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Hot Dogs and Ice
Wienermobile wipes out
Famed vehicle spins, crashes on snow-covered Pa. highway; 'hotdoggers' OK.
By George Osgood
MANSFIELD -- Let's be frank: motor vehicle accidents aren't much fun for anyone. But when a 27-foot-long tube-steak spins out on a snow-covered highway, it's bound to generate some grins.
That's what happened Sunday to an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile on Route 15 about two miles south of Mansfield (at least it didn't roll over).
The growler contained two "hotdoggers" -- driver Emily Volpini, 22, of Lexington, Ky., and Caylen Goudie, 22, of Hinsdale, Ill. Although they didn't relish the experience, they weren't hurt, investigating state Trooper Rex Johnson said.
"Hotdoggers" are goodwill ambassadors for Kraft Foods and Oscar Mayer. There are 12 of them in the country -- two for each of the six Wienermobiles. They spend a year on the job traveling around the country. Part of their job is to recruit their replacements.
On Friday and Saturday, Volpini and Goudie and the iconic frankfurter were at Syracuse University, fulfilling the promise to the winner of "A Weekend with the Wienermobile" contest. Sunday morning, the women and the wiener on wheels headed south toward Penn State, where they will try to recruit candidates for the 2008-09 hotdoggers from a stable of Nittany Lion hopefuls. Mother Nature intervened, though briefly, at 12:20 p.m., putting the plastic porksicle on the median and out of service.
"We thought we had come out of the blizzard," Goudie said. "We thought we were through it. Then we hit a patch of ice. The Wienermobile weighs 7,000 pounds, so usually ice and snow isn't much of a problem. It was this time." Stuck, Volpini called 911 dispatchers in Wellsboro. Though skeptical at first, they notified state police at Mansfield. As passersby called in the crash on cell phones, the dispatchers became convinced that the barkburger was indeed in hot water.
Police contacted Dave Kurzejewski of Costy's Truck and Auto Mart, and he showed up in short order with a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle and some chains. Johnson, the trooper, grilled the women briefly and concluded that a routine and sober spinout was all he had on his plate.
Kurzejewski hooked up and Emily fired up the highway hot dog, and a few well-timed tugs later, the Wienermobile was back on the highway. For Kurzejewski, veteran of hundreds of tows over the years, Sunday's experience was a new one. "I've pulled out a lot of vehicles," he said. "But that's the first wiener I've ever pulled out." It was a first for the women, too. They left none the wurst for wear.
"Usually we try to keep from scratching our buns," Goudie said. "But sometimes, things go wrong."
Add a Comment
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Comment by Brittany on February 13, 2008 at 3:03am
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Oh man...
It's one of those things where you don't want to laugh...
Hahahaha
Who am I kidding?
*grins* Thanks for sharing.
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Comment by Capkurt on February 12, 2008 at 2:26pm
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I wonder if they had the "condiments" scared out of them?
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Comment by Bob on February 12, 2008 at 10:03am
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I hear ya loud and clear Mick...
But isn't hanging a sausage on the side of the road illegal?!?
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Comment by Lyn on February 12, 2008 at 8:33am
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Hot Dog,I don't care who you are, that right there was funny,,hahaha. Can you imagine being the one sittin in the weiner moble havin to call 911? omg,hahahahahha ,,, think I'ld just have to freeze my buns off,lol.
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Comment by Tommy O L26 on February 11, 2008 at 8:35pm
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That was a dog does. Playing when in the wet snow that like a weiner dog.
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Comment by Meris on February 11, 2008 at 4:48pm
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This was so epic.
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Comment by Mick Mayers on February 11, 2008 at 4:21pm
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I feel bad for the tow truck driver; didn't anyone tell him never to pull on a weiner in public?
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Comment by FIREMEN BUTTS DRIVE ME NUTS on February 11, 2008 at 3:39pm
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ROTFLMAO great pic & they sure did use alot of great puns in the story.
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Comment by Dennis on February 11, 2008 at 3:36pm
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weiners and ice wheres da beer
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Comment by Joel C Kelley on February 11, 2008 at 3:19pm
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I wonder if the little brats will get grilled by their employers, or is the wurst over for them? HA!
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