Fast forward to this morning as I am going to work...
I get in my car to go to work this morning. A couple miles down the road, the red lights all turned off and the yellow ABS light turned on. I checked my brakes to see if there was any change at all which there was none and decided that I would TRY to just make it to work. A few more miles down the road, all of the instrument panel went off. This included my headlights, the speedometer, you name it GONE. The car was still running so I called Doug in a panic and was going to stop at the gas station just down the road to figure out what was happening. The road that I drive to work on every day is bordered by farms and nothing else. It doesn't even have a shoulder to pull off onto...
I was on the phone with Doug (and only one hill away from the gas station) when my car completely lost ALL power and started losing speed. I had to react quickly and pull off the road onto the non-existent shoulder and hope that my car didn't roll into the ditch. My car was still partially on the road and causing quite the traffic snarl, so I called 911 to report that my vehicle was causing a hazard. I decided to get out of my car for fear that someone coming around the blind corner behind me would smash into the car.
Within a few minutes, one of my co-workers happened to be driving the same route and pulled over to see if I was okay. Another co-worker happened to stop a few minutes after that. We stood there and waited for the police/tow truck to come. While I was standing there, two other police cars drove by me and a nice man in a pickup truck also stopped and offered to help me if I had a flat tire. The third police car I saw, actually stopped and asked if I needed help. I let him know that I had called 911 and that they were sending someone. He told me that they didn't send him, but that he could help. He parked his car right behind mine, set up flares, and started conducting traffic around my car.
There were accidents on both main routes leading to where I was stranded so it took over an hour for the tow truck to get there. The police officer offered to drive me to the gas station with the tow truck following. There was no room in the front seat, so yes, I got a ride in the BACK of a police car without handcuffs. There wasn't much leg room because of the big barricade, but the leather interior was nice.
The short distance took a while because traffic was so bad so we talked for a while. It turns out that he was getting off a 7pm-7am shift and was on his way home to WV when he saw me there. It was interesting to talk to a police officer for an extended period of time because well he seemed HUMAN. I know this shouldn't be a surprise! I usually imagine cops sitting in their cars all day chuckling evilly and waiting to nab speeders. While we were waiting in traffic, he was getting frustrated with all of the cars speeding by, so he turned on his radar gun and I got to see one work close up. It was pretty interesting. I didn't realize how far away it can actually get your speed. (Note to self: try not to speed so much.)
We got to the gas station and my little brother arrived right after us. I had called home earlier to have my little brother (who is jobless and trying to save for a mission) come and take me to school. The mechanic at the little gas station was really nice and knew right away that it was the alternator. The tow was $85 for the less than 1 mile that my car was taken, but that guy was nice too. Luckily my class had computer lab and music first thing in the morning so my class was basically covered until I got to school at 8:45 an hour and 15 minutes after school started. In writing today, we practiced our letter writing format and wrote to the Loudoun County Police to thank them for what they do.
My car was ready right after school so a coworker dropped me off on her way home. I'm home safe and $400 lighter, but with a new alternator and a new appreciation for police officers.
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