Weird Excuses for Being Late to and from Work

Weird Excuses for B eing Late to and from Work - wild boar, traffic jam, wrecksYou hear about people making crazy excuses for things (like “the dog ate my homework”) but here are a few bona fide reasons I’ve been late to work and getting home from work.

1) On my first day at work on my current job, a wild boar escaped from a vehicle transporting it on the interstate. Amid the mass of stopped cars, the big, hairy, ugly pig ran wildly right in front of my car – while several men tried to capture it. They all looked scared to death, especially when the boar switched directions and charged their way. I felt ridiculous having to tell my new boss, “I’m sorry for being late, but there was a 500-lb. wild boar in the road causing a big traffic jam…” Fortunately, an article with details about the event on the front page of the newspaper the next day confirmed my wild story.

2) I’d backed the car out and gotten out to close the garage door to go to the first day of a week-long training class at work when I discovered it wouldn’t close all the way. So, although two ladders were within easy distance, I grabbed a bucket (also nearby), stood on it, reached up to fix the top of the door, slipped off and fell to the concrete floor. The garage door slammed down as I screamed in pain, but since no one was going to come help me, I finally stood upright and limped to work — late.  (Found out two weeks later it was badly broken – even though I went to the emergency room that night after work and got x-rays — and the doctor told me it wasn’t broken…)

3) When I worked downtown and had to cross the two mile-long bridge across the river, several car wrecks occurred one rainy morning involving an incredible total of 37 cars. Five cars crashed into each other right next to me in the passing lane (with that horrible crunching sound), and car parts from their vehicles flew through the air and bounced off my car’s windshield. Just ahead, 15 cars had crashed in a single wreck, and the rest of the wrecks were behind me. (It was definitely the worse day ever on the bridge; a new one was built since then.) Everyone  got out and walked around, as the bridge swayed beneath us, until traffic finally began moving again at 10 a.m.

4) One time, word got out that traffic was tied up both routes home from work. I chose the way I thought would be fastest and sat in my roasting car (it was 99 degrees that day) at a near stand-still, inching along on the interstate for five hours and reading a week’s supply of newspapers that, fortunately, were in the back seat. I unbuttoned my blouse to my waist, hiked up my skirt (who cared what the truck drivers thought?!) and toughed it out –eventually making it 13 miles home after 9 p.m.

The true-life incidents above are one of the main reasons I always keep an ample supply of reading material in my car.

What situations have you encountered while commuting to and from work?

*** Other work-related posts:

Best Workplace Advice Ever #1

Top 10 Reasons to Love Teleworking

Playing with Dolls at Work: A Wacky Workplace Morale Booster

Returning to Work after Vacation to an Empty Mailbox

Please Don’t Hug or Kiss Me at Work: Sexual Harassment

This entry was posted in excuses for being late to work, late to work, work and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

18 Responses to Weird Excuses for Being Late to and from Work

  1. My hubs once had a truck carrying chickens tip-over which resulted in hundreds of chickens running all over the highway. State troopers were chasing the chickens for hours and caused such a back up! It was crazy having to tell his boss why he was late because well now we know why the chicken crosses the road. 😉
    Jessi Fearon (@TheBudgetMama) recently posted…2014 Goals – Update #7My Profile

  2. I feel like I have a zillion of these but can’t think of a single one. Ain’t that alway the way? Love the wild boar though. Fab.

    The Accidental Mama
    http://theaccidentalmama.com
    The Accidental Mama recently posted…The Final Countdown: A Wedding UpdateMy Profile

  3. Stephanie says:

    During a commute, I witnessed a standoff with police. It was terrifying but kind of exciting too.

  4. Leah Porter says:

    Love the wild boar story! That sounds like something that would happen to me..

  5. Mary says:

    These are some pretty hiliarious reasons for being late, and so unbelievable that they all happened to you. The first one is pretty funny, and imagine the odds for your first day. You must live in a unique place! Thanks for sharing this, it was a great and entertaining read.
    Mary recently posted…Top 5 websites for At-Home WorkoutsMy Profile

    • blogqueendiane says:

      Thanks for writing. This is definitely a unique place – ya can’t get anywhere without crossing several bridges, so if something happens on one, you’re just stuck…

  6. Tameka says:

    Wow. How awful! I thought things like that only happened to me.

  7. Very entertaining post! I’m not so much late for work but on the odd occasion I’m off sick my genuine reasons often seem implausible like “food poisoning” (aka hangover) after that Sunday night BBQ etc 😉 thanks for sharing.
    Glasgowdragonfly recently posted…On being nice (and cynical) these daysMy Profile

  8. I’m thinking in addition to reading materials, I would make sure I had food and drinks stashed in my car, too. And maybe something to pee in.
    that cynking feeling recently posted…Surgery by the numbersMy Profile

    • blogqueendiane says:

      Actually, that night I did have a little bit of left-over food and drink in the car, but had to ration the liquid because of the inevitable problem… That paper cup was looking mighty tempting after a few hours…

  9. Nate says:

    That is some bad luck, especially the wild boar. I haven’t owned a car in a while. My lateness has all been pretty standard and entirely the fault of public transportation: train delays, buses log-jammed, rush hour traffic. I’ll remember your post whenever I encounter my little inconveniences, though.
    Nate recently posted…Hey, Buddy, Look UpMy Profile

  10. Ellen says:

    My dad would be late for work or called home from work because the cows got out. Once I was called home cause one of the cows we had got to butcher for meat, had a baby.

  11. Pingback: Best Work Advice Ever - Thoughts, Tips and TalesThoughts, Tips and Tales

  12. Pingback: The Secret to Success: Best Workplace Advice #2Thoughts, Tips and Tales

Leave a Reply to Nate Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge