Everybody, everybody, look at your calendar! See what day it is? It’s the 8nd of November! Sorry, the 8st of November! That’s 11/8. You know what else is eleven-eight? The infamous 11 foot, 8 inch bridge in Durham, NC, and it’s recently claimed another victim: this big camping trailer’s rooftop A/C unit, and this time there’s some good screaming involved.
There’s actually a number of fascinating and baffling things about this video, so go ahead and watch it:
Okay, some things to note here: first, and perhaps most importantly, is the fact that, somehow, a giant flashing sign that reads OVERHEIGHT MUST TURN isn’t enough to convince people that they are in vehicles that are overheight, and, as a result, must turn.
Are people somehow not seeing that sign? It looks pretty big, but maybe there’s drivers who don’t want to rely on the crutch of looking out that big window above the speedometer. Maybe they think it can’t apply to them, right? Overheight, pfft—is that even a word?
I suppose the city could install some arms like they use at railroad crossings that drop down if the vehicle is detected to be overheight, but then we might not get any more of these videos, so I sort of hope they don’t.
Then there’s the driver’s reaction. Right when the A/C unit first makes contact with the bridge, there’s a nearly immediate, Sam Kinison-esque wail of sympathetic pain and agony.
I don’t think it’s the driver—I think it’s from some off-screen observer, because once the initial scream finally winds down, it’s followed by a helpful, screamed observation: “That’ll fuck your shit up, bro!”
The driver’s reaction here is interesting; after the initial impact, they pause, considering their situation, I assume. They even roll back just a bit, so the A/C unit, while partially unmoored, is still intact and no longer in contact with the bridge.
At this point, things could still be salvageable. An A/C unit like that runs probably between $700 and $1,200, and at this point is likely repairable. The driver would just need to carefully back out, and go around the bridge.
That’s not how this went. Sure, backing up a trailer is a huge pain in the ass, and nobody really likes to do it, but I think I’d maybe at least give it a try, in this situation?
The driver clearly didn’t think so. After a quick burst of mental calculus about the situation, they arrived at the “fuck it” conclusion and just powered through, ripping off the whole A/C unit, tearing up part of the roof, and sending the now destroyed unit crashing to the ground, in a big pile of rage, frustration, and contempt.
I’d end this with a lesson about trusting gigantic flashing signs, but, screw it, nobody cares. Besides, it’s 11/8 DAY!
HAPPY 11/8 DAY!