On the Skids in Carbon Canyon #614: A Passing Fancy

Here it was on a Friday night at a quarter to nine in the evening. Motoring along at 50 mph eastbound on Carbon Canyon Road where the road had just narrowed from six lanes to two, I noticed the bright halogen headlights approaching rapidly behind me, but I'd already merged over to the two-lane portion. Undaunted, the silver BMW accelerated and not only passed me, but also the two cars that were just ahead of me.

I'll say that again: at night, on a two-lane road, with a curve approaching, this "person" passed three cars doing at least 60 mph. The two cars ahead of me turned off at Olinda Village, so they, like me, probably cursed or shook our heads for a moment and, perhaps, put it out of their minds, resigned to the fact that this happens far more than it should. Fortunately, for those of us who were passed and for those who were approaching from the east a few seconds later, nothing happened. Just like nothing happened around 8 this morning when a motorcyclists passed several cars in Sleepy Hollow.

But, I'm reminded, whenever I see or experience something like this about an accident that my wife and I came upon about ten years ago at the bottom of the hill leading out of Olinda Village. Three cars were involved, one had gone off the northern side and into a culvert (that's happened more than a few times even in the five years I've lived in the Canyon) and the other two were askew on the road. In a silver truck, there was a person with a bloodied face and in shock. Another person, presumably from this vehicle was stretched out on the road injured. I didn't see if there were any other injuries and, being one of the first cars on the scene, I called 9-1-1, got out a blanket for the person on the ground, and did whatever else I could. Within a few minutes, a police car arrived and we left.

This could have very well happened again tonight, although I'm sure Speed Racer knew exactly what he (I'll go out on a limb here and assume this "person" was a male) was doing.

Anyway, it's easy, when you live in the Canyon, to get jaded and maybe this is, after all, another pointless exercise in useless documentation, but, as I've said before, it may take innocent deaths to raise some awareness (or not) about the recklessness that occurs daily and frequently on Carbon Canyon Road.