Just sat down at my computer, and I'm in the middle of a HUGE adrenaline crash right now! I usually wait to make my ACTUAL post in this thread until I catch up and respond to everyone else. But today....
I was scared sh**less, and thought I was going to die. Seriously. Imagine two roads that make a T. The top of the T is a road that is actually a dead-end on both sides. The bottom of the T is the only road leading in to it (it would connect to another one at the very bottom). The top of the T is called "Riverview". The bottom is called "Big Buck Trail".
I'm on Big Buck Trl, about to turn onto Riverview. I stop and talk with a guy that is moving and wants to know what all he has to do. While talking with him, I notice my brake pedal gives a little bit extra while I'm sitting still. Nothing big, but JUST enough for me to notice. Shouldn't have been much. I finish talking with him, and make a right-hand turn onto Riverview. As soon as I make the turn, there's a 30-degree incline going downhill. Obviously, my mail truck wants to go faster and faster down this hill, so I hit the brakes....
AND NOTHING HAPPENS. My brakes just completely went out on me and I could NOT slow down, MUCH less stop on this **** hill! A f**king 30-degree incline downwards, and I couldn't do anything but speed up. I passed RIGHT by the first box because I couldn't stop for it!
THANK GOD the road inclines back UP for a short bit before hitting the dead end. The dead end is nothing but small trees, and a steep drop-off! But I pulled the emergency brake, and the hill slowed me down enough that I was able to stop! On the side of the road is a ditch, and then a sharp hill. I let the mail truck "crash" into that hill, and then turned my wheels the opposite way so it couldn't move away from it.
I get out, move away, and call my supervisor to let her know. After she starts out on her way to find me, I look under the truck. There's a six-foot streak of brake fluid right behind where I stopped, and it was a spray NOT a drip. It was a good 3-inches wide and a solid line all the way back. And right behind the front tire is a good-sized POOL of brake fluid that came pouring out after I actually managed to stop! It was still dripping when I saw it, but the pool was already a good 4-feet across!
Every last bit of brake fluid came out of that vehicle, right there on that road. That's why I had no brakes, and almost lost my **** life! Just a few more feet, and I would have cleared the top of the next hill, and went into the woods and over the drop-off!
And if that isn't bad enough, they just "redid" the brakes last Thursday (Feb 27th). You would THINK someone would have noticed wear and tear that was about to eat through a brake line BEFORE I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE!
But the adrenaline rush helped me with the rest of my route, since that issue put me WAY behind schedule. I finished a 1.5 hour section of the route in 45 minutes. So yeah, I'm crashing now, and SO VERY THANKFUL to be alive!