CLOSE ONLY COUNTS WITH HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES

GE&P would like to give a little update on the functioning of the new debacle at the intersection of Hwy. 6 and Hwy. 311. For locals, we're speaking of the crossroads at the old fire tower.

We had occasion to drive through that area last night when we were traveling from Moncks Corner to Holly Hill. There was a mini van full of people ahead of us as we pulled up to the stop sign at Ranger Drive. We could see the lights of a vehicle approaching from the right. Judging from the distance of the headlights, it appeared there was plenty of time for the mini van to pull across the wide intersection and negotiate itself into the right lane to prepare to make it's turn onto Hwy. 311. We only have to assume the driver of the mini van came to the same erroneous conclusion.

As we sat at the stop sign, a really scary scene unfolded before us. The mini van pulled into the intersection. The driver had only just straightened his vehicle into the right lane when the vehicle approaching from the right was on top of him. The approaching vehicle, a large raggy looking pickup truck was, conservatively speaking, doing 60 MPH. Realizing the mini van was in his path, the driver of the pickup swerved to the left and into the dividing area in the center of the intersection. Accompaning the sound of the skidding tires was a large cloud of dust and smoke. As most experienced drivers know, when you combine a high rate of speed with a sudden change of direction, the results are not always positive.

On this occasion, by the grace of God, no one was killed. The driver of the pickup regained control of his vehicle and proceeded onto Mudville Road, without even slowing down. When experiencing a scene like this, one cannot help but wonder, "what if". What if the driver of the pickup had not regained control? What if the driver of the mini van had not managed to get completely into the right lane in time? What if there was another car coming from Hwy. 311 toward Moncks Corner trying to negotiate the intersection at the same time? None of these scenarios are beyond the realm of possibilities or even probabilities.

I hope the folks in the mini van pay the preacher a little something extra this week.