Every time I drive down the hill, I keep in mind that if I lose my brakes, I need to embrace the horror and crash on purpose quickly, before I pick up speed. I'm sure it's difficult to accept that you're going to crash; it's just a matter of how hard. Would I recognize what is happening quickly enough to save myself?

So that's my hill story. It's imaginary, and I hope it stays that way.

I think this story from the DNT Attic qualifies: Bus crashes into Fourth Street Market, 1984.

And my personal favorite gravity story was when my seven year old nephew from the flatlands of Wisconsin was in town with my family. When he got out of their truck in front of Washington Gallery. His little toy blue ball rolled out and screamed in horror as it made its escape down Lake ave. 

Oh how he was traumatized by that until someone was nice enough to catch it around 1st street and brought it back up.

A Duluth ball-rolling-down-the-hill story from PDD, May 2009:

http://www.perfectduluthday.com/2009/05/24/musings-on-a-basketball-rolling-downhill/

@Sjixxxy   That poor street lamp. It just can't catch a break!

I remember a story from when I was a kid that a gas station (or some building) was wiped out when a semi-truck drove into it.  The building was on Piedmont/South 53.  There was always a weird cement patch that looked like a building was once there.  Then again, I was 8 and believed everything.

Also, don't forget the concrete blast barriers protecting Lillian's. I think I saw three cars go into that building the summer before they went up.

Hans: It was called coasting, and it was likely the No. 1 cause of death for children 100 years ago in Duluth as autos were added to the street cars in posing hazards on cross streets. The city banned "coasting" in 1896 but had no way to enforce the law since they weren't allowed to arrest minors back then. So each winter into the 1930s, the debate raged on whether sledding out of control down city streets was a wise practice. And each year a child would be crushed or maimed by a streetcar or auto.

Eventually, certain streets were designated to take out the element of surprise at crossings and then, lo and behold, people realized you could make sledding hills in parks.And for some reason the term "coasting" sort of disappeared from the language.

Not as fun as ping-pong balls, but about five years ago a truck lost a load of what appeared to be metal bowls going down lake ave. Some made it pretty far. The rest just got hit by other cars and made an awesome popping sound.

About 10 years ago, I was waiting to take a left onto Lake Ave from Superior St.  The light turned green and I was waiting for the car going the opposite way on Superior to go through the intersection.  Thankfully, they must have seen this coming... 'cause all of a sudden this "Cousin Eddie" Winnebago pulling a boat comes flying down Lake Ave and blows through the red light.  Sparks flew when they crossed Superior St. and I watched in awe as they somehow managed to veer off onto the 35 southbound ramp without flipping over, tires screeching like crazy.  Amazing that nobody got hurt or killed.

I live off 19th as well and have witnessed the icy vid situation countless times over the year, and off 18th as well as there's even less sand/salt dropped there. Fun stuff! Some never learn. I never tire of that video and have shared it with many others - IMO the song is perfect, and one of my faves too!

Ditto on the exercise ball slasher being present! - That'd be hilarious!

Not sure what year it was anymore - but within the last 10 or so, I recall one very winter stormy day crawling down Mesaba Ave in my lil old FWD Honda Civic in low2, and watching all the larger vehicles (cars, trucks, and a dark blue van) careening off down the icy roadway into the medians or curbs of the turn lanes around 1st and 2nd, no control - glare ice. The blue van in particular had a really spectacular mash up.
All of them were going way too fast for the road conditions considering, most likely relying on their size or 4WD, but failing miserably. Several trying to go up Mesaba had their issues as well.

Another time, I was gonna head down to Mpls for TG. Leaving Duluth heading down Thompson Hill in the very same car loaded up with all sorts of stuff to bring down to my bro's house, there was a bunch of black ice and cars and trucks were just whizzing past as they do after speeding up just out of town, so many sliding every which direction off the road, into the ditch or median, a few rolling over or hitting others as they slid or came to rest/smash together in the ditch/median. As I slowly crept forward to the shoulder trying not to slide and sneak by to safety (I felt like a cartoon character tip-toeing past the carnage hoping to not have an anvil drop from above, so to speak), several large pick-ups/SUVs just missed sideswiping me, or bashing full-on into me.  White knuckle time for sure. Even after I pulled off onto the shoulder, I feared for my car/life as they were still just narrowly missing me. Freaky to be in and wonder if I would become collateral damage as a sitting duck, and how long to wait before moving again. After a break in the cars, I crawled slowly back onto the roadway, past all the carnage, turning off on Midway Road and going the back way home. I gladly waited a day to drive down to Mpls. safely. *whew*

Alternately, there were many times that lil old Honda made it swiftly up 21st Ave E in deep snow when all the larger vehicles just sat and spun. I miss that car for those times, but it sucked a lot too when you'd come up 19th and the cars were parked on the lower side of the cross streets or the giant snowbanks were obscuring the view of oncoming vehicles as it was so low to the ground. That I don't miss at all. I often wanted to put monster truck tires on it for fun.