Two stories I must tell. When I was 16 my neighbor had a beer party. This is the 70's in a "northern town". I wasnt that good of friends at this particular time and was out with other friends, came home and went to bed at 1:30 am.
BAM! 2 am I am jolted out of bed by a sound 20 ft from my head. A kid next door at the party was out hot rodding came down our street and somehow went out of control and into our 24" tree at estimated 80 mph.
Dead stop, car rolls around backwards from impact, makes a half circle going backword and hits are front house steps now 10 ft from my head.
I run downstairs, my mom calls the cops who are there in 30 seconds. Kid is killed instantly.
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Around the same time, I was out driving with buddies, that is all we did in the 70s
and someone says "there was just a bad accident on the old highway"
We head out there and are first on the scene before the cops or anyone. We go up to the car and an older guy (older to us then, a guy about 25) who I slightly knew is sitting dead behind the wheel.
Head on. Other guy is in the ditch. Cops arrive before we get to the second car.
I will never forget seeing that and it left an impression. He did not have a seat belt on.
Remember the gore videos they would make you watch as a teen of car accidents. (they still do that in school? 10th grade or so) Well this was my version for you.
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Upshot: 7 years later at my 5th high school reunion at 12:30 am, the kid who died's younger brother shows up drunk at the festivities and wants to beat me up cause "it was our tree". I kid you not. A big friend of mine escortd me out at closing.
The numbnuts later went on to be Chief of Police in that town. I kid you not.