After attending the NAQT CCT in Blacksburg, the Penn State team headed back in our rented van, with me as chauffeur for the 400 mile drive. We had originally planned on staying a second night, just to avoid the horrendously long day, but decided to save some money and head right back. Along I-81, I saw a car spin out heading towards us, ending up in the ditch between the lanes with steam spewing from the front of the car. I stopped and ran out to see if I could help, and found the lone driver bleeding from the head, looking very dazed, but standing and already being helped by two women, one of whom had called 911 on a cell-phone. There wasn't much I could do, so we continued. Closer to State College, a dense fog settled, making visibility awful. I slowed down a lot and kept going. We passed an ambulance and a police car, both with lights flashing, in the opposing lane, presumably helping at an accident. Someone must have driven off the road in the poor visibility. We arrived on campus at 1:30am or so, safely. The next day, I heard that about the same time we arrived in State College, four busloads of students returning from a shopping trip in NYC encountered the same fog. Something happened, and the buses and two cars collided in a massive pileup, killing two people and injuring over 100. The buses had been traveling slowly, with their four-way flashers on... This could easily have been our van in this accident. In hindsight, I probably could not have avoided a stopped vehicle in the fog. I'm a good driver, but I'm sure the bus drivers were too. I just feel lucky to have the chance to go on another trip. Before the trip back, we were bragging about how quickly we made the trip South - which seems completely irrelevent now. I don't want to preach about speeding or safe driving or anything. I just hope everyone respects the danger of highway travel, especially at night and in bad weather, as you head out to your next quizbowl tournament or home for the holidays. Rob
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