Chapter 36 - Ten-Car Pileup in Glendale

According to Boy: We had nothing to worry about. We had walked from our apartment to the Glendale Diner. Had we driven there, it would have been a different matter. But we did not have a "dog in this fight," as it turned out. So, when that big Chrysler lost control on 71st Street, and side-swiped ten vehicles, it was just a matter of entertainment to us.


It had been a pretty typical winter evening for Evie and me. It was much too nasty to venture too far, so we decided to walk down to the neighborhood diner and get a piece of apple pie a la mode, and a cup of their delicious fresh-brewed coffee.

The waitress had just brought us our dessert, when we heard a terrible noise outside. It was the sound of crushing metal. The whole diner shook. It sounded like a bad accident, but without the screeching of tires.

"What was that loud noise?" I asked Evie.

"It sounded like an accident."

We looked into the darkness, but could not make anything out. We each took a couple bites of our apple pie, still wondering what was up. I wanted to go outside to check it out, but did not want to let my apple pie get cold. We always asked for them to warm up the pie before scooping on the ice cream.

I waited as long as I could, but finally succumbed to my desire to solve the mystery.

"I’ll be right back," I said as I put on my jacket and headed for the door.

By then the first black and white had pulled up, followed by another, and another.

There had been an accident—a bad accident. No one was injured, but there were a total of eleven cars involved. What had happened is this: A woman had turned off Myrtle Avenue onto 71st Street. She was going much too fast for the icy road conditions. She never managed to maneuver the turn. Her big older Chrysler just pin-balled from one side of the street to the other, then back again. Finally it came to rest against a utility pole. But not before damaging ten other cars, all parked.
One by one the owners of the damaged cars came out to inspect the losses. The poor gal just sat in her wrecked Chrysler, until the cops made her get out and sit in their car.

I went back into the diner and told Evie what had happened. We both quickly took a couple more bites, and I paid our check. We did not want to miss the show. There is nothing more entertaining than ten angry New Yorkers, all ganging up.

There would be other nights for apple pie a la mode. This night was not a la mode night, it was the night of the great icy car crash.