, sorry I missed the tailgate!

Today on my flight back, I was on plane with new Chancellor and chatted him up. Cool guy, wearing a nice orange sweater with his navy blazer. Told him I wouldn't hold his Hoya roots against him. -0

I'll let you know when I'm coming next, so you all can get out of the road.

 

[Toga]

and I think some other (local) poster was annoyed because he didn't allot himself enough time to park and effortlessly enter the Dome what with parking and security issues. I just know I wouldn't have wanted to be on that flight you took back. I think I would have soiled myself knowing I was on the same plane as you this weekend.

 

[rrlbees]

Wow! Glad you're OK.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Acuse]

Jesus christ...what a day. I hope you're alright. Sorry to hear about all the trouble.

 

[4evaOrange]

Crazyyyyyy

 

[Shermthegeneral]

Wow! And I thought I had it bad when I had to wait an hour after the game for AAA because I drained my battery while tailgating! Accidents happen but What is wrong with today's youth?!?!?

 

[cto]

And I thought I had had a weird rental-car weekend...

Showed up at the Hertz counter at Syracuse airport on Thursday, expecting to get my normal little Toyota. Guy says, "We have an upgrade for you; are you comfortable with an SUV?" Since I own an RX 350 (the smaller Lexus SUV), I say sure. So I go to the parking lot to find my SUV. It turns out to be a MONSTER 8-passenger Mercedes. But I'm okay with it... until I turn it on. I literally cannot find the gear-shift thing. It is not on the center console, and there's no shift stalk on the steering column. So I go to the guy who handles rental returns and start to explain my problem. He starts to laugh... and says, "Everyone has the same problem." So he explains it's a button system on the steering column. So I drive off to the Sheraton Hotel... where 98 percent of parking spaces are too small for this behemoth, but I manage to find some that work for the next few days. Then, yesterday, I start to drive back to the airport ... in a literal monsoon... and I cannot find the windshield wipers... forcing me to pull off to the side of the road to search for them. Turns out they are on the SAME lefthand stalk as the headlight control.. rather than on the normal right-hand stalk. Anyhow.. moral of story..sometimes you should look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[xc84]

You handled it much better than I would have. Sorry to hear of your troubles on your trip and hope the next one is without incident.

As for the police, it jogged my memory of a time when I was in Rochester a while back at a city park attending a work picnic. I left my briefcase and some other things in the car only to realize, when I returned, that someone had smashed the window and stole everything in there. It was broad daylight with a ton of people around but no one stepped up to say they saw anything. Anyways, when I called the cops I got a voice response system akin to "If you are the victim of a burglary, please press 1, if you are the have been ... please press 2..." Eventually it got me to a point where I was instructed to answer a series of questions which I did... and never heard a peep from anyone since.

 

[uproar84]

What flight were you out of LGA on Friday night? The 7.30?

 

[im4cuse]

What flight were you out of LGA on Friday night? The 7.30?

I left late afternoon, 3:30 on Delta. I heard all the later ones were oversold. (so was the 3:30)

 

[uproar84]

Ahhh, got it. I was on the 7.30. Don't think it was full, but close. I was surprised-- I didn't see a single 'Cuse fan (at least not one wearing any garb), but there were about 12-15 Clemson fans on the flight.

 

[SaltineWar]

Have lived in NoVa since law school at SU 30 years ago

My condolences.