Full marks to a reader who coined the term and we’ll admit we wish we had come up with it – seeing as how we always thought we were the vortex of weirdness in the 24/680.
But no. Our reader lay the mantle on the Danville Safeway after last night’s incident involving an errant ’32 Deuce Coupe in the store parking lot, which also recently saw a local coyote strolling through the organic food section.
Our misgivings about a growing vortex surfaced early Saturday as we noted the frequency of sports injuries and other mishaps incurred on an otherwise lovely Spring day in our area. A series of strange cases surfaced through early evening, with readers spotting a burning home in Pleasant Hill, road crashes and a rare rollover accident at the Lafayette Reservoir.
That crash segued into the aforementioned “Deuce Coupe” crash in Danville, with a ’32 Ford roadster smacking a concrete-anchored light pole, ejecting one of two occupants and sending both to the hospital at 8:42 p.m. Witnesses alternately describe the operator of the Deuce driving recklessly minutes before the crash and perhaps losing control due to a steering malfunction, police have yet to say what caused the crash.
Police said only that “a man and woman were driving around the Safeway parking lot at an unsafe rate of speed in a 1932 Ford Roadster. Female driver apparently lost control and struck the concrete base of one of the parking lot lights. Both were injured and transported to John Muir Walnut Creek. Both were listed as stable as of Saturday night.”
A police spokesman said the crash remains under investigation but that no citations had been issued as of Monday morning.
But that wasn’t the end of the car-theme antics, oh no, as Lamorinda police got behind a Chevy Malibu on Highway 24 early Easter morning and found themselves rocketing down I-680 at speeds estimated at 120mph before things ended up in a foot chase complete with tracking dogs on Camille Avenue in Danville.
Police swarmed the area in search of the driver, who abandoned his car near the Camille Avenue access to the Las Trampas trailhead. Readers say several people were contacted as possible suspects at that hour but proved to be early – or late – joggers/runners out for a little exercise.
Other than that, there were a bunch of cute kids dressed in their Sunday best scurrying about picking up chocolate eggs while their parents beamed and filmed the occasion – perhaps oblivious to the fact that they were living in or near the Vortex of Weirdness.
@Wiley Coyote: Try Whole Foods.
My daddy said, “Son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’ if you don’t stop drivin’ that Hot Rod Lincoln.”
How do you roll off that trails???
We were in the city but even that had a weirdness factor to it last night with some aggressive behavior and amateur hour antics. We came home early but it sounds like things were just as crazed over here.
Seemed like the sirens were going all day long. Hope everyone is ok
That parking lot can be a hot mess sometimes. We hope those people come through. The video did not look good.
Chris is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! HAPPY EASTER!
Did the accelerator get stuck or something because it sure seemed they hit that pole hard. We were there afterward and saw the car. Hope the people are healing.
Wondered about the accelerator
You were right when you wrote that story early in the day. Crazy out there. Nice today though!
Steering or accelerator or both?
You had me when the little otter got hit. Things have gone downhill since.
Who would speed through a shopping center parking lot? Isn’t that kind of asking for trouble??