My Friend Could Have Lost Her Daughter When This Happened

People, please clean the snow and ice off your vehicles, so accidents like this one don't happen. This one hits home for me.

I met Kristin Harmon through her Mom, Michelle, who is a friend from Orrington. Kristin is very sweet, with a generous spirit. She worked for years at the Bangor Humane Society, dedicating her time to finding homes for dogs and cats, and making their lives better until they found their forever homes. In my book, that makes her a very special person.

But on Saturday, a very scary accident could have ended it all. Kristin was on I-95 in Houlton when she moved into the left lane to pass the vehicle in front of her. As she pulled up beside the vehicle, that was being driven by Rose Rodriguez, a large piece of ice came off the top of Rose's vehicle and hit Kristen's windshield. You can see a piece of that ice in the picture, still stuck in the center of the glass. No one, amazingly, was hurt in this accident. But it could have been so much worse.

The two vehicles pulled off the highway and called the authorities. Kristin says Rose was very sweet and cooperative. And, honestly, it could happen to any of us who got in  a rush and didn't take the time to clean off the car. Still, State Police issued a summons to Rose for having an unsecured load on her vehicle, while Kristen's vehicle was towed away.

People, it only takes a few minutes to clean the snow and ice from your vehicle. Is it fun? No. Is it cold to stand out there and do that? Oh yeah. But is it worth it? Take a good look at the pictures of Kristen's windshield and imagine it happening to your car, as you're driving at least 65 mph. Of course it is. Those few minutes of discomfort could save a life. Take the time.