<br/>Last year ran over a pickup truck bed cover that came off the car two ahead of me. Took it straight on and this 8ft. piece of framing lodged itself under my Ftype along the long axis of the car and wedged under the exhaust bracket for the rear wheels. Took it straight in and they put it on the lift. No damage other than a minute scratch to the plastic tray under the engine.

Also had a ladder apparently fall off a truck on I-83 in Maryland several years ago during a snow storm. It was hidden in the snow in the left lane. Impaled my G37 through the front bumper cover but only hit the windshield wiper fluid bottle. Scarry thought of it coming potentially through the windshield.

 

If the ladder was under 3" I "might" be able to clear it, anything taller and i think the bumper is a goner.

 

Lucky to have little damage. Back in the 80s, I nearly hit a fiberglass extension ladder on I-35 in Austin while I was in college there. I watched it fall off the ladder rack of a pickup truck. A Mazda pickup directly in front of me hit the ladder square on and went out of control into the guard rail. I swerved my Mercury Capri RS through the hail of shrapnel and only got one small scratch that I could find in the paint on the lower part of the driver side door where it was barely noticeable. The Mazda had four flat tires and I didn't stop to see what else but no doubt it was considerable. I sped up to get the license number of the truck that lost the ladder and was still driving unaware. I called it in to police when I got home, but never heard what came of it.

 

You got luckier than this guy. Cracked frame tub - car a total loss.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...l-section.html


When I lived in Phoenix back in the 90's a girl in a Camaro hit an engine block that fell off of a truck on I-10. She was killed and the car burnt to the ground.

 

just this morning during the commute I took evasive action around a 30 foot coil of plastic sump pump discharge tubing laying in the middle of the interstate

 

"You better be alert fool there is an obstacle up ahead!!"

I miss Mr T on Waze.

 

I could write a book about the things I've both dodged and hit while on my motorcycle. I could even have an appendix dedicated to the car that deliberately hit me.

It's a dangerous world out there on the road. Keep your eyes open.

 

I was in the same position as OP, following someone on the highway, but riding a gsxr750 sportbike, when the guy swerved out of the way as well. Instead of a ladder, I got a nice dose of Mustang going the wrong way. Walked away with a bike in flames and a broken wrist. Good times.

 

Here in Austin, there is construction everywhere and it's like a game of frogger dodging all the road debris. Yesterday, some idiot in a dump truck was going 75mph with sand in his truck bed, and it was uncovered. Spewing sand all over the highway at that speed, probably ruined a lot of paint jobs. Fortunately, I saw it in advance and hid behind a Chevy Suburban.

 

You were lucky on a lot of accounts...that must have been unnerving.

Reminds of an instance a few years ago. My wife asked if she could take my Corvette out since her SUV was being worked on. I thought it was odd since she wasn't a fan of my Corvettes but I said "sure, have fun"! A couple hours later, she is driving my Corvette on the freeway and comes upon a work truck with a ladder on its rack. All of a sudden, the ladder lifted off the rack at 65 mph, flips in the air and strikes the ground right in front of my wife and flips again barely clearing the roof of the Corvette. Had she been in her car, that damn ladder would gone through her windshield. Lucky day too!

 

This road shrapnel is getting out of hand. So now my X250 is a victim. The other day on Loop 820 a large truck ahead of me and to the left hits what I assume must've been a wooden pallet and sends a shower of chunks and splinters into the air. I got one real obvious hit on the driver side A-pillar. Now I gotta find time to get it to the body shop for repairs.

 

It is the truck driver's fault for not securing the ladder, it could have caused serious damage and even caused injuries and deaths. To be honest, he should be held accountable for the damaged he caused your car for sure.

 

I don't think I would undertake a high speed chase after driving over a ladder, assuming, of course, that I even sighted the offending lorry.

 

Most companies stencil their name on their ladders so it is like leaving a calling card for your insurance company or attorney.

 

According to my old wife, its much better to go over a ladder than under it because you avoid the many years of bad luck that would follow.

It could have ended much worse. You were very lucky.

 

I cringed in reading this as my son had the same exact scenario with an FJ Cruiser. Glad it was very minor damage and you are OK.

 

I saw a lady hit a wood ladder a few years back. Shattered into a million pieces. Pretty cool looking. Scared the crap out of her. Yeah you can't flow too close. You'll get those people who will wait and serve at the last second, giving the guy behind no time. I'll often just run over objects in my 4 wheel drive rather than swerve. It's lifted though. I drove over a full paint can one day. The 370Z behind me got a new bright blue paint job over his black that day. I bet he stops tailgating.

 

The Guy painting the fast lane stripe was already home....