I had the strangest encounter today and just feel like I have to tell somebody about it

[Mgderf]

"Have you ever once in your life been lost on the road, observed a police officer on an active traffic accident or traffic stop, and decided that the proper course of action is not to ask the (currently occupied) police officer for directions, but to bypass him entirely in favor of asking the subject of the traffic stop?"

No, but you can't deduce much from my experiences.
I've never seen a sunset in the south of France. I've never climbed summited Mount Rainier.
I've never robbed a liquor store. I've never seen a baby Jaguar born in Costa Rica.
I've never run for political office. I've never made a meatloaf. I've never seen Neil Diamond live in concert.
I've never fired an M134. I've never eaten breakfast at a Denny's in New Hampshire.
All in all, I guess it's been a fairly boring life.

O.k., alright, but did you stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night?

 

[jsx1043]

We could play a fun game, like: Crash on an S-curve or a mated pair of snakes that just ate a family of gerbils?

Speaking of fun, when we first got the computer crash program there was no image for a deer. There was a moose, an alligator, an armadillo, a tank, a tank turret, etc. etc. but no deer. We were told to use a moose and downsize it until we got a deer. The program had multiple layers, but once you saved it it was all one layer with things on top overwriting anything underneath, so I hid a tiny alligator under something, usually a bush or tree, in every crash report I ever did. There's no way to know it's there, but *I* know, and it amused me.

I too honed my crash investigation skills under Mike Snow with a template and fine pencil (then pen) work. I somewhat miss the old days, with a radio, an MDT, a pager the size of a pack of cigarettes and a file box full of affidavits.

 

[DadSmith]

I've actually been asked for directions while I had someone at gunpoint on the side of the road.

I hope you had a dash camera or something that recorded that. It would make a very funny YouTube video.

 

[2tonic]

.....The way you were leaning on your car, just screamed cool. I knew then, that you were the knowledgeable
one in the group;....
....If I had known you were a fellow INGOer, we could've met for a pi e e pizza in. re ville. (garbled in transmission).

You gotta take the "L" for this one, pal.
Anyone who looks that cool and knowledgeable has to be an INGO member.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I too honed my crash investigation skills under Mike Snow with a template and fine pencil (then pen) work. I somewhat miss the old days, with a radio, an MDT, a pager the size of a pack of cigarettes and a file box full of affidavits.

I still have my pager and use it when I'm on call for EOD.

 

[Hatin Since 87]

It's weird out there. I hope he found his way to Mooresville.

I made it home!

 

[larrys0227]

Early this afternoon I'm driving eastbound on 465 on the south side of town, when the guy in the lane next to me decides to YOLO into my lane without looking or signaling. I can't dodge without putting myself into a cement construction barrier (of course), so he bumps me a little. Pretty minor scrapes and a ding on my car, a little worse on his. We drive past the construction zone and pull over at the 65 interchange.

I sit on hold with IMPD for five minutes, get bumped to ISP, and they dispatch a cruiser for a report. We sit on the side of the road for an hour, during which time I learn that the guy driving isn't the owner, it's his passenger's car. I put two and two together pretty quick and figure out she probably doesn't have insurance. That's fun. I hand out a couple bottles of water and we sit and wait.

Eventually the trooper shows up. Straight out of central casting, young, lean, mustache. Swear to god he looks at his reflection in the window and fixes his hat before walking up. I tell him what happened, hand over my info, he gets what he can from the other people, and he goes back to the cruiser. So he's in the cruiser, the other driver and passenger are huddled in their car, and I'm standing in the open leaning against my car. Because, you know, it's important to look cool.

Here's the weird part: While I'm standing there, two old jalopies pull over onto the shoulder behind the cruiser. I think "all right, Player Three has entered the game". A short, skinny older man who looks vaguely Jamaican hops out and makes a beeline straight for me. Walks past the cruiser with the lights on. Walks past the other car. Walks straight up to me. Big smile on his face, couple teeth missing. He's close to the ethnicity of the lady in the car, so I'm thinking "Dad? Actual owner of the car? Come to sort this out/dump my body at the side of the road?".

