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A plow driver gone mad in a city on edge
By adamg on Wed, 02/18/2015 - 10:11am
Rory recounts an incident involving a plow driver in Brighton who responded to a single snowball by burying several cars in snow and ponders what that says about a city buried under 100 inches of snow with a barely functioning transit system.
Via Boston Reddit.
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Comments
please tell me you reported this
Dear Rory,
hope the BBQ and IPA's were good. I'm sure it was well deserved! Did you get the licence and report this? Mad men like this should not be allowed to be doing their job, no matter how many hours they have been at it...
We did not. We were hiding,
We did not. We were hiding, you know, like adults.
And thanks. The IPAs were tasty.
You should write a letter
denouncing the driver and stick it in a snow bank for the next time he drives by.
It seems to be all the rage for the JP and Somerville folk.
This story sounds fake.
too literary
Individual should have been locked up.
Why didn't you call the cops?
Sure.
But I see this type of behavior everywhere. If you apply this standard, half the metro area would be locked up.
For throwing a snowball?!?
/switcheroo
He was big and drunk and in a big truck and I'm a wimp...
We were all pretty in shock about the whole thing--it was very surreal. Plus, the driver now knew where we lived and I didn't have much faith that D14 would pull a plow driver off the road because he taught some no-good-kids a lesson about throwing snowballs (seemed more likely they would--at most--tell him to cool off). Seemed more constructive to bitch about it on the internet, you know?
Another case of ...
SAHS (self-annointed hero syndrome)
As in "I'm your plowing hero so you can't throw a snowball at me 'cause I'm God!!!!"
Just a new type, in addition to the standard self-annointed hero types we have too many of.
Ok..
Then go out and get ourself a plow, and show us all how it should be done. Yeah, that's what I thought. You're above all that.
Right
You are just such a special and precious snowflake, aren't you dear.
Like I've said before: when you have to pick produce for pennies a pound in a field without even an outhouse, or go fishing so that your family can have some dinner when your dad was injured on the job, you can lecture me about what exactly it is that you think that I'm above doing.
In the meantime, my father used to ride a plow and I doubt he would have such a case of SAHS as you do or this driver does. Ever. That's because he was grateful to have a job paid for by the people whom he served, not so bloody contemptuous of the public and entitled in attitude like you are.
She doesn't always dole out U-Lock justice...
... but when she does...
Good ol' Swirls, the Slumdog Millionaire of U-Hub.
I guess you are saying...
...that the only people who can have an opinion on shitty behavior of plow drivers are other plow drivers? Good to know.
The cop probably went to high
The cop probably went to high school with the truck driver and would have yelled at you for throwing snowballs.
It amazes me that people act
It amazes me that people act so crazy in vehicles/equipment, with company names displayed on the side or visible license plate, while working for the city.
I guess you can't turn off crazy.
Glad no one was hurt.
People act crazy in cars
People act crazy in cars/trucks because there are no consequences to them doing so. You can run someone over or swerve into them and the most you will get is a 'please don't do that again'
Oh that's why? Thanks for
Oh that's why? Thanks for enlightening me.
Sounds as though justice was
Sounds as though justice was served.
We are not in the south
We are not in the south anymore.
You threw a snowball at him.
You threw a snowball at him. He got angry. Be glad he didn't knock your teeth out and move on.
Corrections
1. Nobody threw a snowball AT anybody.
2. He didn't "get angry", he went berserk with a piece of heavy equipment.
Other than that, you're pretty much spot on. Oh, except for the part where they should be grateful that he didn't commit a direct act of violence against a person. You're wrong about that too.
Thats right!!
Damn those gravity defying snowballs.
On a related note:
Isn't a roofless igloo just a wall?
Prepositions, they're your friend
It's missing the word "at". Someone launched a snowball into the air. Nothing said about throwing it AT anybody.
Its also missing the
Its also missing the "someone launched a" part.
And the...
... part where that tiny, sneaky "snow plowing backhoe" suddenly appeared right in front of the uh, igloo.
So if you're 100% correct...
...that a snowball was thrown AT the backhoe -- a tiny, sneaky, very fragile vehicle that's highly vulnerable to snowballs -- do you think the response was appropriate?
*Alleged* response
You mean, yelling? Christ, that's just about the worst thing anyone could ever do to anybody...
Do you think a (paid) city or (waiting to be paid) private plow operator would make the extra effort to intentionally pick up snow that was already plowed to the side of a street just to cover other cars in an act of spite? If you do, I have a couple items I'm interested in selling you...
"Do you think a (paid) city
"Do you think a (paid) city or (waiting to be paid) private plow operator would make the extra effort to intentionally pick up snow that was already plowed to the side of a street just to cover other cars in an act of spite?"
