Monday, April 21, 2008

Car accidents...what a headache

So I'm driving the man's 4x4 back from dropping off a bunch of aluminum cans and scrap metal that we've acquired from working on the house, when all of a sudden I'm spinning out of control, crash into a telephone pole, and end up in the middle of 4 lanes in the rural city of Dixmoor, Illinois. I open my eyes, look around, see a small black oldsmobile, the whole front smashed in, and about 15 people running out from nowhere to see what happened...it reminded me of Dane Cook's comedy bit about people just waiting to hear the squealing of tires and waiting for the big crash. Well, that big crash was me, unfortunately, and I've got the seat belt bruises to prove it.

There was no rain, there was nothing wrong with the street...just an impatient little 20 year old who didn't look as she peeled through an intersection where she was supposed to abide by the big red STOP sign, yes, it was easy to see, yet I do not believe that she cared.

I have never been so shakey in my life. I dialed 911, I do not believe the other driver did. I think she thought we wouldn't have to deal with the 5-0 on this one, but alas my car was undriveable with the drive shaft hanging off the bottom of the truck. My back driver side tire was blown, the wheel well was smashed in...had she gone a moment sooner, she would have smashed into the cab, and into yours truely. Luckily (not luckily, but if there was any luck in this situation, then this was it) she had run into the bed of the truck, and the cab was unharmed. No glass shattered, but the front bumper was partially ripped off from hitting the pole, there's paint on the actual pole itself, and a small souvenier piece of wood still embedded in the front of the truck...and the only 2 things the girl could say to me was if I was all right, and that this wasn't the first car accident that she'd been in. No offense, but I would NOT be saying this to the pissed individual that you've left stranded in an area where you were the only white girl until the ambulance arrived.

So I called the cops, and the other girl felt it was her duty to move her car out of the center of the street. First of all, you do NOT move a car from an accident prior to the police arriving. There were about 15 youngsters around her, and about 5 older gentlemen, as well as numberous others standing around me asking if I was okay. Even they could tell by the damage that not only was it undriveable (yeah, the drive shaft is no longer attached to the front axel, I know this) but you could see where she hit me and that it was her fault. Then it started to rain, and the tears started. This was my man's truck, it needed some work, but it didn't deserve to be demolished like this. Called him at work, told him what happened, and then said I would let him know what happened.

Paramedics arrived, both of us refused treatment, I was feeling fine at the time, just really hopped up on adrenaline and being TOTALLY pissed off. Cop asked me for my statement, had a fireman ask my statement...I must have repeated myself 9 times before I had called my insurance company later on that day. So now it's raining, and I'm standing outside in the rain looking in the truck since there were tools in there. I pray that they'll still be there when we find out if it's totalled or not. If anything is gone I'm not only going to attack the towing company, but the police station as well since not only did I request, but my man requested the truck to be towed to where he works, since he's a mechanic and works at a garage that they could have brought it too. I even brought this up to the other girls insurance company (actually, her MOTHER'S insurance company) since I just got off the phone with them a while ago.

So it's raining, I'm outside pacing trying to think of what I need to do, the cop is in his car writing up information, then FINALLY...I swear it was probably about 10 minutes or so, he asks me to get in the back of the car. So I get in the back when the tow company is trying to get the truck on the tow bed (since they can't tow it by the front since the drive shaft would prohibit them from doing that). Then the cop drives out to the station, which turns out to be a trailer that apparently the person who has the key to get inside is nowhere to be found. So I'm sitting in the bad of the police car as the cop is filling out the paperwork. Then the girl who caused all this grief is in a car in front of us with a friend of hers, and comes to the cops window to see if he's done yet. Excuse me? F-you you little creatin...may your eyes be ripped from their sockets with a spoon, and by the way, I'm sorry that this is taking away from your exciting day. Not only THAT, but the cop had lowered the windows a bit, while it's raining, to get some air in the stuffy car. Then there's about 2 cop cars that go by asking what I did. I told them that I'd gotten hit...and the reason I was in the back was that I had no car! The nerve, they were judging me, a white girl, for being in a nonwhite neighborhood and being in the back of a police vehicle. I seriously wanted to start saying something to them, that just peeved me off even more. There will be a complaint made not only to the station, but to the village after we get our car back and I don't have to worry about Dixmoor ever again. What a hole in the center of nowhere, why I was driving that way I'll never know.

So later that night I ended up going to the docs since my left shoulder was bruising and in extreme pain, as well as my collarbone. Doc took x-rays, no problems. Gave me vicodin and a muscle relaxer shot...after being in the hospital for 4 hours. From 7pm till just after 10pm...then whatever I was given kept me up till 2am. Yeah, thanks a lot! I thought that was supposed to relax me!! Oh well, didn't go get the prescription, but have just been taking ibuprofen as needed. Left work a little early due to some pain, I shouldn't have gone in at all! At least I'm going to an orthopaedic next Tuesday to get my shoulder checked out, and see if MORE damage has been done to my already pathetic shoulder.

So that's what my weekend entailed...being stuck in the back of a cop car after being spun in a truck by a olds...she had to have been going fast to spin THAT truck...going to the docs for 4 hours Sat night, then dealing with ice and Advil for the next 2 days....I am so ready for a vacation. Anyone know a good lawyer, please send them my way...

Hugs, and hopefully I'll have a better story soon.

2 comments:

Sarah McBride said...

That SUCKS!

I am sorry you had to go through that. Glad you are not hurt and good luck with all the paperwork and red tape and stuff.
my sympathies!

Anonymous said...

Dawn, if you didn't have bad luck, you'd have no luck at all. Sheesh. We'd better get you bombed in Vegas so you can forget this whole mess.