Nope. He starts asking me how to get to Mooresville. Directions. He explains that with the weekend ramp closures on the south side, he got lost and can't figure out his GPS and needs instructions for how to get turned around and heading back westbound towards Mooresville. I ask him "so, you're not involved in any of this?", and he just goes "huh? No" and looks behind him like he's noticing it all for the first time.

I didn't know what to do. I just gave him the directions. I pointed out that he needed to skip the 65 ramp, because it was an interstate, and go down to the next one and use one of the stoplights to u-turn and get back on 465WB. He smiles again, says thanks, walks back to his car, and he and the second car in his little convoy put on their signals and drive off.

I do not think the trooper looked up from his computer once during this entire interaction.

Eventually trooper comes up and gives me my documents back. I ask about the lady's insurance, and ehhhhh looks like they're working on it. Again, fun. Now I'm waiting on him to ask me what that whole thing with Player Three was about. He doesn't. He doesn't acknowledge it at all. Now I'm actually wondering if I hallucinated the entire conversation. I can't leave it at that, so I pipe up and tell him about the guy asking for directions. His response? "Huh? Oh, okay. Well drive safe, we're all set here."

Let me ask y'all this, as guys who have been alive on this earth for a ***long*** time: Have you ever once in your life been lost on the road, observed a police officer on an active traffic accident or traffic stop, and decided that the proper course of action is not to ask the (currently occupied) police officer for directions, but to bypass him entirely in favor of asking the subject of the traffic stop?

It's weird out there. I hope he found his way to Mooresville.

I think you might have just witnessed the results of lowering standards to fill recruiting numbers.

 

[Zippy665]

Early this afternoon I'm driving eastbound on 465 on the south side of town, when the guy in the lane next to me decides to YOLO into my lane without looking or signaling. I can't dodge without putting myself into a cement construction barrier (of course), so he bumps me a little. Pretty minor scrapes and a ding on my car, a little worse on his. We drive past the construction zone and pull over at the 65 interchange.

I sit on hold with IMPD for five minutes, get bumped to ISP, and they dispatch a cruiser for a report. We sit on the side of the road for an hour, during which time I learn that the guy driving isn't the owner, it's his passenger's car. I put two and two together pretty quick and figure out she probably doesn't have insurance. That's fun. I hand out a couple bottles of water and we sit and wait.

Eventually the trooper shows up. Straight out of central casting, young, lean, mustache. Swear to god he looks at his reflection in the window and fixes his hat before walking up. I tell him what happened, hand over my info, he gets what he can from the other people, and he goes back to the cruiser. So he's in the cruiser, the other driver and passenger are huddled in their car, and I'm standing in the open leaning against my car. Because, you know, it's important to look cool.

Here's the weird part: While I'm standing there, two old jalopies pull over onto the shoulder behind the cruiser. I think "all right, Player Three has entered the game". A short, skinny older man who looks vaguely Jamaican hops out and makes a beeline straight for me. Walks past the cruiser with the lights on. Walks past the other car. Walks straight up to me. Big smile on his face, couple teeth missing. He's close to the ethnicity of the lady in the car, so I'm thinking "Dad? Actual owner of the car? Come to sort this out/dump my body at the side of the road?".

Nope. He starts asking me how to get to Mooresville. Directions. He explains that with the weekend ramp closures on the south side, he got lost and can't figure out his GPS and needs instructions for how to get turned around and heading back westbound towards Mooresville. I ask him "so, you're not involved in any of this?", and he just goes "huh? No" and looks behind him like he's noticing it all for the first time.

I didn't know what to do. I just gave him the directions. I pointed out that he needed to skip the 65 ramp, because it was an interstate, and go down to the next one and use one of the stoplights to u-turn and get back on 465WB. He smiles again, says thanks, walks back to his car, and he and the second car in his little convoy put on their signals and drive off.

I do not think the trooper looked up from his computer once during this entire interaction.

Eventually trooper comes up and gives me my documents back. I ask about the lady's insurance, and ehhhhh looks like they're working on it. Again, fun. Now I'm waiting on him to ask me what that whole thing with Player Three was about. He doesn't. He doesn't acknowledge it at all. Now I'm actually wondering if I hallucinated the entire conversation. I can't leave it at that, so I pipe up and tell him about the guy asking for directions. His response? "Huh? Oh, okay. Well drive safe, we're all set here."

