Pics From the Traffic Accident Site From Last Week

These photos are really in the reverse order than what I intended, but I'm still getting used to posting pics and videos. 

So the bottom, fourth, pic shows the southern approach along 472 to the accident site on the left of 472, about three phone poles down just over the roof of that mushroom house, in the field on the left. This bottom pic also shows the mushroom house on the left and that was where the State Police cruiser, ambulance, and two other vehicles, were parked. The accident was about a tenth of a mile south of them on the same side. 

The third photo down also shows the same info but with me approaching just south of the Buchanan's farm sign. On one of the two bottom photos, I used a photo editing tool to circle the accident site. 

The second photo down shows the mark in the side of the road (to the left, as this is also facing south on 472) where I surmise that the minivan maybe blew a tire or ran off to the left of the road. I wanted to get a closer photo, but,as I captured this image, I noticed a sedan quickly approaching me from behind as I idled by the accident site. The sedan was going about 45 or 50, which is about average (if not a little below average) speed for this part of 472. Needless to say, rather than be a new addition to this accident site, I hit the accelerator and roared off ahead of the sedan.

After I was done with errands, I was heading back north and decided to get an image from that direction of the accident site; This is the first, top photo, which shows the accident on the right of the photo. The gouge in the roadside can also be seen in the top photo. 

Speculation about how the physical accident happened: I'm thinking that the minivan really impacted hard as it moved sharply across from the right to the left of 472; there are skids indicating this in a line leading to the impact gouge there. The incredible impact caused the minivan to roll over going forward and spinning to the east southeast to where it finally came to rest, all rounded and dented down to the bare metal in many places from the rolling, with all the windows busted out, about thirty feet (this is a guess based on the one time we drove by right after the accident--it might have been twenty or forty feet; I'm not certain) east of 472 and about the same or more distance south of where it gouged out that car hood-sized slice of roadway.  What caused the driver to lose control is beyond the information I can garner from observation and analysis, and I certainly hope the person and any passengers are unhurt or on the mend. As previous posts about accidents have proved conclusively, speeding around hereis a potentially lethal risk. 

A final note: one road that I almost always really speed on was being watched by the State Police a couple of days ago--it's outside of Elk--and if a considerate oncoming driver had not flicked her headlights at me, I almost certainly would be moaning about a ticket for going 65 in a 35 zone. I know everyone does it, but, Man, the idea of that kind of costly ticket (and seeing that destroyed minivan)  should override any thrill or time-savings I get from speeding. 

B-2 (?) at 8:32 PM Flying Southeast; Accident along Lewisville Road/472 a third of a mile south of the Buchanan's Farm

Sitting at home, saw lights out in the NW sky along the horizon, and then a B-2 came overhead, flying at about 1000 feet with landing lights blinking. I'm fairly certain it was a B-2; heading toward Aberdeen, I bet. This isn't the first odd, lights-in-the-sky object we've seen here in Elk Township. But the others have always had running/landing lights on, so we've always imagined that they were associated with Aberdeen or maybe even Dover. With the two wars, it's no surprise.









Also, today at about mid-afternoon, driving south on 472, came up and saw in the field across from the old farm on the stretch of 472 a third of a mile south of Century Farm at the Buchanan's(sp?) farm or a half-mile south of the 472 intersection at Forge Road and Camp Bonsul on the left as you're heading south, saw a smashed up (i.e., very dented everywhere and all windows broken out and bent frame) minivan, and then came upon a State Police cruiser, an ambulance, an EMT cruiser vehicle, and another vehicle (a black japanese pickup maybe???) right on the roadway by the old farmhouse where there is a rental trailer out back and a small pond. The ambulance and the EMT vehicle drove toward Jennersville/Oxford, north on 472 slowly, not speeding, as if the occupant was in no hurry to reach the hospital. I checked Google news and Philly.com but nothing there. I'll try to remember to bring my camera tomorrow if I go out and grab a pic.

It was here in the field along the right side of 472:


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RE

123 and 10.

Unemployment Numbers

http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.pa.htm


July to Dec 2008:

Unemployment Rate (2)

5.4 5.8 5.7 5.8 6.2

So two months ago, it was 6.2. 

Yahoo Real estate

124 and ten. I haven't seen a for sale sign disappear from some of the inventory I drive past in the last few months. It must be terribly frustrating to try to sell a home now.