To brake or not to brake

This month’s travel story deals with a head-on crash, a battle with an insurance company, and major lessons learned.

A few miles east of Duluth, a big Oldsmobile swung into my lane.  With all the dexterity, but limited knowledge of a 19-year-old, I jammed on the brakes.  As the gap closed, I dragged the wheel to the right, but my brand-new Chevy, with brakes locked continued straight ahead.

"I can’t turn!  I can’t turn!" I yelled.

The car answered my cry with a thundering crash of shattering glass and twisting metal.  It spun to a stop, still on all four wheels.

Ray Wiseman

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