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      Sunday, February 28, 2010


otherstuff
06:09 PM - 02/28/2010

The topic: Short trip to Disneyland…

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I pulled out of the driveway this afternoon. The time on the clock was 1:08.  At 1:27, less than twenty minutes after I left the house, I called home. Brian answered.  I said, repeatedly, “the car is totalled”. 

By this time I was obviously out of the car.  There were three or four CHPs around.  They were taking statements from me and the guy who caused this to happen.   I was shaking like a leaf.


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You can see the skidmarks on the road. I can't thank God enough that there was little traffic this afternoon and the freeway wasn't busy at all.


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You can see from the skidmarks that my car was going sideways when it hit the side of the road. Then I went for a couple of rollovers.  Very interesting, rollovers.  Both front passenger windows were blown out.  Brian said both tires on the passenger side popped loose on the rim.  It landed with the driver’s side up.  All the side airbags deployed, the steering wheel airbag did not.  My head was never near the front of the car.  I remember reaching to turn the key in the ignition when I realized the car was still running.  I think the CD player might have been working, too.  It was a stretch, but I turned the key.  I couldn’t get it out.   I couldn’t get the seatbelt undone.  I was yelling “hey!  hey!  Help!  Get me out of here!” and I remember reaching up with my hand and waving it. A man came down and was yelling “are you okay? are you okay!” and I said “yes, get me out of here!”

He said “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you”.  I wasn’t really paying all that much attention to what he was saying at that point, I was hanging from the seat by my seatbelt.  He had to climb on top of the car and reach in and unbuckle me, then I had to maneuver out the driver’s side window.  I was actually a little worried about stepping on the seats.  But when I got out of the car and on land, I didn’t have any glass or anything on me.  I seemed to be unscathed.  Shaken, but in one piece. 

When the police were asking me what happened, I told them that I was just driving and I noticed the truck in the lane to my left (the fast lane) pulling into my lane.  I turned the wheel to the right and I guess I went just a little too hard because I lost control of the car.  The CHP officer asked me if the other driver turned on his signal.  I told him I didn’t know, I couldn’t see it.  He said “oh, he was right next to you?” and I said “yes”.  I was in his blind spot (a good reason to not rely 100% on mirrors).  He asked me how fast I was going and I said “I had it on cruise control, 68 MPH”.  (Three miles over the speed limit.)

The police had taken both of our statements and the driver of the truck left after giving his insurance information to the CHP.   Then Brian showed up and he surveyed the damage.  The tow truck showed up and it took a couple of hours to get the car out.  Brian had emptied it of everything and that was in his truck.  

Sadly, the donuts that we got for Jolene ended up inedible.  Brian just tossed them for the animals. 


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You can see the turned up dirt in this picture, where the car was in a sideways roll. I know I went over a couple of times, but I have no idea how I ended up facing the opposite direction.


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I also took out some of the U.S. Navy's fence.


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I'm lucky. I know that. This ain't the purtiest picture I've ever taken, but it's one of the best. Because I'm alive!


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Brian’s looking up stuff on new cars now. He’s bummed because of the value of my car.  It was low mileage and it excellent condition, yet it’s not worth much on blue book, I guess. It’s totalled, we need to get a new car.

I told him to not get real upset just yet, not until we’ve spoken to the insurance company. After all, the other driver was also insured and he’s the one who caused the accident.

I just thank God I’m okay. I thank God it was a light traffic day.  This could have turned out so much worse than it did. 

I’m alive.  I’m starting to get sore, though. And tomorrow I’ll be visiting the chiropractor.  But I’m pretty sure there’s no extra damage done.  Not 100% sure, but pretty sure.


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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

In her spare time, she makes pretty things to sell in her store.

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