|
Two nights ago, Friday, around 11:00 p.m., my 1988 Honda Prelude caught on fire while I was driving on I-5. Let me tell you about it.
I work a midnight job in a nursing home in Lacey, Washington as a CNA. I live in Port Orchard, about sixty miles away and have just started working this new job only one month ago. I recently left a nursing home job in Shoreline, WA, back in December, 2005, gave up my apartment, and relocated with friends until I could find a better place to work. The new job in Lacey has comparable pay to my old job and much better benefits plus a pension!
On Friday I left for work 45 minutes earlier than normal, anticipating heavy traffic. Well, that traffic was much worse than I could've guessed! From Gig Harbor to the middle of Tacoma, the traffic was like a parking lot. I timed myself going over the Narrows bridge....it took one half hour! To give people an idea why this isn't normal who are not familiar with this area, from Gig Harbor to the middle of Tacoma should only take ten to fifteen minutes on highway 16, not the two hours of ridding the clutch as on this night.
I found an exit at 10:10 p.m. in Tacoma and called my employer and informed them that I didn't know how much longer it would take me to arrive at work. Driving back on highway 16, I saw the cause of the traffic backup, construction in the most strange manner. Crews were blocking off one lane using a crane that periodically blocked all traffic while putting down concrete barriers. There were three lanes that were wide open on the other side of the crane not being used. Why that crane could not fit in those adjoining lanes while performing this task, I don't know. Also, why there was no advance warning that this type of delay was emanate evades me as well.
Finally making it to Interstate 5 the traffic flow went up to highway speeds. The car showed no problems. Fifteen minutes later the electric 'idiot' light came on. About three minutes later, the dashboard lights became dimmer and I thought that I had just lost my alternator and was now driving on my battery only. I was just a couple of miles from my exit so I decided to try and make it there. The engine started to backfire, again I thought because I was losing battery and decided to get on the shoulder with the four-ways on and make the very next exit, just a 1/2 mile away.
There was no smell of smoke and it was pitch dark out so I couldn't see smoke either. Still thinking that it was only electrical trouble, I pushed on. A small pickup truck stopped in front of me and a lady ran to my car, yelling to get out, that it was on fire. I grabbed my purse and bag for work, pulled up the emergency brake, and got out of the car. The lady hurriedly got me inside her truck and started to drive away to the next exit. A gas station was there and I called 9-11. At the time, it never occurred to me that this woman whisked me away from the scene, leaving a burning vehicle, even though I couldn't see any fire or smoke when I looked back at my car.
The state police, when getting to the gas station, interrogated me as a criminal first, and a victim second. They wanted to know if I "had anything in my bags that shouldn't be there". I just explained the above to them and they began to lighten up. They even took me to work after the car was towed off.
The car is a total loss. The entire engine compartment is melted. It seems that Honda has a defected powerstearing hose/pipe that leaked directly on the hot exhaust manifold, causing this fire. It's a bad design and a bad part.
Well, that's my exciting weekend story. I needed to write about it. I have butterflies and can't sleep well today.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
