30 સપ્ટેમ્બર, 2026

"His gray compact S.U.V. accelerated past shelves of pumpkin spice Cheerios and Special K cereal boxes...."

"The vehicle came to rest near a display of Halloween candy after careening beneath a sign over the doorway that reads: 'Thanks for shopping, y’all!'..."

From "A Driver Desperate to Use the Bathroom Plows Into a Kroger in Texas, the Police Say/The driver, James Mansell Lancaster Jr., was upset to find the supermarket in Rosenberg, Texas, closed early Sunday morning, the police said" (NYT).

"Mr. Lancaster stayed at the scene, according to the police.... 'All he said was the doors were locked and he had to use the restroom,' Lieutenant Munoz said.... Kroger does not plan to release security camera footage of the crash..."

I found the footage:

41 ટિપ્પણીઓ:

Gerda Sprinchorn કહ્યું...

Good post.

I'm sensing an increase in whimsical posts lately. If true, I'm liking the trend.

Wilbur કહ્યું...

Are we sure this didn't happen in Florida?

Shouting Thomas કહ્યું...

When my bladder cancer was at its worst, I became incontinent. Wore a diaper when I had to. But, I hated them. I had a number of bushes and hiding places along my regular routes where I could stop in a hurry to take a pee. Even in town. Relying on an indoor bathroom wouldn’t work. There were still some accidents. Fortunately, I’m in remission and back close to normal.

rehajm કહ્યું...

…pilots in flight are constantly visually scanning and hitting NRST looking for emergency landing places. That’s me and bathrooms on car trips with my wife if twenty minutes or more. My skills are pretty good- only once in Idaho did we need the bushes and that’s because my warning that we’re passing the casino went unanswered because she’s zonked out…

Humperdink કહ્યું...

As I traveled by car as part of my job, I always carried a wide mouth bottle in my car for emergencies. At least 20 oz.

Temujin કહ્યું...

Shouting Thomas- sorry you've had to go through that.

I was in sales, and on the road for about 25 or so years. You get very good at sniffing out places to use a rest room while on the road. But there were times- many times- when I'm sure I stretched my bladder to points that cannot be healthy. Where one jerky step getting out of the car would have meant an early end to my day.
Thank God for hotels along the way.

The worst is when you drink a lot of coffee and you wake up one day and realize you have an older man's prostate. Not a good mix.

Lem Vibe Bandit કહ્યું...

He must've thought about it first. That is, if every action is first conjured in thought. Maybe somethings are not?

ai: "While the biological urge itself is a raw, involuntary physical sensation, the act of operating a motor vehicle and steering it through closed glass doors requires a complex sequence of deliberate motor choices. This cannot be written off as a pure reflex like blinking or pulling your hand away from fire."
1. The Conflict Between Urge and Constraint
The intense physical desperation originates in the brainstem and insular cortex, which scream at the driver to resolve the discomfort immediately. However, to actually turn the steering wheel and press the gas pedal toward a wall, the brain must override a massive, deeply ingrained psychological barrier: the knowledge that crashing into a building is dangerous and illegal. Overriding that barrier requires a cognitive choice, even if it happens in a split second..."

2. Radical Prioritization (Not an Accident)
The driver's brain performed a rapid, desperate cost-benefit analysis...."

3. The Legal and Psychological Distinction
In legal terms, this action demonstrates intent and volition:
• It was not a reflex: If the driver had fainted from pain and slumped onto the gas pedal, that would be an involuntary physical action without thought."
• It was an intentional act under duress: Driving through the doors requires aiming the car and accelerating. The driver conceived of the supermarket as the solution to their crisis, recognized the doors were closed, and chose to breach them anyway."

"While the driver’s capacity for rational, long-term thinking was severely hijacked by intense physical distress, the specific action of using the car as a battering ram had to be simulated by the brain's motor planning centers before the muscles carried it out."

Bob Boyd કહ્યું...

Musta been numba 2.

Bob Boyd કહ્યું...

To be fair, he bought the microwave burrito that led to the crisis at a Kroger, so...

Ann Althouse કહ્યું...

"The intense physical desperation originates in the brainstem and insular cortex, which scream at the driver to resolve the discomfort immediately. However, to actually turn the steering wheel and press the gas pedal toward a wall, the brain must override a massive, deeply ingrained psychological barrier: the knowledge that crashing into a building is dangerous and illegal. Overriding that barrier requires a cognitive choice, even if it happens in a split second..."

I'm sensing a Lindsay Clancy type defense.

Ann Althouse કહ્યું...

It's not a very effective way to get to a bathroom. There you are, having created chaos (and extreme excitement): It's not easy to proceed to the bathroom. Even assuming you were so mad you wanted to break down the door, I just don't see this as a way to get to the bathroom in time, so what was the point of getting through the door. He had to be temporarily insane.

Lem Vibe Bandit કહ્યું...

While I'm out delivering (Amazon delivery side hustle) I'm always on the lookout for port-o-potty. Luckily, there are housing developments going up all over north east Georgia. And when people are renovating, contractors bring one and put it near the front of the house, close enough to the road to appear as though I'm not breaking and entering, which I am probably, anyways. If caught, my hope is we have an understanding human being, capable of imagining themselves in my situation. That's not a guarantee as I've come learn, via the Socials. link to YouTube video

Bob Boyd કહ્યું...

Most boys used to learn how to poop outdoors in Boy Scouts. A person with excellent spatial reasoning could probably figure it out from first principles. You don't actually need porcelain or even privacy in an emergency, but you don’t just give people a microwave burrito and tell them to experience the joy of defecating al fresco. Society failed this man.

donald કહ્યું...

