COMO, NC – Early Monday morning, an estimated 45 vehicles were involved in a massive accident along Highway 258 in Southeast North Carolina. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but officials expect it to take days to clear the debris from the road. Interestingly enough, each vehicle involved was driven by a licensed North Carolina driver, in what was a protest demonstration.
With the Virginia Law banning North Carolina drivers from Virginia roads set to begin next month, hundreds of North Carolinians participated in protests across the state of North Carolina over the weekend. The protest movement, called Occupy the Left Lane, sprang up across several small towns across the state, including Como, NC.
Occupy the Left Lane is a grassroots movement formed by North Carolina motorists that frequent Virginian highways and backroads. The protest, formed by Como native James Purell, was designed as a ride-in protest. Members of the protest planned to drive across the Virginia border nose to tail, ride in the left lane going 45 MPH, and roam the Virginia countryside clogging up the state’s roadways until the legislation was repealed.
Virginia governor McDonnell in response to the protest stated, “I don’t see how this protest is any different from what they do every day.”
Purell estimates that the Como chapter of the protest had close to 50 more vehicles en route, saying, “What a great turnout, it’s a damn shame we never made it, we would have given them Virginians just what they bargained for!”
With 258 being just a two lane highway with speed limits of 55 MPH, the parade of cars went northbound at a speed of 47 MPH. Several still had their turn signals on from their turn onto 258 out of Como, others were on their cell phones talking to fellow protesters, and others brought the entire family and packed them into their 1992 Geo Metros. Eyewitnesses at the scene say the accident was triggered by one of the North Carolina drivers.
“We was walking down the side of the road, when one of dem cars riding in the center of the road veered into the side of a car that had drove up beside it,” said North Carolinian Slim Davis. “The one who caused it, I seen him trying to light a cigarette. Well he came down something fierce, and won’t nowhere for all them other cars to go, they was already in the far left lane, what was they ‘sposed to do? Anyway, they started piling up, sheet metal everywhere. Oh man it was a sight!”
A video of the accident recorded by a North Carolina Highway Patrolman can be seen here:
No charges have been filed, as the patrolman just chalked up the accident to one of them driving deals. “This stuff happens to everybody. Nobody’s fault, you can’t expect to have a nice peaceful day out here. You’re gonna have pileups like this if you get behind the wheel enough times. Luckily no one was hurt,” said North Carolina Highway Patrolman Johnny Law.
Despite the setback, Purell and his Occupy the Left Lane movement plan to drive on against the Virginia law, and have a few more tricks up their sleeve. “We’ll get Virginia plates, and when you’re at the light when it turns green, and you think you’ll be able to make that turn, we’ll be that car that goes just slow enough so that we make it, but you’ll have to sit another 3 minutes. Ya’ll be careful out there!”