I ran straight over a double ladder perpendicular to my path of travel yesterday at 70mph. The car in front of me swerved to avoid the ladder and I had no choice but to go straight over it. No time to brake. It fell off a truck a few car lengths ahead. I brought it straight over to the dealership to have the under carriage, wheels and tires inspected. To my great surprise, there was no damage other than scraping in the sacrificial front lip. Only a single wheel was out of alignment.

Lucky day.

 

Whew!! No kidding lucky.

Years ago one of my techs was supposed to secure the ladders atop my work van and failed to do so. I almost decapitated a couple in a small convertible as I came to a stop but there was enough momentum for the ladders to sail over their heads.

Never again have I trusted anyone with something that important.

 

Good you kept your wits about you and nothing worse happened. Was it a fiberglass ladder?

 

Glad it wasn't worse, and it could always be worse. I've occasionally wondered what would happen if any number of things flew off a car - or especially a truck - in front or even near me (and actually 'plan' ahead for the possibility).

It's a minefield out there I tell ya.

 

Yeah, I know a guy who totaled his pickup because of a 2x4 dumped on an Interstate from a truck in front of him. Scary stuff.

Larry

 

I was in Puerto Rico a few years ago and saw somebody with a ladder under their car. I always assumed that it would really screw up the car, but I guess not. If an FT gets away almost unscathed, a car with normal ground clearance should be fine.

 

I hit an aluminum extension ladder with my Mercury Milan - didn't see it 'til too late. Destroyed the one tire that hit it.

 

This is an Jaguar F-Type Forum Dave, not a Mercury Milan Forum!

By the way, what would happen if an aluminum F-Type hits an aluminum ladder? (or vice versa). A question for Stephen Hawking perhaps?

 

It was an old aluminum ladder. I hit it hard enough to shatter the locking mechanism which is likely a cast part. It ended up wedged in the rear skirt just beyond the gas tank which didn't have a scratch on it.

 

My mistake - thought it was the Aluminum Ladder in Road forum.

 

Well done taking it straight on. That's how people end up nose first in the center divider.

A few weeks ago I was in the jeep when a shredded tire came out of nowhere. It would have eaten the nose of the jag for sure. That **** keeps my eyes open.

 

My ladder got hit by a car and now it isn't suitable for climbing. What do I do?

 

Do you know if the moron on the truck held accountable at all? That ladder could've killed somebody.

 

Take it in for a professional second-opinion. May just need a realignment

 

I'm sure it's fine. What's the worst that could happen?

 

That must have "rung" a few alarm bells...

 

You could have returned that ladder at Costco.
I saw a guy returning one that had 4 different coats of paint on it.

Hope you took home a lesson. Never follow faster than you can swerve or brake. Tractor Trailers will often pass over a deer carcass because they have the ground clearance and begrudge the ***** in the sportscar ridding their ****. You will feel that deer.

 

Drifting this thread into weird stuff that we've hit on the highway...

I once hit a (probably) full 5 gallon gas can with my MR2. Fell off the truck in front of me. Damaged the grill. I dove for the median so that I could get out in case of fire. Nada. Drove it home. Stunk for for days.

On my bike on the highway doing 60 - 70 and I smell something burning. Knowing that I had not had tacos, I almost shrugged it off. The smell got stronger and I realized it was burning tire as I approached a dump truck in the right lane. I backed off just in time. One of the truck's back tires exploded. Still got hit by a couple of small pieces. No damage, but I think my pants turned brown.

 

Was in a friend's Olds 88 in high school, driving very early in the morning. Was quite foggy. Dodged hard to avoid...

a shop vac sitting in the middle of the road, which materialized out of the fog. That was actually something we didn't hit.

 

I was driving from Pereira to Cali Colombia and it was about 2:00 in the morning - in the mountains mind you - on a pitch black road when out of the blue, and in the middle of nowhere, there was a guy painting a dividing stripe down the middle of the road. What the hell he was doing out there at that time of night, never mind what he was doing, who the hell knows. I barely missed him. Thankfully.

Of course, like I'm sure we all do, I have several other colorful stories like that.