On Saturday I experienced the most frightening thing I have done for many, many years. Driving down the A30 (Staines by-pass) towards the M25, a truck in front of us shed part of it's load.
From the top of the truck a rock somewhere between the size of a grapefruit and a football dislodged and came bouncing down the road towards us, like bouncing bomb. As it had started off on top of the truck and fallen a considerable height, each bounce took the object as high as my windscreen. I can still see it spinning in the air in front of my eyes.
A quick check to the right informed me that I couldn't swerve into the slow lane to avoid the object because the car alongside us was breaking hard too. Thankfully the rock thumped into our car at the low-point in its bounce - hitting our front bumper very hard - not the windscreen or bonnet which it would have done at it's highest. It all happened too quickly for my life to flash in frnt of my eyes in the traditional manner. The object turned out not to be a rock but a large, compact lump of heavy clay-like earth.
We contacted the police, who filled out some forms. By the time they had done that the lorry had crossed into another police force's area and so they were unable to do anything except send the neighbouring force a note (which presumably enabled them to fill in another form).
Without witnesses and with the trucking company denying even being at the scene, it seems there's little we can do except pay for the repairs.
Unfortunate, but at least you're all ok!
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