Yikees! That could have turned out bad!

[Bibbyman]

Mary and I were returning from a shopping trip. We got on the interstate and got up to speed.

Mary was driving. She gave out a yelp and pointed ahead. I looked up just in time to see something black shoot off onto the right road bank.  I figured it was a big black dowg running across the highway. No, it was a riding lawnmower!

The truck ahead of us was pulling a utility trailer loaded with lawnmowers - now minus one. The lawnmower came off the back and did the best possible thing. It staid on its wheels and shot off to the right,jumped the ditch and ended up in the rough against a bush.

There were cars in the passing lane. We were some distance behind but if it had tumbled and staid in the road, we could have been in trouble.

The guy knew he'd lost the mower and had started to stop on the shoulder. Mary said it looked like it was bound down but the strap broke.

[Magicman]

Lucky for you and Mary.  Your day could have ended much differently.   :-\

I broke several 1" straps before I learned my lesson.  Now it is only 2" straps.

[easymoney]

you never know what is going to come loose and hit another vehicle. several years ago i was traveling on the loop around Nashville and all at once i saw a tire off of a semi laying right in the center of the lane i was driving in. it had been raining and the road was wet. when i hit the tire it started scooting on the wet pavement. i got back on the gas and pushed that tire to an exit ramp up onto the parking lot of a truck stop. then backed up and left it there. it did not damage my car but i doubt that the tire was usable after the trip on it's side.

[thecfarm]

Lucky for all of you. I saw a trailer truck hit a overpass guard rail. I was only a little behind it. Was a 4 lane highway and cars were stopped to call it in and plugged up 2 more lanes and I had to go into the break down lane to get out of there. Looked like the truck was heading back towards me watching it. The cars below got some potatoes chips rained down on them.

[Mooseherder]

It's pretty common here to hear about a ladder on the highway when they report traffic.
Seems it happens way too often.

[SPIKER]

I got to see a full size spare inflated going down the road hit one sports car and bounced out of site up in the air, came down in front if the Van that I was behind, it hit the concrete divider and bounced against the side of the van 2 or 3 time between the concrete & side.   It hit the concrete missed back of the van and across in front of me it went.   It hit 30 or so feet ahead of me and righted it's self bouncing across 4 lanes of traffic and off the front end of a small car.   Last I saw it it was heading up the embankment into a cleveland suburb ! 

Once hit a full size semi tire re-tread while towing my boat going through a rain storm at night...   just the Rubber was pretty harsh impact of the 4500 car and 1500 boat.   bent some of the trailer under frame nothing worth mentioning on the car other than some rubber transfer...

Once other time had a 5 gallon bucket of #4 stones drop off of a roll back truck frame right in front of us, missed most of them one bounced up creased hood and bounced off the window (broke it but didnt go through it.)   driver denied even being on the road...   we too plate and description of truck back in 95...

Mark