Teenage drivers are often blamed for car accidents, either because they often seem to text while driving or because they are considered reckless. While not all teens are irresponsible drivers, the fact is that they do lack the experience that can come in handy when a driver is confronted with a sudden, surprising event. And what could be more surprising than Bigfoot?
Two men in Montana made the news recently after they came up with a plan for a Bigfoot hoax. They apparently thought it would fun to see if they could simulate a Bigfoot sighting believable enough to be widely reported. Late one night, one of the men dressed up in a Ghillie suit (a camouflaged outfit that looks like foliage) and, while his friend waited, he ran out into onto a dark stretch of highway to attract the notice of passing drivers.
He was struck by a car driven by a teenage girl. That collision threw him into the path of another car — also driven by a teenage girl. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
While the investigation is still ongoing, it appears unlikely that either of the teen drivers will be cited for the accident. The two young women — and the Bigfoot hoaxers — will be tested to determine of alcohol was a factor in these events. The accident scene will be scrutinized to determine if the young drivers were culpable in any way.
However, a representative of the Montana Highway Patrol interviewed by the Los Angeles Times, seemed to think the young drivers probably couldn’t be expected to avoid a wreck in such a situation.
“For somebody who has never seen [a Ghillie suit], they look absolutely odd. You would not understand what you were looking at,” he told reporters. “It goes from head to toe. You would look at it and think, ‘What in the world is that?’ ”
The sight was certainly startling enough to cause a couple of car accidents on a dark Montana road — and the two hoaxers did get the notoriety they were hoping for. The MHP spokesman summed up the situation:
“This is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen. Really.”
Source: Los Angeles Times, “Bigfoot hoax ends badly: Montana jokester hit, killed by car,” Rene Lynch, Aug. 28, 2012