For those of you that are not familiar with Cheyenne Days, it is a big 10 day festival in Cheyenne, Wyoming – the biggest thing going on all year. We drove there today, right in the midst of Cheyenne Days. Before you start feeling sorry for me, it really was not a big deal – there was not that much going on during the time we were there, but the main street in downtown Cheyenne was all decked out in red, white and blue bunting and the city looked very patriotic.
We met Trooper Page in the rotunda of the capital building. That was not for sight seeing purposes, but becuase today his duty was to staff the state trooper desk in the rotunda. Trooper Page is a very decent man. He was very empathetic to our plight. I thanked him again for releasing our car over the weekend so that we would not have to pay the $60/day storage fee until we could get up there this week.
Everyone has been telling me that all that is happening right now is happening for a purpose and some good will come of all of this. Well, I saw some of the good today. The Trooper told us that technically there were four violations that Nick could be cited for – leaving the scene of an accident, damage to state property, failure to stop at a stop sign (and one more that is escaping me now).
He told me that he had a conversation with his boss, and they decide to just issue warnings on 3 of the 4 issues. The only thing that he had to, by law, was to write a ticket for failure to stop at a stop sign. So he wrote the ticket and the whole Wyoming escapade will only cost us $50.00. That particular ticket is also not the kind of ticket that goes against your driving record, so Nick will not have any infractions against his license as well.
Trooper Page thanked us for travelling all that way to do the paper work, and we thanked him for his empathy and for saving us a lot of money and aggravation. I guess it pays to be honest and sincere. Even the tow truck company that towed Nick’s car back to Erie gave us a break on the price. Usually a longer distance tow of this nature is charge per mile. The owner of the towing business gave us a flat rate and saved us over $100. All in all, the people in Wyoming were very gracious and empathetic and Nick and I got home today, grateful to have that chapter closed and grateful for the care and concern that people showed us.
While we were in Wyoming, Trooper Page told us a story of the funniest accident he ever investigated. He was quick to say that no accident is a laughing matter, but that in all of his years of accident investigation (and that his major role with the Wyoming State Police), this one was the most bizarre.
He said he was radioed about an accident involving a vehicle that overturned and he was so close when he got to the vehicle the wheels were still spinning in the air. He immediately radioed for an ambulance, and as he approached the vehicle he heard laughing. When he got up closer to the vehicle and looked into the window he saw feet and more laughter. He tapped on the window and asked if everyone was ok.
An older gentleman answered and said they were ok and there was laughter again. The Trooper asked them if they were drunk and they said no. They got the old man and woman out of the car, and sure enough they were not drunk. When the Trooper asked them what was so funny, the older man said that once the vehicle stopped and he got himself out of his seat belt that his wife was still strapped in. When he loosened her belt, she fell head first to the roof/floor and proceeded to give him a piece of her mind. Then she saw how ridiculous that was and started to laugh, then they both started to laugh and soon they could not stop.
The Trooper was surprised no one was hurt, and he said that that was the most jovial accident scene that he ever attended.
So, morale of the this story and Nick’s story – wear those seat belts – they really do save lives. Also, the people in Wyoming a great people – I am very thankful to them for their emapthy and support. Some good did come out of this situation.
You Betcha Can Make This! 