Scary night.
We just got into Branson this evening. We checked in at the Econo Lodge. We had a swim. After that we decided to check out the breakfast room. There's a little outdoor area. We were standing out there...
I looked down the street, and probably 200 yards or so away, I see a car driving on the sidewalk- fast!
I yelled at my family to get out of the way. I grabbed my son Chase and pushed him out of the way. My wife got our son Owen. The car missed by 5 feet or less. We were lucky to survive.
None of us were hurt, including the driver of the car who worked at the moon river I think.
I would write more, but I'm on the iPad.
We're all a bit traumatized, but we'll endeavor to have a good vacation.
I'll try to post a pic
(http://t.co/ILpVHEFe)
http://t.co/ILpVHEFe (http://t.co/ILpVHEFe)
Oh wow! I'm so glad you and your family are all okay!
Glad you are all ok. What caused the driver to crash?
wow! glad ya'r alright! always gotta be alert these days, thank God all ya'r senses were working.
WOW!!! glad you were paying attention! What caused driver to loose con trol?
The driver didn't remember any of it.
Of course we were suspicious...the cops did a field sobriety test and I think they were satisfied that he wasn't drunk. None of us smelled alcohol on him.
He didn't appear to have a scratch on him...
But they took him away by ambulance anyway.
Brothers and sisters... I'm one of those people who remains very calm in these situations. Things don't hit me until much later. Wow. Just wow. My family and I were literally feet from dying!
Ah well. I'm going to try to forget about it today while I'm at SDC. Perhaps i'll see one of you there. I'll be the tall guy in the Lady Gaga shirt ;)
I'll repeat your words - Wow! Just wow! And in my words - How scary!
I got the call soon after it happened and Rick let me know that your family was seconds away from getting hit. I am so relieved you all are okay and so sorry this happened! It is from brief understanding that the guy driving the car may of had a seizure which caused him to lose control. We are just so relieved again that no one was hurt including Rick who was behind the desk when it happened. They are working hard to get the lobby repaired but has not hurt normal day to day business. It's my understanding breakfast, etc is all good. If any new details I will be sure to post.
Thanks Paige. Yeah, the only other thing I could think of is maybe he was distracted (texting or something). That would explain him leaving the road and missing the light poles etc. but why wouldn't he have just hit the brakes? A blackout/seizure makes the most sense.
I can't stop thinking about the whole thing. Walking anywhere near the street is feaking me out...
Whatever caused the crash, I'm just glad you're all alright. NOT the kind of vacation story you want to hear, especially from Branson!
Good to hear that you and your family were not injured. There was another incident this week of someone driving on the sidewalk on 76; that driver did hit some one and then took off. More in this from Hometown Daily News:
http://www.hometowndailynews.com/11251/update_truck_strikes_pedestrian_on_sidewalk_.html
I stopped by the Andy Williams Moon River Grill -- where the guy worked. The maître d' said that the guy was suffering from heat exhaustion.
There have been many reports of heat exhaustion here in Branson including fire fighters. It is something we don't always think about and the effects the heat has on our bodies. I'm asking my staff to take extra breaks and we provide plenty of water to ensure all is good.
Coal, again we are just so relieved you and your family are okay and that I did get a chance to talk to you today. We look forward to seeing you again soon!
Thanks Paige!
Really appreciate it. For what it's worth we really liked the Econo Lodge. We'll be back. Thanks!
That's incredible! Some things in life are all about being in the right place, or the wrong place at the right time. Thankfully, you and you were family were in the right place, albeit cutting it close. :o
Here's a link to my column about the incident. :)
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/14/3760685/eric-winkler-vacation-came-with.html (http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/14/3760685/eric-winkler-vacation-came-with.html)
That was a good article and glad you were able to write about what happened, we all here know what an experience like that must have been. The damage to the building is fixable but not so easy to fix the emotional part of what you went through. Hope you and your family are doing well! Been thinking about you all! :)