Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Oh, Sheet!

Imperial Beach artist Kelly Tracy was driving the 5 freeway north on the afternoon of May 29.

“I was in the slow lane, and about eight to ten car-lengths ahead I notice a full sheet of plywood starting to lift up from the lumber rack on a dark blue Ford Ranger, and just as I'm trying to change lanes, that plywood went up in the air about 30 feet and was coming straight at me.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“There were cars on both sides of me, but I was able to swerve to the left without hitting anyone, and it hit on my hood, then over the roof, then off the tailgate — that eight-foot-by-four-foot three-quarter-inch thick sheet of plywood came down with so much force, it moved my truck.

“I immediately started honking my horn and flashing my lights at the blue truck to pull over, but the driver shook his head ‘no.’ I pulled up next to him, still honking and pointing to pull over — he again shakes his head ‘no.’ I got in front of the blue truck and he attempts to go around me. I called 911, and I gradually slow down when I see a tow truck coming up behind us.

“I come to a complete stop with the blue truck pinned in. I'm still on the phone with the highway patrol when the tow truck drives around and asks if I need help, when the blue truck backs up and attempts to go around us on the right side, but the tow truck driver and I blocked it.

“The CHP tells me there are three to four highway patrol units en route when the driver of the blue truck approaches my passenger window. I shout, ‘Don't you know how to secure a load?’ The man acted like he didn’t understand English. The CHP pulls up behind the blue truck, yelling at the driver to get back to his vehicle.

“The CHP informed me the driver of the blue truck had basic insurance and stated that the sheet of plywood had been on his lumber rack for years with that same rope. I have a giant dent in my hood, broken grill, bent hood latch, bent AC condenser, scratch on my roof, and who knows what other damages.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Secrets of Resilience in May's Unforgettable Memoir

Imperial Beach artist Kelly Tracy was driving the 5 freeway north on the afternoon of May 29.

“I was in the slow lane, and about eight to ten car-lengths ahead I notice a full sheet of plywood starting to lift up from the lumber rack on a dark blue Ford Ranger, and just as I'm trying to change lanes, that plywood went up in the air about 30 feet and was coming straight at me.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“There were cars on both sides of me, but I was able to swerve to the left without hitting anyone, and it hit on my hood, then over the roof, then off the tailgate — that eight-foot-by-four-foot three-quarter-inch thick sheet of plywood came down with so much force, it moved my truck.

“I immediately started honking my horn and flashing my lights at the blue truck to pull over, but the driver shook his head ‘no.’ I pulled up next to him, still honking and pointing to pull over — he again shakes his head ‘no.’ I got in front of the blue truck and he attempts to go around me. I called 911, and I gradually slow down when I see a tow truck coming up behind us.

“I come to a complete stop with the blue truck pinned in. I'm still on the phone with the highway patrol when the tow truck drives around and asks if I need help, when the blue truck backs up and attempts to go around us on the right side, but the tow truck driver and I blocked it.

“The CHP tells me there are three to four highway patrol units en route when the driver of the blue truck approaches my passenger window. I shout, ‘Don't you know how to secure a load?’ The man acted like he didn’t understand English. The CHP pulls up behind the blue truck, yelling at the driver to get back to his vehicle.

“The CHP informed me the driver of the blue truck had basic insurance and stated that the sheet of plywood had been on his lumber rack for years with that same rope. I have a giant dent in my hood, broken grill, bent hood latch, bent AC condenser, scratch on my roof, and who knows what other damages.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
Next Article

Mary Catherine Swanson wants every San Diego student going to college

Where busing from Southeast San Diego to University City has led
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader