In college, I was in a fraternity. Each year, my fraternity would have a St. Patrick’s Day party. One year this party was on a Saturday night. The guys arranged to have the party at the local Fraternal Order of Police lodge that year. Their building was on a road just outside of town. I had been to parties there before but not so often that I was clear on where the drive to the building was located. There were lots of trees on either side of the road in the area where they were located, and the road had lots of hills and curves right around the drive. My girlfriend, now my wife, was with me and it was raining that night.
We drove down the road getting closer to the lodge. Approaching the lodge, we were coming down a hill and the road also took a slight curve at we went down the hill. I wasn’t sure how far away the drive was from the bottom of the hill, but I felt like was going too fast to slow down quickly enough to make the turn. I intended to go past the drive and turn around an come back. I still wanted to slow down so I put my foot gently on the brake. The next thing I know, the brakes locked up and the car started hydroplaning. The car didn’t leave the road, but it started rotating. It made a 270° rotation before coming to a stop. I looked up to find that the car was pointed at the drive of the lodge. I asked my girlfriend if she was ok. She replied yes and asked me if I was ok. I replied yes. Then I put my foot on the gas and went up the drive to the party.
For the record, I now drive down this road every day on my way to and from work. I don’t have to go all the way to the drive where I spun in the road.