635 Eastbound this morning just past the DNT, moderate traffic, a bit past rush hour.

I see up ahead the recognizable orange of a 5gal Home Depot bucket rattle of the back of a cement truck. It hits the highway and takes a big bounce, a pick up hit it and it goes up over his windshield and right into my pathway, I think for a moment and then hit the bucket, not enough time to check the mirrors and swerve, its hit it or maybe hit a car.

It bounces off my grill to the left and is now ping ponging in the fast lane. Car coming at it swerves right and all I see in the review view mirror is calls crashing out.

Crazy... tie your stuff down, and if you have the choice, just hit the bucket.

BUT SERIOUSLY SECURE YOUR STUFF! That stupid bucket caused a lot of damage and maybe even one of those people got hurt...

We need a lot better enforcement on securing loads on trucks and pickups.

Off the subject, but here's a bucket story....

When I was in high school I went to the State Fair of Texas with a large group of friends and our girlfriends and we'd been walking around all day and were tired so we decided to head back to where we entered the fair. It was getting dark and as we were walking one of my buds up ahead decides to kick an empty 5 gallon bucket and takes off and proceeds to give it a good hard kick like he was kicking a field goal. What he didn't know was the bucket wasn't empty. It was partially filled with concrete with a hole down the middle to insert a pole.

When he kicked that bucket it barely moved but Kenny not only moved, he flipped over onto his back yelling OW! OW! OW! OW! at the top of his lungs with his foot up in the air. He had flip flops on and his foot swelled up like a balloon while everyone else was laughing hysterically.

I know a man named Bucket

Secure your loads! A bucket could well kill a motorcyclists. I was chased across 4 lanes of traffic one morning by a ladder that had flown off a truck. Fortunately, it was early and traffic not bad, so lanes were open, but it is scary.

Sadder story, when I first moved to DFW I went on a ride coordinated by a Harley group. There were too many in the group, so they split it into a couple of smaller groups. A lady in one of the other groups was killed when an unsecured bedliner blew out of the back of a pickup in front of them. Not sure if true, but story was that the pickup driver had just purchased the liner and was taking it home to permanently install.

Good for you for not swerving. I've told my wife more times than I can count, NEVER SWERVE!! I don't care if it's a human or bucket or dog....run it over and pull over later. Do not swerve or odds are you will lose control and end up wrecking or rolling over.

This. Some people make me see red when they risk everyone else’s safety due to laziness or stupidity. Also, I’ve never understood why people try the things they do with a car. Get more friends or rent a pickup ya moron.

Doc is spot on here. Words well worth rereading and then counseling loved ones on.

Yes in the scenario above although, I will stop for clean buckets in the ditch. Found one at 2 AM this morning on my way home from work.

X2

Had a guy hauling a trailer load of firewood in front of me on 635 a few weeks ago lose a wheelbarrow. it flipped and bounced right in front of me but like said, I held straight, it hit the wall beside me and bounced back into road behind me and hit the car behind me, he swerved into the car next to him and chit was flying everywhere in my mirror. Truck with firewood kept right on going. I don't think he even knew he lost the wheelbarrow much less that he may have killed someone.

Buddy of mine in Montana is heading to a funeral this week for a 17yr old driver that had a deer pop out in his path while driving his car....he swerved to avoid it, into oncoming traffic. His small car didn’t fair well about the big truck he hit. Truck driver walked away. The young man did not.

I’ve taken a few good hits to the front of my vehicles...better than the alternative.

Very sad, but just one of many instances where swerving will get you killed. Hate to hear it.

Hitting the bucket beats the snot out of kicking the bucket.

Yes, tough country makes great products

Hit the bucket, hit the deer, but if the hog/elk/moose/horse/cow is big enough, you might want to just see if it's clear to go around.

Had a bull elk come within a foot of killing me, at night, 'bout 15 miles south BEAUTIFUL, downtown Sheffield Texas. Thank goodness he decided to head back from whence he came at the last, possible, split second. 'Didn't have to change underwear at the lease cabin, but it was touch and go there for a few seconds.

A fella I grew up with got a job as a cross country CDL driver. "Never swerve, lock your brakes" was hammered into him until he couldn't think for himself. If I remember right, somewhere in NC, he came up on a family trying to change a tire on the side of the interstate. He couldn't move over, so he slowed a bit. A child ran out from behind the car and he hit it and killed it.

To this day, he is a worthless pile of humanity that hasn't been sober for many years.

I know a guy who's wife ran out in front of a tractor trailer while chasing their dog on the side of a busy highway. Happened last year in Smith County.

Roads are dangerous enough as it is. Not smart stopping on the side of a highway to let your dog tinkle.

Back, when I used to ride a lot...…………….
The one thing that scared me...…
Was hitting a Large Rubber alligator after dark...……..
in case some of you don't know what that is...……………….
It's the big chunks of 18 wheeler tires, laying in the middle of
the road..... You can't see'em, till it's too late...…………...

Should have made a poll.

We moved to Rhome when I was 5. One evening after dark, I went with Mom to IGA in Boyd. That’s the first time I ever saw a buck, then his hooves. We were in a Celica wagon and could have easily taken it through the windshield but didn’t. It totaled that lil car. We were lucky but the alternative was swerve and fly off the shoulder and drop 10’ into the pecans or the Trinity. I’m glad she held it straight.

Looks as if I will have a great pecan year, the natives are already falling. Doves are feeding on the crushed pecans.

Drive through it whatever it is, this is how doers get more done

I preach to my wife and kids, that if have a flat on highway or any road, put on flashers slow down to even 1 or 2mph and crawl to a turn off. Just get the heck way off the road. We can buy another rim but way to many freak accidents happen to people and vehicles on the side of the road.

My rule is to always hit something in your path unless it is a human or contains a human.

Swerving for animals and items in the road causes more damage and death than just hitting the item to begin with.

Swerving for a bucket blows my mind.