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9 Years Ago
Soooooooooo, I roll out of bed at my cousin’s house in greater Brooklyn Alabama at 0325 and am on the road to Pensacola in five minutes. As I am coming into “downtown” Brooklyn a blonde woman in white frantically waves me down. She says that she had a car crash and Jeromy is still in the car. She further states that it all happened so fast she cannot remember if she was ejected from the car and she now cannot find the car after walking to Brooklyn and knocking on doors with no response. She said they went over a big embankment and she had to climb back to the road. Now, she is just a weeeeeee bit intoxicated so getting info is like pulling teeth and she says Jeromy is also drunk.
For those that do not know the local area there, the area she crashed has about a 30 foot drop at about a 60 degree angle right into large trees so Jeromy is likely hurt or dead. My mobile phone doesn’t work in that part of the world so I drive her back to my cousin’s house and have her stay in the truck while I call 911. One would think the local dispatcher would know where Brooklyn is but she does not. Road name she asks? Not a clue. What part of Brooklyn? Trust me ma’am, send the officers to Brooklyn and they WILL see me and I will meet them at the store and they can direct EMS. What is the name of the store? Look lady, I do not know, Conecuh County Deputies WILL though and there isn’t but one blinking yellow light and I will be at the store by that. What is your cousin’s address? I have NO idea, down the dirt road first lived in house you see? A light bulb goes off in my head and I remember Brooklyn has a volunteer fire department. She HAS to know where that is. She does….
So I go back up and meet the first responder from the BVFD. He then can direct the SAR operation with the radio. Oh, BTW she, the lady in white, says a woman stopped to help but then drove off but she cannot remember if the woman gave her a ride or if she did NOT….. That REALLY broadens the search area. I helped the BFD guys search. (THIS is just one of the reasons I always have my tactical flashlight.) The deputies arrive and still no car or Jeromy. The story was they were coming home from Mobile and home is in Ozark. Brooklyn is a LONG way from and out of the way on the route from Mobile to Ozark. Anyway, the radio lights up that they have found the car a mile or so down so I pull into the emergency vehicle line and gun it with them. (Oh, I have a police escort and get to drive fast, you are darn right I am going to do it…)
We get there and one of the firefighters is on the hood looking through the windscreen. No Jeromy. BUT the driver’s seat is way forward and the woman is 5’2”. There is stuff in the passenger seat and there is a cat in the back seat. (Cat was fine BTW.) So the firefighters go back to her and ask bluntly, look ma’am, before we spend the rest of the morning looking for Jeromy is there really a Jeromy and were you driving?
She comes clean for them and informs them that she was driving and Jeromy is the cat. At some point as she was talking to deputies she tried going back to the Jeromy was driving story and the deputy asked, “The cat was driving?” She said, yes, yes he was, laughed and followed the deputy to his car.
And 90 minutes later, I was back on my way to work.
Reply Order
9 Years Ago
Makes for an interesting start of your day.....
Is there really an 0325 in the morning? Ouch.... ;)
9 Years Ago
Wow, that was some morning. She was lucky you were brave enough to stop. Great story, JC.
9 Years Ago
Wow! JC! That is a great story. You are a hero! You save a car driving cat! When are you and Jeromy going to appear on Good Morning America and the Late Show? lol
9 Years Ago
OK great story and thanks for stopping and helping out, BUT was the "allegedly" intoxicated woman arrested for drunk driving?
9 Years Ago
Good story, JC. Is the windshield really called a "windscreen" at your location? Just thought I'd throw that in ;) .
Afterthought: Did they administer a sobriety test to Jeromy?
9 Years Ago
What's the old adage...."Truth is stranger than fiction".
You do run into some characters, JC!
9 Years Ago
See cats are smarter than dogs, they can drive without human help. Just watch out for those birds on the side of the road...
Glad no one was hurt. I've helped in aiding people after a wreck, but never something like that... LOL
9 Years Ago
Holy crap.
Glad you're okay and the whole thing wasn't a scam or something. (Well, it was, in a way. "Jeromy was driving", yeesh.)
9 Years Ago
Thank you, JC, for the morning laugh. I have to tell my cat she can't get a licence until her paws reach the petals.
9 Years Ago
Great story JC... goes to show you, you never know what you'll find on the road. :-)) http://fineartamerica.com/featured/steady-as-she-goes-barbara-st-jean.html
Have a wonderful day and don't work to hard.
Cheers, Barbara
9 Years Ago
Interesting morning indeed! Glad you could be of help and no one was hurt. Sounds like she is not facing her drinking problem, joking about the cat when it is really her. She probably wanted to deflect the real situation (drinking) by talking about the cat as if it were a person and not her then make a joke out of it.
Humor can help to control a situation and deflect serious issues, it's probably worked quite a number of times for her in the past. Maybe this potential life and death incident helps her to realize the seriousness of her problem and stop drinking. Next time she may not be so fortunate.
9 Years Ago
I hope they put the kitty somewhere safe. Would "the blonde" be in jail, then? Anyway, not a good way to start your day, but great story! Glad no one was hurt by her carelessness and you were able to help.
9 Years Ago
If they find cat paw prints on the steering wheel - there'll be a cat locked up I'm sure. I can't believe you don't have photos.
9 Years Ago
Wow! Sounds like and interesting morning!....and you're a good man for stepping up and helping this woman.
9 Years Ago
I will always stop and help and have never been robbed or scammed.
She WILL be spending some time as the county's guest but how long will depend on any number of things I don't know about.
Yeah, and this really was WAY out in the woods.
9 Years Ago
Very interesting story, Florida has a stiff laws for drinking and driving awhhhh I just saw the county's guest, I suppose she would sober up there, wonder if she got a ticket for drinking and driving? I would have to say yes she did. If you thought she had been drinking you can just imagine what was going through that officer mind. In Florida the car does not have to be moving or you involved in any accident, but it was a very good deed stopping to assist her. Its amazing she did not cause harm to some other driver coming or going from where ever she was. She is fortunate to be alive after a crash like that.
Remember that incident about the ice skater years back involved in an accident, she left the scene, went home not sure if she reported it, or someone else and yes she was arrested for drinking and driving. Its fortunate she did not kill herself or anyone else in route to where ever she was going or coming from.
9 Years Ago
Well, you do meet some interesting people JC, but that's a little too early in the morning. I guess that's when the drunks come out, though.
Did they administer a sobriety field test to the cat? :-)
9 Years Ago
Jail can be a good thing if it helps you to seriously consider what you have done, it may work to her benefit.
