Beware..."Elderly Ladies"..or is that...."Do Gooders"..

Cicero · 27-12-2010 5:47pm #1

There's a lesson here to be learned...I think I already know what it is as I've thought the whole experience through at this point, but when you're in the thick of things, well...you do what you think is right...but it may not always be...anyway..here goes....

..was driving on M50 North bound today- soon after Dundrum on-ramp, I witnessed a car (Opel Astra I think) ahead of me on the inside lane, approach and swallow a very large plastic container (about a 5/6 gallon can)...as I passed, I could see the container wedged in under the car.

.....car had slowed but was still driving about 70KPH but appeared in some difficulty...elderly lady it was....as I approached alongside her in the next lane (middle lane), I beeped slightly to gain her attention and I pointed to her bonnet...she realised what I was referring to and indicated and pulled in on the hard shoulder....I pulled in a few yards ahead...obviously, this was my first mistake, as the hard shoulder on that stretch of road is not for the fainthearted...at least not my heart!!

I carefully got out of my car once there were no cars coming, and walked back towards her car, to help relieve her of the offending object from underneath...

She "bounded" out of her own car full of late 70's/ early 80's vigour & enthusiasm without a thought for any traffic racing by, feet from her open door....a few car horn beeps later and some very encouraging (but polite) words from me and we quickly found a safer spot than the inside lane..(this was repeated a number of times as she had no problem getting down on her knees to look under the car at whatever angle she thought appropriate...

....I inquired about a safety triangle but she said her boot was full (so was mine)
...she offered me her walking stick to try and release the object from under her car...a fine walking stick it was too..never seen anything like it...when I'm old, I want that walking stick..it's brilliant...no use at dislodging 6 gallon jerry cans from underneath a car (I tried)... but great nevertheless...

..anyway, I thought I would offer to reverse her car...she was having none of it..I'll do it she said, and with that, away with her, walking back alongside speeding cars, into her car, and backed it up a few feet without a care in the world.....in-between this, and further irate drivers beeping their horns and a few skipped heart beats from me... (I just couldn't get her to wait on instructions and an all clear), the jerry can came free- I flung it as far as I could into the field beside the motor way out of harms way, and proceeded to present her with her fine walking stick..she thanked me profusely....of course, again ignoring my pleas for her to be careful before pulling out...she kept waving and smiling at me as she proceeded out into fast moving traffic...they just about slowed down for her....

I got back in my car and realised that as a result of her pulling in, in the first place. either or both of us, along with others, could have been killed....it was funny, serious, scary, surreal and Pythonesque, all at the same time..

While going off happy, I genuinely believe this lady would have been better off without my help today..Thank-God she will never know....

*waits for the "I'm an 80 year old lady, and was driving along today on the m50 when..."..response...*:P

MagicMarker · 27-12-2010 6:00pm

Was she hot? :pac:

vectra · 27-12-2010 6:04pm

MagicMarker wrote: »

Was she hot? :pac:

PMSL

Cicero · 27-12-2010 6:11pm

MagicMarker wrote: »

Was she hot? :pac:

Well MM, next time you've retreated to your office because of a little snow on the M50, I'll send her out to rescue you, and you can tell us all...;):p