Let me ask y'all this, as guys who have been alive on this earth for a ***long*** time: Have you ever once in your life been lost on the road, observed a police officer on an active traffic accident or traffic stop, and decided that the proper course of action is not to ask the (currently occupied) police officer for directions, but to bypass him entirely in favor of asking the subject of the traffic stop?

It's weird out there. I hope he found his way to Mooresville.

Sorry if I did this wrong, but first time reply but I'll throw my hat in. A lot of people, especially those from different countries or economic differences that have a lot of distrust in police. So you may have looked like the coolest person in that line up... Maybe???

 

[Griz375]

Early this afternoon I'm driving eastbound on 465 on the south side of town, when the guy in the lane next to me decides to YOLO into my lane without looking or signaling. I can't dodge without putting myself into a cement construction barrier (of course), so he bumps me a little. Pretty minor scrapes and a ding on my car, a little worse on his. We drive past the construction zone and pull over at the 65 interchange.

I sit on hold with IMPD for five minutes, get bumped to ISP, and they dispatch a cruiser for a report. We sit on the side of the road for an hour, during which time I learn that the guy driving isn't the owner, it's his passenger's car. I put two and two together pretty quick and figure out she probably doesn't have insurance. That's fun. I hand out a couple bottles of water and we sit and wait.

Eventually the trooper shows up. Straight out of central casting, young, lean, mustache. Swear to god he looks at his reflection in the window and fixes his hat before walking up. I tell him what happened, hand over my info, he gets what he can from the other people, and he goes back to the cruiser. So he's in the cruiser, the other driver and passenger are huddled in their car, and I'm standing in the open leaning against my car. Because, you know, it's important to look cool.

Here's the weird part: While I'm standing there, two old jalopies pull over onto the shoulder behind the cruiser. I think "all right, Player Three has entered the game". A short, skinny older man who looks vaguely Jamaican hops out and makes a beeline straight for me. Walks past the cruiser with the lights on. Walks past the other car. Walks straight up to me. Big smile on his face, couple teeth missing. He's close to the ethnicity of the lady in the car, so I'm thinking "Dad? Actual owner of the car? Come to sort this out/dump my body at the side of the road?".

Nope. He starts asking me how to get to Mooresville. Directions. He explains that with the weekend ramp closures on the south side, he got lost and can't figure out his GPS and needs instructions for how to get turned around and heading back westbound towards Mooresville. I ask him "so, you're not involved in any of this?", and he just goes "huh? No" and looks behind him like he's noticing it all for the first time.

I didn't know what to do. I just gave him the directions. I pointed out that he needed to skip the 65 ramp, because it was an interstate, and go down to the next one and use one of the stoplights to u-turn and get back on 465WB. He smiles again, says thanks, walks back to his car, and he and the second car in his little convoy put on their signals and drive off.

I do not think the trooper looked up from his computer once during this entire interaction.

Eventually trooper comes up and gives me my documents back. I ask about the lady's insurance, and ehhhhh looks like they're working on it. Again, fun. Now I'm waiting on him to ask me what that whole thing with Player Three was about. He doesn't. He doesn't acknowledge it at all. Now I'm actually wondering if I hallucinated the entire conversation. I can't leave it at that, so I pipe up and tell him about the guy asking for directions. His response? "Huh? Oh, okay. Well drive safe, we're all set here."

Let me ask y'all this, as guys who have been alive on this earth for a ***long*** time: Have you ever once in your life been lost on the road, observed a police officer on an active traffic accident or traffic stop, and decided that the proper course of action is not to ask the (currently occupied) police officer for directions, but to bypass him entirely in favor of asking the subject of the traffic stop?

It's weird out there. I hope he found his way to Mooresville.

Or at least somewhat distant from your AO . . . . .

 

[Cameramonkey]

I still have my pager and use it when I'm on call for EOD.

OK. Sure, Grandpa. Time for your meds.


OK, So pagers are still a thing for docs and EOD.
Duly noted.