Absolutely.
Is this a trick question? Of
Is this a trick question? Of course he would.
How did the backhoe
Appear right in front of the igloo which was on the lawn, separated from the street by all the cars?
Hmmm...
"We'd all been shoveling car spot after car spot ... sidewalk after sidewalk, stairway after stairway."
"We were tired, worn out, and becoming stir crazy. We needed a break."
And you still had the time and energy to make a snow fort? Where, exactly, in Brighton did you shovel an entire street's worth of sidewalks, stairways and other cars?
"One thing lead to another, as things often do, and a snowball left our little roofless igloo and sailed across the street, where it crossed the path of a snow plowing backhoe. "
Sounds... plausible? I don't buy it, but go on.
"I grabbed a shovel and shoveled out the cars I had unwittingly buried in the madman's wrath."
RIGHT. Again, where in Brighton?
"Creative" writing, for sure. This sounds more like a seven year-old's version of how a window was broken rather than any kind of believable account.
Based on the picture alone, that street looks like it was simply plowed the Boston way - none of the snow on the cars looks like anything but buildup from from snowfall.
There has to be more to the story this "hero" is telling... the second half of which is a whole lot of words that say absolutely nothing but what's already been reported on Facebook.
From the comments:
"Seemed more constructive to bitch about it on the internet, you know?"
Ahhh, finally - the truth revealed. Some poor, grown baby had more to say about the state of the snow and his street than social media text fields would allow.
Go burn some more trash, Rory, starting with this blog post.
>3
>3
Lemme walk you through it...
1)A) I have a decent sized front yard. While snow from the sidewalk and street has made a rampart of hardened snow along the perimeter of the yard, the interior is still light and fluffy, so it was easy to dig out. Plus, it's easier to get the energy to do something that's fun.
B) We live near Sparhawk and our friends live a few streets over. They've had to dig out a few spots when someone parks in a spot they've already dug out. I've been shoveling the area in front of my house and a few spots around the street, in addition to basement access for my buildings. I don't own a car, but I figure everyone should do their part. So you know, lots of shoveling. Like everyone else in the city. Never said it was an entire street's worth of shoveling.
2) I mean, you don't have to buy it. We were dicking around. Shit happens, including accidents. But old boy lost his mind and many in the neighborhood saw it.
3) Near Sparhawk
4) I wish I had a before picture, because all those cars were completely shoveled out street-side (though not the tops as you can see. We did the hard part first--the slush and ice). Also check the snowbank to the back right. See how it's all carved out? That's where he got it from.
5) Why so mad, bro?
Haha -
Showing your ass even more, bud. You or one of your friends threw a snowball, some asshole doing his job got upset and had the *gasp* audacity to yell at you for it, and your feelings were hurt two-fold after he continued plowing the street thus ruining all of your alleged hard work. It happens. Get over it.
I didn't do double-work on top of carving out a snowbank for the hell of it, so I couldn't possibly be mad - just don't try to shit a shitter, bruh.
What's your problem?
Unless your the plowdriver in this story, there's no reason for the tone of your posts.
And if you ARE the plowdriver, then these unhinged responses for no reason make a lot of sense.
Chill, Mr. Tough Guy of the Internet.
:(
You got me.
Wow
What on earth is wrong with you? Please take your meds.
Ahh
There's the cynical a-hole post I was looking for...
If snow like this is the "new normal" for Boston winter, then we need to adjust our collective approach to snow AND our attitudes for dealing with it. The "hope it melts" approach between storms hasn't cut it for long stretches in 3 of the past 4 winters.
Right?
Cute, utterly unverifiable yarn that just happens to show up on Reddit (that internet paragon of non-exaggeration and reliability) to drive clicks to one self-anointed "King of Brighton's" blog..
Sure.
Well, it's one anon vs. another then, I guess
But you might want to look at Boston Reddit - it's nowhere near what you'd expect from the national Reddit.
I get it..
Just saying it's not out of the question to have doubts the story.
I am one who has doubts, though I will say I'm not so sure it's that big of a deal to get all ragey about them, in the end.
If you've ever seen Boston drivers at work ...
... you realize that their chief motivation is not to get where they're going, it's revenge.
Revenge for what?
People are just going about their business.
15 years of big dig headache has conditioned most Bostonians that if you want to get anywhere, you have to actually move.
I agree, but...
...there's an awful lot of young'uns around here who don't even remember the Big Dig.
(yeah, I feel old too)
Like that cop in DC!
Remember a couple of years ago in DC when some people having a snowball fight hit a Hummer and then the driver jumped out and pointed a gun at them? Turns out he was a cop (not in uniform), so I guess hiring tests can't screen out all the jackasses.
Only one side of the story...
