Run off the road and left stranded by Pyramid Lake!

[zk_wolf]

I guess our "community" stops at the pavement for too many people. Perhaps it's a bad sign, and the growing population of BRC doesn't equate to a growing community.

Here's what happened-- if you have any information about the girl who ran us off the road and left us there, please help us out!

We went through the Exodus Monday morning, leaving our camp just before 9:00AM. We were just a few miles before Pyramid Lake, and it was probably between noon and 1:00PM. We were in a silver Volvo station wagon. Several cars were backed up behind a slow RV, and we moved into the other lane to pass. There was a purple or dark blue SUV between us and the RV, maybe a Honda CRV or one with a similar body. As we passed it, it pulled out into our lane, forcing us to either crash into it or run off the other side of the road. The driver was a woman in her early 20's with blue eyes and a blond ponytail.

We barely missed a roadside post and are lucky the car didn't roll as we crashed through the ditch and into the desert bushes. We blew a tire, and needed a tow truck (hours later) to pull us out of the ditch so we could make it as far as Reno for a new tire.

The really awful, inexcusable thing is that no one who actually saw this happen stopped to see if anyone was hurt or help out. My passenger looked the driver of the SUV right in the face as she ran us off the road, so she's out there and knows she could have been responsible for two deaths or injuries. She hit the gas and took off instead. The other cars in line behind the RV saw what happened and kept driving. The first to actually stop and help out were the county sherrifs about fifteen minutes later. We could have died in that time had we been seriously injured. There were some great burners who stopped to help out. (Bless you, Jason!) But this may be the first time I was ever excited to see a police car pull up to mine, after a steady stream of our "community" passed by our car stranded in the bushes without any notice.

Is Burning Man becoming a drunken, drug-crazed party that offers up some art and "community" as a pretense for deeper meaning?

If anyone has information about the car or driver responsible for this, please let us know.

[BoxaRox]

Radical self-reliance strikes. (or not)

You don't get a lot of sympathy from me, I'm afraid. Passing on that highway during exodus is taking your life in your hands. (as you now know) When you take your life in your hands it is your own responsibility when you almost die. Passing? In a nearly bumper to bumper stream of cars. You're an idjit.

My guess is that you were going too fucking fast in the left lane, and got cut off by a person of stupidity rivaling your own. Failure to have control of your vehicle. Perthaps you should have hit them, then you'd at least have someone to share the blame with. As it is, YOU went in the ditch. THEY win. Whine all you want.

Did you try to flag anyone down? (even though stopping along that road during exodus would be suicide for anyone who tried it?) You expect people to worry about you and risk their life because you got in trouble while you were doing something stupid and MIGHT be bleeding.

Ain't nobody else's job to worry about your dumb ass.

Don't be stupid next time. Thank your stars nobody died.

[Clar-i-ty]

I saw you just as help arrived. Unfortunately it is sometimes hard to stop. I winced as we drove by, I'm really sorry for your misfortune. It's ponytail girl's bad ju-ju now.

[Bob]

What speed were you people clocking?

[Token]

What BR said.

Consider this "stupid tax" and count your blessings that you are alive.

[skygod]

I saw two post-accidents as I left about the same time: One involved a green car upside down about 30 feet off the road, actually over the barbed wire fence, which was undamaged, meaning they flew over the fence. One woman driver/passenger was sitting up and being attended to by many burners.
The other was a silver volvo upside down in the ditch, noone around.

[julie_c]

passing on that road is so very DANGEROUS...just be patient and enjoy the ride...anyways, hope the inconsiderate, dangerous, dumbass, pony-tailed byatch does get found out!!

[zk_wolf]

Some of these replies just make my point. Uh, I suppose that you didn't see anyone in BRC last week do anything stupid that could get them hurt? And if they did, you would presumably leave them on the ground and move along to the next party? Maybe some folks were just raised to ignore and mock people in need of help. In 1998, my distributor crapped out a few miles out of Empire in pouring rain, and people still found it possible to stop and lend a hand.

For stretches of the highway between Empire and Wadsworth, the traffic was fairly sparse, with clusters of cars and slow-moving RVs and trucks. Lots of people were passing, and it could be done safely while still keeping under the speed limit. We were probably going between 60-70mph in a 70 mph zone. If passing is so forbidden, why bother painting those yellow lines telling you when its safe to pass? For most of the drive, it was pretty much a solid line of cars, and stupid/impossible to pass. Some tried, but we were not among them.

Besides, it wasn't the accident that pissed me off so intensely. We were furious that the person responsible decided to flee the scene instead of helping out. I'm no dumbass, accidents happen, especially in BRC. But anyone here making rationalizations for hit-and-run drivers can get bent. You probably blame the victim for the rape also. And hold the poor responsible for their own misfortune.

