Man Lives Entire Life on Freeway

Horrendous freeway traffic coupled with a rare disease known as Rapid Aging Syndrome kept a man inside a vehicle for his entire life.

By George Wolfe

I-405 — In an unusual case of the rare disease known as rapid aging syndrome, a man died today along Interstate 405 on his way back from being born at the hospital. He was the equivalent of 79 years old.

'Taurus' Thalbingham died at the bottom of the I-405 offramp exit to Torrance prior to arriving at what would have been his home. Instead, his parents described the life of a man, their son, who knew no other existence than that of the inside of his parents' '99 Ford Taurus.

— Betty Thalbingham, Taurus' mom

After giving birth at a hospital in Van Nuys, the Thalbinghams left with their newborn and got onto the southbound interstate, one that local residents know for its notorious L.A. traffic congestion.

"It was a Sunday," his father said emotionally, "and we got into some sort of jam. But we had no idea that Taurus would live and die on that... road. I mean, in the morning I watched him be born. It was incredible. But by sunset, I was calling funeral directors. It just makes me sick."

People in cars who were stuck alongside the Thalbinghams described passing the family's car at various points. Vanessa McBride was one such onlooker, "It was wild. At the beginning, I saw him being breastfed by the mom. Then, no more than a half hour later, he had learned how to climb into the backseat and was taking his first steps amidst the stop-and-go traffic. It must've been tough. By the time we reached the Getty Center, I'd swear he was hitting adolescence. There was a lot of screaming and fights. He kept trying to get out of the car. I think the father locked the doors. I could see they were all very frustrated with the aging process."

Somewhat proudly, Taurus's father admits to car-schooling the young boy. "I think he really could've gone places, that is, if only we could've gone places. The kid learned geography by reading out-of-state license plates. In his 20s, he got rather good at chess after we found a tiny, magnetic chess game in the glove compartment."

His mother noted that he passed the Sunset Boulevard exit in his 30s, the Wilshire Boulevard exit in his 40s and that he had a mid-life crisis just past the Santa Monica Boulevard exit.

As the traffic started to clear, the Thalbinghams thought they were homefree, but four Sig-Alerts dashed their hopes for even a semi-normal life for their son. Without a career or life path to follow — apart from the interstate — Taurus became increasingly despondent and reclusive.

"I don't blame him for it" his father reflected, "anybody would go stark raving mad watching life literally passing before his eyes."

In his 60s, at the intersection of the I-10 freeway, the lack of exercise took a toll on Thomas's ability to use his legs. Gradually, he gave up hope of ever seeing anything beyond the beautiful glimpses he'd periodically get of a larger world outside.

"In his mid-70s, as we approached the turnoff to our home," his mother noted, "he began to get a little pepped up, as if he was finally going to experience at least a piece of the life he'd always yearned for."

But Taurus never made it home. He died of congestive heart failure. His parents debated taking him back on I-405 north, to the hospital, but decided against it.

"By that point, I swore I'd never go back on the I-405 freeway," said the father. "We tried to get to another medical facility, but it was too late."