The day will come when you’re handed the key to freedom, your driver’s license. Regardless of the age, one thing stays the same: driving is a huge responsibility. The road can be unpredictable, and as countless tales
prove, a small mistake can lead to big problems. For junior Dylan Boddie, just months after getting his license, he found himself in a nightmare behind the wheel. “I was pulling out of a parking lot, and while trying to merge onto a busy intersection, I got T-boned on my driver’s side,”

Boddie recalled. The crash sent his head slamming into the window, leading him to believe that serious injuries were about to occur. “There was a bunch of smoke and oil leaking, so I had to climb over the seat to get out,” he explained.
While the other driver blamed him for failing to yield, Boddie sees the fault of the incident as shared. As a result, he now avoids congested intersections altogether, and advises any new drivers to avoid busy streets until you gain confidence on the road.

So beware little driver, Houston’s bustling roads might just eat you for lunch. For Rmanie Davis, Lamar’s Speech and Debate coach, lunch time for him brought about an unforgettable event. Mr. Davis experienced the terrifying and ludicrous act of a Popeyes sign collapsing on top of his car. While pulling up through the drive-thru, he recalls the sign taking a tumble right while he was about to order. “It felt like it was barely even holding up in the first place, like it was on its last leg,” he recollected.

In the moment, Mr. Davis couldn’t fathom what was happening, as he would have never thought that he would have the joyous experience of lifting a Popeyes menu sign off his car. “I had to get out of my car and literally push the sign up and off while all the cars behind me were laughing at me, it was very embarrassing,” he chuckled. While Mr. Davis’ interaction may be floating around somewhere on the world wide web, the important thing is that not only did he suffer no injuries; he also got to love that chicken from Popeyes while it was still fresh and hot. Unfortunately his cluckin’ luck was short lived as just a few short weeks later, Mr. Davis once again got into a roadway collision. A morning routine commute turned into a traffic-terror when Mr. Davis got slammed from behind while stopping at a red light. The impact snapped his body forward with such force that he landed in the ER, battling with severe back pain for weeks.

When recalling the taxing event, Davis stated, “I try not to go down that street; everytime I happen to I always seem to stop at the exact place where I had my wreck, checking in my rear-view mirror and anticipating the hit,” Despite the bizarre experiences, it is safe to say that Davis will not only be boycotting the Louisiana chicken, but also blacklisting the road he took that fateful day.

In a city where the roads seem to have a mind of their own, Davis and Boddie’s stories serve as a reminder that danger can strike when you least expect it—whether from behind the wheel or even beneath a falling Popeyes sign. One thing’s for sure: Houston’s streets are never short on surprises.