[AntiM]

Wait, you passed THREE vehicles, including the RV? Sure it was hit and run for Ms. Ponytail to flee the scene, but if she was right behind the RV, she had a reasonable expectation of legally and safely passing the slow vehicle without some FOOL coming up behind her. Yes, she should have looked, she did make a big mistake, but so did you. YOU should not have tried to pass MORE than one vehicle. I don't even have a damn driver's license and I know that fucking much about road rules and safety.

You have some of my sympathy, but not very much. That finger you're pointing is bending a few back at yourself.

Every year, every damn year, there's posts about "the community" not helping someone along the narrow and dangerous to pull over soft shouldered highway. Every year there's accidents on 447, most of which could have been avoided by driving safely and soberly, not to mention PATIENTLY. The bad accident I saw was caused by someone's unsecured parachute tangling under an RV. Radical self-reliance includes being SAFE so you don't get your ass, or anyone else's ass, in a sling.

[Toolmaker]

Trying to pass during exodus is just plain retarded. You are lucky to be alive after trying a stunt like that. Just because you are allowed to pass doesn't mean you should.

[alienfry]

GOD FORBID PEOPLE TAKE RESPONSABILITY FOR THEMSELVES!

i've gotten hurt doing some dumb shit in my day. i don't pass the buck when the world doesn't stop for me.

wipe your own ass, dude.

[run_w_xcors]

Yeah, it's really sad you got run off the road, but I'm with alot of the people in here in that you were in the wrong.

1. Don't pass more than one car
2. Be patient during the Exodus, it saves pain

Of course, I do believe that once most people pack their bags and leave their camp they put BM behind them. One thing that cracks me up is when people try line hopping so they can get out of BM a whoppin 2 minutes earlier. Sure we're going slow and the likelihood of an accident is low, but why? Just be patient, the price of going to Burning Man is traffic on the way out (well, unless you're creative with your Exodus). My patience allowed me to squeeze in both Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory as well as Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail! Talk about fortune!

[5x5]

i actually was behind you when that happened - probably a few dozen cars back. we saw the dust from when you went off road, and i slowed considerably not knowing if it was an intentional pull off or dust devil or what.

i felt horrible when i saw your car there, and i saw the passenger getting out of the car and it appeared that no major (life threatening) damage was done. i considered what to do, whether to stop. however, there was NO safe place to pull off the road myself, i was driving a friend's van that i am unfamiliar with and don't want to risk trouble/getting stuck myself, and there was nothing i would be able to do for you. i figured someone who could help or could contact help would be able to do much more than i could....

so, i felt for you when i passed, but knew there wasn't anything i could do, and that's why i (and i'm sure many others) did not stop. i think i passed a total of one slow RV in the entire trip there and back, because i've heard the horror stories, it wasn't my car i was driving, and it was my first time on those roads.

i am glad you guys were ok. please don't be so harsh on those who could not stop, there really is no safe place along most of that road to pull over. and please, drive safer in the future. was getting ahead of several cars worth sitting in the ditch for hours? the price could have been much higher.... (yes i realize the other driver was in the wrong as well, but as it's been said, passing 1 car let alone more is very dangerous and not a wise choice)

[zk_wolf]

I appreciate the feedback. Clearly not much sympathy here, even though I do believe we were passing safely-- clear straight view, dotted line OK to pass, and the only car btw us and the SUV had made no effort to pass.

Obviously we'll be strongly disinclined to pass again on that highway.

But some of the comments here are just obscene. I can take responsibility for my actions, and always have-- if I had lost control of the car, swerved because of oncoming traffic, etc. But what about the other driver who never looked, never signalled, and never stopped to take responsibility for their own actions? Does responsibility only goes one way?

Folks like Alienfry can screw off. If I shit myself, I wipe it myself. If someone else shits on me, it's a different story. If someone else causes harm to you while you were doing something that might be called unsafe, you better remember what you said, shut up, and take it as it comes.

[stargeezer]

I appreciate the feedback. Clearly not much sympathy here, even though I do believe we were passing safely-- clear straight view, dotted line OK to pass, and the only car btw us and the SUV had made no effort to pass.

Obviously we'll be strongly disinclined to pass again on that highway.

But some of the comments here are just obscene. I can take responsibility for my actions, and always have-- if I had lost control of the car, swerved because of oncoming traffic, etc. But what about the other driver who never looked, never signalled, and never stopped to take responsibility for their own actions? Does responsibility only goes one way?

Folks like Alienfry can screw off. If I shit myself, I wipe it myself. If someone else shits on me, it's a different story. If someone else causes harm to you while you were doing something that might be called unsafe, you better remember what you said, shut up, and take it as it comes.

I live in the mountains between the "big city" and all the little tourist traps. What you have described has happened here all too often. People that drive only on two lane roads are not near as good about insuring the left lane is open before pulling into it, as those of you that always drive the freeways. What ponytail girl did was wrong without doubt. What I believe others are trying to say, in not such a sensitive way, is that you cannot control the actions of the ponytail girls of this world, but you can control your own. Whenever I am passing someone on a two lane road, I am watching the other driver as much or more that I am watching the road, and I am always ready for a quick evasive action to avoid an accident, and it has saved my butt more than I can count. I am not claiming you did anything wrong, but your defensive driving skills are probably much better on your freeways than on our narrow two lane roads.

