Traffic Accident

No blog about Sicily would be complete without talking about driving, or the experience of constantly being trapped on the amusement park bumper car ride with no hope for escape. I am guessing that there are going to be many posts on this topic, but I would like to share my experience yesterday driving home on the tangenziale (A18) heading Northbound past the ANAS exit but before Galermo (ANAS is the Caltrans of Sicily). Traffic going home is usually heavy but flowing. Just after the Misterbianco exit to the circumvalazione when there is no more chance of escape, traffic started slowing and then came to a dead stop. We waited and waited, but the freeway was suddenly a giant parking lot. Of course, to the Sicilians, who are always in a hurry to get everywhere, this is the worst form of torture. So they all got out of their cars and started walking up to see what was going on, taking a smoke break, socializing with the guy behind them they had cut off five minutes earlier. Some ANAS vehicles drove by on the shoulder and a crane. This was a bad sign. The last time I saw a crane on the freeway it was trying to lift a semi up that had gone over the side of an overpass. After a bit more than an hour parked, we started to move. Hooray! So we crept slowly forward. As we got closer to the accident, ANAS guys were directing everyone to get into the right lane to pass the accident and emergency vehicles. When I was 11 cars away from passing the accident, they stopped us again! ARRGGHHH. Thank goodness for book tapes and A/C!

This time I decide to get out of my car to stretch and get some fresh, diesel fume laden air. I looked up towards the accident and lo and behold they stopped traffic to allow a vehicle that had come down the freeway the wrong way to arrive. And it was, yep you guessed it, a hearse! No, not an ambulance to take the body away, an actual black hearse with cross on top and suited driver-in the fast lane, on the freeway, during traffic. Only in Sicily (OIS!) Of course now people from way back were walking up to have a look see. And, of course, traffic was backed up on the other side for rubberneckers. OK. That's normal. One of the ANAS guys was standing on the median barriers waving them on. Then a car on the other side stops just past the accident, causing honking and yelling. He puts the car in reverse, backs up (on the freeway!), to get a better look. Five minutes later a semi stops. rolls down the window, and leans out the cab to get a better look. Let's cause a pile-up in the Southbound lanes shall we? I mean the cops are here already so why not? They finally let us drive by. All the drivers out of their cars were scrambling back to get in before the movement reached back to them. And finally my normally 1/2 hour commute ended 2.25 hours later.

The fatality was a 27 year old man on a motorcycle who hit the guard rail. I am actually surprised it does not happen more often. But still, my condolences to the family. I am in no way making light of the tragic accident, only the reactions and behavior of those around me. OIS!