While out covering a car rally protest against the Erin Wastewater Plant, I encountered a new job hazard they don’t teach you in journalism school.
Part of the route went down 10th Line, a narrow rural road that briefly becomes a single lane when it gets to a bridge that goes over the West Credit River.
This is where I noticed a “Think Fish, Not Feces” sign right by the bridge.
“I can pull over here and get some good photos,” I thought, imagining some award-winning shots of the car rally going over the river.
I knew it was narrow but the snow hid a secret. There was very little shoulder before it dropped into a ditch.
My passenger side started sinking into the snow. No big deal I thought, I have snow tires.
The snow tires did nothing and trying to drive out seemed to make the situation worse.
I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a story and I did this to myself.
I had a 10-second panic where I pictured my car sinking further and eventually tipping over on the side. My first thought was “that would ruin my cameras.”
A couple stumbled upon me and tried to help direct and push me out but it was no use, I needed to get towed out.
At this point, OPP officer Leslie Phung came on the scene. I half-expected him to scold me for pulling this boneheaded move but he did not.
He put his car behind me with the lights on to protect it from any rear-ends while I waited for a tow truck.
The car rally eventually caught up and my tiny Ford Fiesta became a spectacle for all those who drove by.
I could be waiting all day for a tow truck, this story is ruined. How do I explain to editor Tony Saxon why this failed without sounding completely incompetent?
Luckily, a tow truck came rather quickly as the dispatcher told him this needed to be addressed ASAP.
Even luckier, it didn’t take too long to get my car out of the ditch and I was able to get back on the road to continue covering the protest.
This situation could have been much worse, I thank the OPP officer, the tow truck driver and the couple who stopped to help.
The lesson I learned? Never assume there’s a shoulder on a country road.