[Acerzen]

wow, that really sucks. First you get ran off the road, then nobody stops to help for awhile, then you get smeared here too. I mean, where is the compassion?

I don't exactly know where Pyramid Lake is (I didn't take that route, I don't think so anyway) but I know that I was passed many times on my 24 hour trip home and that I also passed many people on that trip. This is part of driving long distance. Who doesn't pass?

If I had seen your accident, I know that if it had been safe for me to do so, I would have stopped.

However, in my experience, if I didn't see the accident and could see that you either had a cell phone or were being attended to AND seemed fine (walking around, etc), I would not have stopped. Too many people make for a very chaotic accident scene.

Burning Man or not, being pushed off the road, without any concern or care from the other drivers on the road, then blamed for being driven off the road is just plain inconsiderate, mean and lacks compassion. I am sorry you went through that.

[MrMullen]

wow, that really sucks. First you get ran off the road, then nobody stops to help for awhile, then you get smeared here too. I mean, where is the compassion?

This is not being compassionate but pointing out they screwed up really bad and almost got killed doing it.

Take your time driving up the 447 and don't do anything dumb and expect us to feel sorry for you. That stretch of road is dangerous with all those people on it and if you get hurt, it is going to take a long time for someone to come a get you.

Sometimes the best compassion is calling someone an idiot so they know it and not repeating their mistakes again.

[Bob]

That's one of the windiest stretches of route 34. Lots of cattle too. Don't try to pass a cow at the speed limit either, they tend to insist on their own right-of-way.

[Acerzen]

I am betting this person already knows how risky it was to do that, since they were involved in the accident. I am also thinking the 'I told you so' or the 'You should have known better' is better left to the catholic guilt ridden parents that insist on you feeling guilty also, not to compassionate sympathetic to empathetic people.

I am also betting this person won't make the same mistake again based off of their own experience, not off of anyone shaming or humiliating them.

If I get in an accident and it was scary and disheartening, I will be sure not to take it to this forum for advice or discussion or support. I too have learned something from this post. 'nuff said by me.

This is not being compassionate but pointing out they screwed up really bad and almost got killed doing it.

Take your time driving up the 447 and don't do anything dumb and expect us to feel sorry for you. That stretch of road is dangerous with all those people on it and if you get hurt, it is going to take a long time for someone to come a get you.

Sometimes the best compassion is calling someone an idiot so they know it and not repeating their mistakes again.

[Kinetik V]

I've read and re-read the scenario....and with thousands of hours of 2-lane highway driving experience and a metric fuckton of sucessful passes under my belt including passes on NV 447 I don't see why people are giving zk_wolf any shit. It's not deserved. Quite simply they were already out in that lane and attempting to make a successful pass. The pony tailed driver didn't make sure the lane was clear and she pulled her vehicle out into the lane when she had the obligation to stay put....in short if someone had been able to get her plate number the cost of this crash should be hung on her stupid ass. If someone saw this and was thoughtful enough to record that plate, they need to call the NHP and file a report.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nevada DOT Driver handbook, Page 35: Passing, 2-lane road.
http://www.dmvnv.com/pdfforms/dlbook.pdf

Passing Another Vehicle
Safe passing rules depend on the type of street or highway you are using. However, you should never
exceed the speed limit to pass and you may never use the shoulder of the road to pass.
Passing is not safe...
On two-lane roads
• On two-lane roads where traffic moves in opposite directions
you may pass on the left only when:
— You can see clearly ahead and there is no immediate
oncoming traffic;
— There is a broken yellow line on the highway or when the
broken yellow line is in your lane; and
— It is safe to do so.
• When passing on a two-lane road, turn your left signal light on
100 feet ahead in business or residential areas, or 300 feet
ahead in other areas. After you have passed, pull back into
your lane when you can see the vehicle you passed in your
rear-view mirror.
• You must not pass on a two-lane road:
— When coming to a curve or the top of a hill where you
cannot see far enough ahead to be sure it is safe;
— At a street crossing or within 100 feet of it;
— At a railroad crossing or within 100 feet of it;
— Where there is a double solid yellow line on the highway;
or
— Where there are signs prohibiting it.
• When another vehicle comes up behind yours and signals to
pass, move to the right in your travel lane and let it pass.
Never speed up when another vehicle is passing you.

~~~~~~

Regardless of what the law says or doesn't say, you are responsible to operate your vehicle in a safe mannner. In this case that includes making sure that lane is totally clear, front and back before attempting the pass.

Emotionally people can spin this any fucking way they want...but again I see this case as a clear cut fuckup with liability belonging to the pony-tailed dumbass who whipped her vehicle into the oncoming lane without looking. She needs to be financially hung for this shit.