Wife calls in a panic... almost a foot of snow and 6 degrees

[Sonny]

At 5:25 this morning my phone rings, it's my wife in a panic almost in tears 'she leaves about an hour before I do' she says it didn't look that slick and I slid across Kind RD in the ditch. Knowing the sound of her voice I knew she was scared. So I said are you OK,  she said yes but its tipped way over. In my head I'm thinking I know exactly where she is and the ditch is only about a foot or two deep how far over can it be. So I told her don't panic turn on your 4way flashers, dome light and your lights on bright so people can see you. We live in the country so not hardly any traffic that early but did not want to take any chances. And I put a big rush on getting ready jumped in my truck and took off. (Freakin cold) When I topped the hill I kinda paniced myself all I could see was the right rear section of her Explorer with the rear tire about 3-ft off the ground. She was no where near where I thought she was. I jump out of the truck run up to the passenger window to let her know its all going to be ok.  Her state of panic was well warranted the ditch she was going into is about 12 to 15' deep.  I think the right front tire catching the very edge of the road was the only thing that saved her from going over.  No question had it slid another 10 inches or so over the snow pilled lip I believe she could have been upside down.  So I pulled my truck up behind her got out my tow strap hooked it up to the frame and my front tow hook. I told her, don't panic I'm going to pull a little bit and see if the rear comes down if it does then you will feel a second strong pull. She says don't you let me go over, I said its all going to be fine! I knew if by some chance if the front wheel slid over the edge the frame would be on ground so it was not going forward. I get in my trusty 3/4 ton 4x4 GMC put her in reverse and touched the gas and the rear dropped a little like hoped. So I pulled back up a couple feet and rolled into the gas she teatered over and came right out with no problem.  I got LOTS of happy hugs.

Now I'm a person who likes the snow but crap!   I'm tired of it already, I want to ride!

[Grandpa Bigbuck]

I'm with you on being tired of this stuff.  More on the way for the weekend.   Come on spring.

[Sonny]

Paola, haven't been there for a long time. How much snow did you get? Is there still a town square?  Had cousins who lived their some 30 years ago. Used to have a deli right in the sqaure if you call it that.

[Grandpa Bigbuck]

Got about 6".  Yes they still have the square.  But the deli is not there anymore.  I have friends that live in Holt.  West of town

[MNBill]

At least it was warm out when she went into the ditch, around -20 here yesterday (SE Minnesota). What is cold is relative to where you live 

[fudgie]

Glad all ended well! 

Its Kits yearly thing to get into the ditch. 2wd S-10. I pulled her out 2 of 3 times. Last year it was way to far down and deep. We had ice the other night and had my phone shut off to charge. She left a short message and the hospital paged me so I called her. Slid into the ditch. 20 mph and spun out. Be there in a bit. It was so icey I was sliding around corners in 4HI. I get to her and couldnt have been in a better spot, on a turn lane, so I had a working area to myself. 4LO and idled her out. Get home and and another in the ditch infront of the house. She was in there to. I yanked and yanked and had front and rear spinning. Got her out but my ABS light came on in my Z-71. Staid on for a hour.  Finally went off.
I take my ball hitch off in the winter and but on another hitch and run a clevis in it. I call it Kits Hitch. She b!tches every year for a 4x4 so we will see. 

[Tundra]

Best possible outcome, glad she's ok

[eric in md]

glad it all worked out...  got to luv them gmc trucks ..

[Sonny]

Our Exporer is an all wheel drive with 4.6 V8.  She tries to understand how it works and shes getting there. Shes a real independant person when it comes to doing things and learning how. I've always liked that about her.

But if its not pouring rain, snowing or freezing cold my Valk is the way I travel.  But my GMC is a real truck.  I tease a lot of my friends about their Chevys being a only half a truck and I realy get my freinds with Fords all though I drove one for many years.  My 2000 GMC is the best vehical I've ever owned. And I've owned a lot. We've had it almost 10 years and drove it 191,000 miles. The only parts replaced have been the battery, shocks, brakes and a fuel pump last year. Shes a real trooper when it comes to work and still looks good too.

[3fan4life]

Glad all ended well! 

 Got her out but my ABS light came on in my Z-71. Staid on for a hour.  Finally went off.

I have a 2004 3/4 ton GMC the ABS light comes on everytime all 4 tires spin for any amount of time. It must be a GM thing. Also if you had it in 4 Lo the ABS is disabled and I think that the light comes on then as well.

She b!tches every year for a 4x4 so we will see. 

In 2004 we got "Ginger" a new Subaru Legacy. The first thing that I told her was that it would go great in the snow but that it wouldn't stop any better than anything else.

[Jess from VA]

Why is it that wives feel compelled to stick cars and trucks in the ditch or other tough places when we never do (at least I never do, and she is the one with the truck)?

After several times, the last call I got was she had take a ""shortcut"" up a steep hill into a tight, dead end cul-de-sac and got it stuck.  There was already several feet of snow and it was coming down hard and the roads were bad.  All I had was a front wheel drive sedan, and I wasn't sure I could even make it out of my housing area.

I told her to leave the truck, walk down the hill and get a room at a motel, and I'd be down in a day or two after the roads were plowed.  This would give her time to think about shortcuts to nowhere.  


I did go out and get her out ...... after 4 hours of labor.
 

BTW, good job Sonny.  

[scoot]

Back in the early 80's I had an AMC Eagle Sx4. One day we had been having horrible snow all week. I was going down the road, and there was this guy with a full size blazer stuck in a parking lot. He had tried to go from one parling lot to the other by just going over the snow piles in between. Well, he ended up high siding it. He was trying to shovel the packed snow and ice out from under it. I pulled in and offered to pull him off. He made some smart remarks and said I wouldn't be able to budge his TRUCK with my little car. I threw up a challenge told him if I got him off he could pay me $50, if not he wasn't out anything. I hooked that thing up and ripped it off, and dragged him half way across the parking lot. I didn't take his money, I felt like I made him look enough like a fool in front of his girl. Man, that car was neat.

[czuch]

Glad everything worked out. Those thank you hugs are the BEST!!