While the driver overreacted, we're only getting one side of the story here. I suspect the shot was well aimed. I'm not saying I haven't done silly things like that in the past, but in these conditions, with so many people at wits end, hucking a snow ball at a plow isn't the smartest move. Also, what evidence do you have that he was drunk? Did beer cans come spilling out when he opened the door to confront you? Perhaps the more realistic explaination is that he's been working non stop in the futile battle to keep the streets clear, and feeling like people thought it was ok to use him for sport might have sent him over the edge. You have no idea what was going on in this guy's life, yet you write him off as a "madman" and a drunk, when it was you to triggered the incident. And no, I'm not buying that you didn't mean to hit the plow...if that's actually your defense.
Yes, the plow drivers' behavior was inexcusable, but please don't just write someone off as a nut case when you don't even know the person, or what they're going through.
Finally, people who work in cushy office jobs, and go home every night to their warm homes, don't get it. In my 14+ years in the Coast Guard, I've spent many a nor'easter off shore of New England in 20ft seas, day after day. Upon my return to home port, if someone threw a snowball at my car, I'd most likely have some choice words for them.
Some choice words?
Wow. I don't think anyone had issues with the "choice words". Did you even read what was written? I'll quote it again, since you appear to have missed it:
Emphasis mine. And you think that's somehow an appropriate and proportional response to a snowball, no matter how long you've been working?
No, nobody had him blow a balloon; nobody knows that he was drunk (although it's scary the number of completely shitfaced plow operators I've encountered...how did I know? they were in bars "on break" getting shitfaced, that's how). So, if not drunk, what else do you want to postulate was his problem? Do you think real tired and cranky (which is your speculation, and no more valid than speculation that he was drunk) explains or excuses that kind of behavior?
Yes, that's an acceptable response to a snowball being thrown
I mean, he had been working outside, not in an office. So it's perfectly understandable that he responded the way he did.
You...
...apparently have trouble with reading comprehension as well. I said his behavior was inexcusable. Perhaps you should read my post again. I know you won't. Instead, you'll most likely repy with some wise ass, rude comment. Go ahead. Get it out of your system.
For clarification:
lbb, were you there?
Nope. You weren't either.
Nope. You weren't either.
Exactly.
How are you so convinced by this story? Are you the neighborhood idiot or do a bunch of you take turns?
How are you so sure it didn't happen?
You're obviously such a paragon of critical thinking, pray do enlighten us "neighborhood idiots", ya donkey.
"The clinking of chains
"The clinking of chains rattled and the plow lifted its boom above a neighbor's car, jerking it up and down as if to mock smashing the vehicle. Door still open, the driver reversed down the road, lowered the plow, gathered snow from a large snowbank down the road and crushed it into the vehicles until they were satisfactorily buried in snow. He drove off into the still night."
I mean, that's just poetic. Hard to believe based on the picture and how narrow the street appears, but cute nonetheless.
Are you Brian Williams in disguise?
Who are you talking to...
..the mouse in your pocket? Did you skip grade school and never learn what those cute little " marks mean?
Sure am!
Come and say hello, he doesn't bite.
:)
Reading comprehension...
I said the plow driver's actions were inexcusable. Go and read my post again since you appear to have missed it.
Not just the driver who is over the edge
Last night on the Orange Line a woman ordered me to keep my arms to myself. Had I any sense I would have explained that I can't afford to give away my arms and so I would certainly keep them to myself. She seemed extremely agitated that there might be any inadvertent body contact no matter how slight. She seemed to expect that the seats beside her should remain empty so that she could have her private space on the T untouched by the taint of other T riders. Then there was the fellow who elbowed me on another trip because the momentum from the traveling train resulted in my brushing up against him.
How can one avoid any kind of body contact - an arm brushing against another arm as a person sit down on a seat, when most people are wearing coats - some quite large? On seats that are designed as though everyone has an ectomorphic body type and where the cars and buses are just plain packed beyond the density of a sardine can?
These folks appear to be oblivious to the fact that the trains are now packed beyond any ureasonable standard that existed previously. They seem to believe that they can still pretend to have a zone of personal space that precludes anyone standing within 2 feet of them.
Sometimes I think that Bostonian culture requires its citizenry to act with a collective Type A personality. Now we're a Type A+++ city.
So this driver went over the edge. Way over the edge. Someone threw a snowball. He goes on a rampage to exact some generic, unspecific revenge just for the sake of venting his anger. Whoever threw it should not have. But the driver went way beyond any reasonable response.
The veneer of civilization in this Athens of America is wearing thin.
I don't know
This story seems a bit Brian Williams.
Supposedly there were a lot of witnesses
Perhaps one or more of them will step forward.
I doubt it.
But I could be wrong.