Bullmoose News

I made the news last night. I also made the paper today. It's true. And I didn't shoot anyone, win a medal or patent a new drug that cures cancer. I ran into a bullmoose. Yup. Me and 4 other vehicles, actually. It's not every day I make headlines and unfortunately I didn't get to see it in the paper OR the news. It's like there was a party thrown for me and I missed the whole thing. Sad. Anyhow, here's the skinny:

A large bullmoose, standing at approximately 7 1/2 feet tall and weighing approximately 7-800 lbs, wandered onto I-80 Eastbound on Monday evening. I believe he was trying to cross over to greener pastures on the golf course on the other side of the highway. Darn those medians. I happened to be on my way up to Park City where I was dog sitting at around 10:40 pm, after having had dinner with two friends and played a delightful game of Quiddler (if you haven't played, you should try it. It's great.) . I noticed there were more lights ahead of me than I expected and then, very suddenly, I hit something very big.

I thought it was an entire wheel and tire of a car. Or perhaps somebody's engine. It was huge. It caused my two left tires to raise up off the ground completely and my car started to lean. It leaned so far I thought I had passed that sweet spot of balance and would soon be rolling over. Thoughts: "I think I'm gonna die. Hmm. That's early. Crazy. What was that? Darn it. Wait, my car has a steel frame! I might survive. I hope I don't brake anything. Whose going to get to the dogs?" You can think a lot in a millisecond.

Thankfully, my car leaned back over to where it came from and gave a giant, calamitous THUD as it landed on all fours back on the pavement where it came from and where I truly felt it belonged. I then stopped my car, put the hazards on and got out. I parked my car in the left lane. I figured I was better off staying there, as I seemed to have stopped my car right in front of another car that had actually flipped over. Clearly, that car had leaned too far.

I got out, afraid I might find a bleeding, dying someone trapped in the car in front of me. As I looked inside I was puzzled to find that no one was there. Good. But odd. I noticed a guy on the side of the road and asked him about it. He said the lady that was walking nearby had been the driver and that she had gotten out and seemed ok. Two people who had been driving behind me got out of their car and ran up to me(yes, I'm still in the left lane) . They exclaimed how amazed they were my car hadn't flipped. A brief feeling of validation that I really had been in some danger just a few moments before swept over me. "Thanks for noticing," I think, as if I was a 7 yr old who had just done a cartwheel and had been praised on my execution of the nifty stunt. A couple of other cars parked in the way of it all, to warn other cars and block them from hitting the moose. People are so good.

After a few more moments of assessing the situation and finding a whole bunch of people who seemed to be hanging out on this stretch the highway, I was able to figure out what had happened and learned of the very large bullmoose. There had been a semi-truck that hit it first. Thank heavens. All other cars, including mine, that had fallen prey to this "bump" in the road would have been totaled, and likely the drivers and passengers would have been killed, had they encountered such a large beast. Take it from me. You don't want an 800 lb beast being propelled at you through your windshield. Had there been a fight between me & my VW Beetle and a standing 800 lb bullmoose, the moose, if anyone, would have been the winner. No doubt about it.


The semi-truck was completely smashed in on its front end. After the semi hit it and then gained control and pulled into the shoulder of the highway, a small car hit the carcass and flipped. Then another car hit it and had damage. Then I hit it and, likewise, had damage. Pam, my poor, beautiful beetle, was undrivable. She did not move. So sad. And such a mar for me. I had been so good at not getting in accidents.

The highway patrol had come in droves, accompanied by ambulances and a fire truck. An officer kindly pushed Pam from the back and we were able to get her off the highway and onto the shoulder of the road. Someone else dragged the animal carcass off. The EMT checked out the lady who had flipped to see if she had any injuries. Things were being taken care of. After being out for a bit, I became keenly aware it was FREEZING COLD outside. I was shivering uncontrollably. The officers were kind enough to let me sit in one of their cars to warm up. Upon entering the backseat of the vehicle, I found myself in a warm, confined cage. Better than a cold outside, I say. But MAN, They really box those criminals in. The officer in the car joked with me that he hadn't turned on the electric shock on the cage. I laugh nervously. "Really?" Don't worry. He was joking.

Male had kindly agreed to come rescue me at the scene, but it would take him a bit to get through the backed up traffic. As my stay in the cage looked like it would be a while, the officer asked me to make noise every now and again so he didn't forget I was there and accidentally drive home with me. I said that would be pretty scandalous to have a girl in the back of his care overnight. He said that probably wouldn't be such a bad thing. I laughed. Funny, nice to see cops have a sense of humor. Then I noticed he wasn't wearing a ring. Huh. A single cop. Hadn't expected that. "Hey, look at that! Male is here! Yeah!!!" -- good timing. Male opened the door and let me out of my cage. What delight to have a boyfriend who will come rescue you from a bullmoose at 11:30 pm. I'm talking about the carcass, of course.

I told Male about the accident and expressed some remorse. He assured me this one really wasn't my fault. The moose's hair was so black he would have been invisible to any and everyone. I couldn't have avoided it. As he says this, I think, "Thank you for not deeming me a stupid girl and a bad driver because of this accident." Not to say people don't deem me that anyway. I give them cause every now and again. But I was pleased this incident would not be used as ammunition. At least not by Male. My brothers are another story.

Home we went. Realizing my luck in not having been a bit early and the first to greet the beast was a little much to take in. Male stayed with me for a bit after we'd let the dogs out and then he sallied home. I was safe, home, in bed and very happy to be there.

Next on my to do list: maybe I should find a job closer to home.