My wife and baby didn't die while waiting for the tow truck when the car broke down on a stretch of freeway that didn't have an emergency lane. The car was just over a crest and they got a fire truck there to park behind her in case a large truck couldn't stop or change lanes in time.
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That must have been scary to break down there. I'm glad that it worked out OK for them. What's wrong with the car?
It's a piece of shit, but to be more specific the alternator system stopped charging the battery or something. That's all we know so far, there could be other issues.
I had that exact same thing happen once at night while I was driving from Louisiana to Alabama with my mother and young nephew in the car. Fortunately we were only about an hour and a half from home when the car finally died, so we called my dad to come and get us and a kind stranger stayed with us to keep us safe until my dad got there. My dad and I drove back the next day with a fully charged battery that fit the car and we drove the car home and replaced the alternator.