Emus have lots of guts
This time last year, I had to drive a patient at the hospital where I work, home to Broken Hill for her mum's funeral. This, I thought, would be easier than the normal twelve hour shift. Five hours drive there, an hour in Broken Hill and five hours drive back. On the way home, I was about 180 kilometers out of Broken Hill, approaching a dry creek bed, when 8 emus ran onto the road. Unfortunately, coming the other way was a road train (a very large lorry with 2 or 3 trailers attached). He hit the brakes, jacknifed and then hit the emus in an explosion of blood, guts and feathers. When I saw that both trailers were at 45 degrees to the road but in opposite directions and they were about 250 metres away travelling very fast towards me, I knew I was going to die. I just remember thinking "Is that it?", no great enlightenment or anything spiritual. Just before the moment of impact, he regained control and drove past me with a wave. I sat there for about ten minutes trying to control my heart and bowels. I pulled over at the next roadhouse, explained what had happened and the owner just shrugged it off with "listen mate they are so full of amphetamines they have incredible reaction times".
(peewee13, Sat 27 Nov 2004, 10:35, Reply)