Gridlock Guy: Atlanta’s loose zebra had a worse ending than Ed did in Tennessee

In a metro area as populated and vast as Atlanta and on a road network so dense, Atlanta commuters are bound to experience an array of strange things. Planes have crashed or landed on freeways, trucks of various contents spill, and animals get loose and can cause havoc.

The content on the cards in “Atlanta Traffic: The Card Game” reflect this insanity. I got the pleasure of learning how to play this game with creator Evan Simmons last May. It’s a hoot.

The recent viral story about a zebra named “Ed” and his weeklong adventure in Tennessee hearkens to Atlanta’s own striped galloper getting loose on the Downtown Connector (I-75/85).

On Feb. 18, 2010, a 12-year-old zebra named Lima was exercising in an enclosure outside of the now-named State Farm Arena. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus was in town and handlers were busy preparing the performers to dazzle the crowd. Plans went awry when Lima got spooked and got loose.

The zebra broke free of its handlers and bumped a weak area of the fence, creating a hole, and galloped off. Lima led police and other pursuers on a 40-minute pursuit. At one point, police actually corralled the terrified animal in a parking lot. But Lima broke free again and became the fastest moving thing on I-75/85.

I remember this clearly. I was in the WSB Traffic Center as part of the afternoon traffic coverage and the late Captain Herb Emory and I were watching monitors of the aerial footage from the WSB Skycopter. Emory called this event as one would a police chase: he gave play-by-play coverage of not only Lima, but of the road blocks that APD, GDOT and GSP deployed.

This snarled an already busy I-75/85 for a long time. The frenzied creature finally exited onto Williams Street and the pursuing consortium was able to corral it. Lima did not use turn signals.

This is the part of the program where we pause to talk about dominoes or butterfly effects or whichever metaphor resonates the best. Our actions — and inactions — affect other people and often in ways we could never anticipate.

In Lima the zebra’s case, circus operators had to reinforce their fencing the next day. If the fencing had not had a gap or weak spot the day before, Lima would not have had the scare of his life. And thousands of drivers would not have been inconvenienced in the middle of their drives home. Ambulances or critical deliveries could have been delayed. Heck, someone could have been late for a job interview — or a date.

In the case of “Ed,” the Tennessee zebra whose real name is Zeke, his owners had just purchased him one day before. His weeklong adventure also sometimes caused police to block lanes and certainly distracted, surprised and scared a lot of people. Zeke’s owners should have had proper security measures in place before bringing such an exotic animal to their homestead.

Accidents happen, but calling them that implies that no one is responsible. Naming something an “accident” indicates that the universe just decided something happened and the recipients of the consequences were just unlucky. An incident might lack intent, but that truth does not make the misfortune unavoidable.

Ed the zebra survived his suburban safari. Lima did not.

Lima’s long jaunt on pavement bloodied its hooves and damaged them severely. UGA’s veterinary school treated Lima for several weeks and then determined that the animal would have a low quality of life in its condition. Vets euthanized Lima.

The main reason that Atlanta traffic has seen so many oddities is because erring is human and a lot of people travel through and around this fair city. Beer cans, cows, glass and furniture — those do not just “end up” in traffic. A strap gets left loose or someone is distracted and runs into something. Then cargo goes flying. And people get hurt or frustrated or are late.

A helicopter lifted Zeke to safety. I would not like to see the bill for his rescue.

The plights of Lima and Zeke should remind us all to secure our loads and our pets. And we should remember to never take open roads for granted. Conditions can change in an instant and we should drive like our lives and those of the people (or loose livestock) around us depend on our attention.

Doug Turnbull has covered Atlanta traffic for over 20 years and written “Gridlock Guy” since 2017. Doug also co-hosts the “Five to Go Podcast,” a weekly deep dive on stories in motorsports. Contact him at fireballturnbull@gmail.com.