MyFox
 

nataliesolis's Blog

by nataliesolis from KDFW Newsroom

Last Post 43 days, 16 hours Ago


Throwing Rocks @ Cars: It happened to me!
Nov 10, 2007 | 4:47 PM
Category: News
Report This Post

My good friend and colleague, Emily Lopez, did a story this week about a some young men (in their 20's and old enough to know better!!) who threw rocks into traffic, smashing through at least one woman's window. The woman, who was also pregnant, was shaken as you might expect and feeling like the outcome could have been a whole lot worse.

I can completely relate to the feelings of helplessness and shock that overcome you when you are the victim of a crime like that.  About a year and a half ago I was driving with a friend of mine in the passenger's seat. I was going at least 65 mph on the freeway in the far right lane. I glanced at her as we were talking and all of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I saw a kid, probably a teen, standup from behind a waist-high barracade with his arm raised and huge rock in his  hand. The next thing I know I hear a loud crash, and my friend and I are startled. Fortunately, I stayed calm enough to pull over onto the shoulder. Sure enough, there was a huge gash on the passanger-side door, just a couple of inches beneath the window.  We were in disblief and angry. I was also so thankful it didn't crash through the window into my friend's face or lap. I am still grateful I didn't see the kid sooner because I might have reacted, swerving to avoid being hit and crashing into somone else. After I pulled over, we called 9-1-1 and they sent a state trooper and roadside assistance. Fortunately, the trooper that responded was a friend of mine from stories I'd done in the past. I have to say, it was very comforting to have him there. Turns out, those punks continued throwing rocks into traffic after I was hit. At least three other cars had pulled off the road behind me. I think they realized that the rock they threw at my car was too big and heavy to make it very far, which is why it only hit the passanger door panel of my car. The other cars had broken windshields with the rocks still in side, and in one case, still lodged at the base of the windshield. 

To this day, I still think it's a miracle none of us were actually hit by the flying rocks or that none of us swerved into traffic, hurting ourselves or someone else. I'm sure those kids thought it was all fun and games, but in what twisted mind is hoping to cause a crash (which is what I have to imagine they were aiming for) amusing??!!  They had to have known someone could have been seriously hurt or killed. Is this something parents have to spell out for their kids and tell them not to do??!!

I just don't understand it and I probably never will.

  

19 Comments |  Add a Comment

Member Comments Total Comments: 19
Page 1 of 1
beejwilson read my blog
Nov 10, 2007 | 5:05 PM

Are kids so bored these days that this is their way of having fun? Kids (and I mean anyone immature enough to pull this type of malicious prank) have way more to do now than they did, even 30 years ago... and I don't remember hearing about incidents like this all over the news then. If it's rocks today, what will it be tomorrow? Guns?
nataliesolis read my blog
Nov 10, 2007 | 5:17 PM

Exactly!! Do these kids (and even young adults) think hurting other people randomly has no consequences? Even if they aren't afraid of the law, do they have such disregard for human life that they don't see the harm in throwing rocks at cars traveling 65mph?? It just boggles my mind that these kids are so selfish that they would set out to hurt someone else for nothing more than their own amusement.
furbie read my blog view my photos
Nov 10, 2007 | 6:00 PM

Sometimes I understand abortions !

This stuff is ludicrous !
runaround read my blog
Nov 10, 2007 | 7:29 PM

With the miles that I have driven I have been a victim three times while driving in the car, twice when not. Three smashed windshield's from rocks, one heavily dented door and one moderately dented roof. They were lucky I did not have a loaded weapon on me at the time. I gave chase twice but they quickly got away, once running away in the dark, and the other time going the opposite way on a two lane highway when they threw the rock so they had a real good head start.

These are more than just punks, they are serious criminals attempting to randomly murder people just for kicks. That is the way that I see it and I would hope that is the way that the jury would see it.
ProudAmerican read my blog view my photos
Nov 10, 2007 | 7:54 PM

Many years back I had a business meeting in far North Dallas. Which was after business hours.
My boss wanted me to take a company car but I didn't want to stop by the office afterwards to change cars to go home.

This was my first and last time ever on the Dallas toll way.

Coming back at the Mockingbird overpass, I noticed a Dart bus swerve and nearly hit the center divider, then I saw a few other cars swerve so I changed lanes and slowed down thinking something was in the road.
Suddenly I heard a loud bang and thought I was being shot at, my windshield shattered. My first instinct was to swerve and duck for cover. I nearly hit the center wall when I did this.
I made it to the toll booth were the bus and other cars had pulled over to the side and I pulled up behind them.
The bus driver was saying he thought he was being shot at also. Turned out to be 3 men throwing rocks off the Mockingbird overpass. The oldest being in his mid 30's and the youngest in his 20's,
The police managed to capture them, and said they were all drunk.
These guy's could have killed or seriously injured someone.
nataliesolis read my blog
Nov 10, 2007 | 8:00 PM

Wow, it sounds like several of you have had the same experience and I'm sorry to hear that.

So I guess not only do we have to watch out for other drivers, debris, and construction zones, but we also have to pray these punks have bad aim. Soo sad!
TexasTruBlu read my blog view my photos
Nov 10, 2007 | 8:07 PM

It's nothing new. I have always wondered why overpasses didn't have higher barriers or fences. Just for safety purposes of pedestrians if nothing else. I know anytime I have gone to UNT's homecoming bonfire, it feels very eerie walking across the North Texas Ave. overpass with the traffic of I35 streaming by below. If you take away the opportunity, you eliminate those who are simply too lazy or too stupid to improvise. Of course, as with all things, nothing short of armed force will stop a truly determined vandal.
2tickets2paradise read my blog view my photos
Nov 11, 2007 | 7:51 AM

It makes me nervous to see someone meandering around on a overhead bridge when I am on the highway, I always wonder if they have something they are throwing off the bridge or of they are going to jump. After hearing of the lady whose life was put into total chaos after a jumper jumped onto her car on Central, it only renewed my fear of this happening.
cowboyswife58 read my blog view my photos
Nov 11, 2007 | 2:11 PM

As far as the kids(punks)that get a thrill out of throwing stuff off the overpass to passing cars.....personally I think they need a good old fashion butt whooping!I mean evidently they have no common sense, geez it just makes me wanna grab 'em and shake some sense in to them.
nataliesolis read my blog
Nov 11, 2007 | 2:31 PM

I think we all agree these kids needs some serious punishment. And remember it's not just overpasses we have to worry about. The kids who hit me where just standing on the side of the freeway behind a barricade and they still managed to do major damage.

One thing I forgot to share is that one of the other drivers behind me who was hit pulled over and she chased the kids as long as she could but they got away. "Runaround" makes a good point too. One of these days, the person who gets their car pelted is going to be armed.
scottythecomic read my blog view my photos
Nov 11, 2007 | 4:08 PM

This is highly dangerous but is nothing new. Kids were doing this in the 50's.
nataliesolis read my blog
Nov 11, 2007 | 4:54 PM

Scottythecomic, I'm sure you are right. But it's nevetheless shocking when it happens to you.
scottythecomic read my blog view my photos
Nov 11, 2007 | 5:00 PM

I have had it happen to me. The kids ran but I knew the area, made some shortcuts and caught the little buggers. The police got them, turned them over to their parents and they paid for my damage. No criminal charges were ever filed.
terrellmom read my blog view my photos
Nov 11, 2007 | 5:22 PM

The parents should be held accountable for repeat young offenders. The kids of today are failing in life because their parents are failing to be there for them. The turn key children need more than the televison to take care of them and teach them right from wrong.
scottythecomic read my blog view my photos
Nov 11, 2007 | 5:26 PM

They need to be locked up on the first offense in my opinion.
luvmykid read my blog
Nov 12, 2007 | 8:06 AM

some of these kids/young adults, cant be caught. My brother and sister-in-law were driving home late one night going under the bridge on 35 (coming from arlington in OakCliff) when a brick came smashing down and hit his windsheild causing him to lose control of his truck and have a blowout. My sister-in-law had to go to the ER. She got some of the glass splinters in her eyes. Needless to say, it took the police forever to get to them and of course, the punks were gone by then.
moankie82 read my blog
Nov 12, 2007 | 10:19 AM

People don't realize that something trveling fast doesn't have to be very big. A small bullet is tiny compared to a rock, but the speed makes all the difference. I long for the good old days when fun was putting pennies on a railroad track. Not trying to kill someone.
putonyourbigpants read my blog view my photos
Nov 12, 2007 | 7:19 PM

Society liberals perpetuate these behaviors, by enabeling this kind of behavior. You may not have done it personaly, nor your colegue, but you do report it, put it on TV. And then sit back and become part of the problem, by not doing anything about it. BIG SUPRISE...ITS BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES.
moankie82 read my blog
Nov 13, 2007 | 1:22 PM

Parents who yell lawyer everytime their kids do something wrong need to be whipped themselves.
Page 1 of 1


Write your comment below:




nataliesolis

Hello Everyone. I have the honor of co-anchoring the weekend news with Richard Ray and I report three days a week. I truly love what I do and I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know each other better. A couple of factoids about me...Dancing is a passion of mine, right next to eating good food, traveling and spending time with my family.

Member Since: 3/7/2007


 

RSS: XMLWhat is RSS?