Vaulting in the Big Leagues

Nothing too exciting to post about the Stonehill Invitational on Saturday.  The more interesting parts happened at night…

After the meet on Saturday, my mom and I borrowed my brother’s car to drive to Providence for my cousin’s birthday party.  Driving there, we would smell a bad burning coming into the car.  After pulling over multiple times to check our car, it would eventually go away and we’d continue driving.  Driving from Providence to Lowell to bring me back to school, the smell came back as we were getting off the Lowell Connector.  Driving down the street we heard a loud BANG and suddenly everyone started screaming and honking at us,  “GET OUT OF THE CAR! GET OUT OF THE CAR! YOUR CAR IS ON FIRE!”  Smoke proceeded to come out from the bottom of the car.  I was in the passenger seat, unable to get out because the pole was strapped to my side of the car.  I climbed to the backseat and tried to get out the other side.  The door was locked.  I started to freak.  I screamed, “Mom, unlock the car! UNLOCK THE CAR!”   With my memory of the exact timing being a little fuzzy, she had to get the car completely pulled over and turn off the car.  She later told me when I did that the car was still moving.  I guess I wouldn’t have panicked as much if I wasn’t the passenger and had control over the car.  We both finally got out, and I called 911.

Flames still continued to come out from the bottom of the car.  Firefighters were on their way, but we weren’t sure if the car would explode.  My mom ran towards the car, “GET THE POLE!”  Of course, I thought our own safety would be more important, but my mother is crazy.  Somehow we managed to not even undo the bungees and slide it out in an instant.

To keep a longer story short and sweet, everyone is okay and safe.  Surprisingly, my brother’s car isn’t totaled.  Pole is fine too. [Which happens to be a PatriotPV pole...]  But I’m still a  little panick-y about being trapped into a car and a little jittery about the whole thing.  But needless to say  I won’t be putting a pole on the side anymore…

AND…the street we were on was Thorndike Street, the same street I got into my first car accident in November 07.