THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507210232
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
B.I. Robertson, a special agent with the Virginia State Police, is looking for the woman he's convinced saved his life in Chesapeake on the afternoon of July 15.
``I just want to thank her,'' he said from his Richmond base. ``She was my guardian angel.''
At about 2:10 p.m. Robertson had just gotten off Interstate 64 and was riding his Gold Wing motorcycle on George Washington Highway about four and a half miles north of Ballahack Road.
Robertson was on vacation at the time. The day before he had driven back from Bangor, Maine, and had even ridden his motorcycle through New York City in rush-hour traffic.
He wanted to travel on to the Outer Banks to visit his girlfriend. He thought to himself, ``I've driven all those miles yesterday, what's another 300 miles?''
``I thought, cruising down to Nags Head would be no problem, right?'' Robertson asked. ``Wrong!''
The dual highway he was traveling on was packed full of traffic in both directions.
``Somebody ahead decided to slow down and make a turn, and that caused a chain reaction,'' he said. ``I was placed in a situation where I was trying to slow my cycle down, avoid other traffic and be aware of the traffic behind me.''
The driver ahead of Robertson saw his dilemma through her rear view mirror and with good thinking proceeded to move her car off the road and partially onto the shoulder to give him more room. That quick thinking saved his life, Robertson said.
``She saw what was going on,'' he said.
Because of the situation, the car behind Robertson hit his motorcycle from behind. That sent Robertson flying 15 feet ahead until he was right next to the quick-thinking driver who had pulled off the road.
``He popped me from behind and sent me ahead so I was eye-to-eye with her,'' Robertson said. ``She looked at me and very matter-of-factly said, `I saw what was getting ready to happen, so I pulled over.' This woman really knew what to do.''
After making sure he wasn't hurt, the driver sped away.
``I managed to escape without a scratch, but my bike is now in the shop for repair,'' he explained.
He said the lady in question is black and possibly in her 30s. That's all he can recall. Everything happened so fast he said he had no time to get her name, notice what type of car she was driving or get her license plate number.
``What she did helped save my life,'' he said. ``I have absolutely no doubt I would have been crushed in that lane or been thrown into the other lane of oncoming traffic.''
Robertson said the mystery woman was a quick-thinking person.
Robertson would like the woman in question to contact him at the Virginia State Police headquarters in Richmond at 1-804-553-3444.
``Again, I just want to thank her, maybe take her out to dinner or something. It's the least I can do,'' he said. ``I'm just so thankful for her quick-thinking action.''
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC by CNB