Currently in Cali. Three quarters of business’s will not let you use their bathrooms. I pee right in the parking lot. Fuck Em.

donald કહ્યું...

Living in a high trust part of the country and keeping my head on a swivel out here is kinda amusing to me.

n.n કહ્યું...

A gay compact foray with groceries.

n.n કહ્યું...

Sexist innuendo.

RCOCEAN II કહ્યું...

My father had a problem so he would carry a urine bottle in his car. Don't know if he wore "depends" - its not something I cared to know or he wanted to discuss.

RCOCEAN II કહ્યું...

Years a go we had a lady who plowed into a starbucks and just 7 months ago, another woman drove into the local safeway and ended up in the fruit/vegtable section. She missed a couple shoppers by a foot or so. No Orange, however, was injured.

Howard કહ્યું...

An empty wide mouth Hellman's mayonnaise jar is the perfect receptacle for evacuating ones bladder while cruising down the highway at 75. It's a little tricky, but I've even managed to do it on Windy rural roads in New England. I invented this solution during covid. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

rcommal કહ્યું...

"Mr. Lancaster stayed at the scene, according to the police.."

Yeah, but did he actually use the bathroom?

rcommal કહ્યું...

And why couldn't he just have "drained his lizard" (to use an example of at least semi-old slang) outside somewhere, maybe behind the building by the dumpsters, like a "normal" guy?

Leland કહ્યું...

I had to look at this from a map. He was on the east end of Rosenberg. 2 miles west would be the central Rosenberg exit off US59. There is a 24 hour Whataburger and Waffle House. Most Texans would know to look for them for a restroom. Glad he didn’t try the Chick-Fil-A on the other side of the highway from Kroger’s on a Sunday.

rcommal કહ્યું...

Leland: Exactly. And perhaps there was a hotel or motel somewhere? Maybe urine was flooding his brain. There's no real, good explanation for what he did. He could have killed or injured someone. Clearly, there's something else wrong with him beyond a full bladder. Something profound.

rcommal કહ્યું...

If he goes to jail, will he have easy, instant access to pee facilities?

Bob Boyd કહ્યું...

"Glad he didn’t try the Chick-Fil-A on the other side of the highway from Kroger’s on a Sunday."

Devine intervention?

rcommal કહ્યું...

Truck stops, Waffle Houses, hotels, motels...they were my friends on overnight, after-hours trips. Especially today, it's pretty easy to figure it out if you try (and plan ahead, if you're prone to bladder or other issues).

Speaking of which, one of the very best phone apps I have ever downloaded is "iExit." It's designed for interstates, so I don't know if this would apply for this guy, but it allows you to determine availability of gas stations, hotels, restaurants and so forth many, many, many, many, many miles in advance. have used it for years, and it is a true gem.*** I can't recommend it enough.

***I'm not a paid promoter and receive no remuneration for this shout out.***

RideSpaceMountain કહ્યું...

"Most boys used to learn how to poop outdoors in Boy Scouts. A person with excellent spatial reasoning could probably figure it out from first principles. You don't actually need porcelain or even privacy in an emergency, but you don’t just give people a microwave burrito and tell them to experience the joy of defecating al fresco. Society failed this man."

Another fine axiom from the eminently quotable Boyd. I think I'll frame this one.

rcommal કહ્યું...

Oh, OK, poop not pee. Still no excuse.

rcommal કહ્યું...

I'd upvote Boyd's comment, too.

Rocco કહ્યું...

A Chevy HHR is not an SUV. The question is whether it is a CUV or a station wagon.

RideSpaceMountain કહ્યું...

That clip reminded me new production SPAS-12s are coming back! The LARPers can no make believe they're the Jurassic Park game warden on the cheap. Clever boys.

hanuman_prodigious_leaper કહ્યું...

Keep pee bottle with you all times!!! On longer drive?

hanuman_prodigious_leaper કહ્યું...

Store closed parking lot empty use pee skills of noble savage!!

imTay કહ્યું...

Somebody would rather be writing fiction. Hemingway famously wrote fiction in a newspaper style, as if he were reporting on the world rather than imagining one. This guy is doing the opposite.

hanuman_prodigious_leaper કહ્યું...

Not sure boy scouts got it right...
How to Dig and Use a Cat Hole
• Distance: Walk at least 200 feet (about 70 to 75 adult steps) away from any trails, campsites, and water sources like streams or lakes.
• Depth: Dig a hole 6 to 8 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches wide using a trowel, a stick, or your heel

Peachy+2 કહ્યું...

Agree - not effective. Was this guy on heavy drugs/alcohol?

hanuman_prodigious_leaper કહ્યું...

Still excellent sphincter control through explosive acceleration and impacts.

Rustygrommet કહ્યું...

There's a wonderful book ,"How To Shit In The Woods" I recommend it.

hanuman_prodigious_leaper કહ્યું...

Lem Vibe Bandit said...
While I'm out delivering (Amazon delivery) ...

Defense: oh you didn't order load of shit? My bad.

Marcus Bressler કહ્યું...

1. I cut an empty Smart Water bottle so that 2/3rds of it remained. I keep it in my car when I cannot make it to a Wawa or Publix. I then empty it on the side of the road where no one will step in it.
2. Neil Rogers, the since-deceased shock jock of Miami radio once devoted a whole show on how he was driving his Vette to the station and could no longer hold it in - such as the man in the story. As Neil told it, "I pooped my pants". His boardman would occasionally use it when they discussed certain subjects like politicians saying stupid things and then tried to weasel out of it. Just explain you shite yourself.
3. I can hear it now: Why use a Hellmann's - why not Duke's?

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