Monday, February 22, 2010

smashed.

Sometimes it seems my entire life has happened on a certain road - part of a long stretch of pavement that runs from coast to coast. Most of the places I've worked and gone to school, and everywhere I've ever called home can be reached by using it. So since I live just a little suburb away from the one where I work, my drive to the library takes about 15 minutes, even under the worst driving conditions.

The library is open each Sunday afternoon during the winter and yesterday was my turn to hold court in the reference department. (I don't mind giving up a bit of my weekend afternoon - it's an easy four hours and I get paid time and a half. ) On my way there, I was congratulating myself for being on time, enjoying the rare warm sunshine, and thinking about trying my mom's homemade soup after work. I switched on my left turn signal and stopped in the intersection, waiting for either a break in traffic or the green arrow to allow me to proceed. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a dark blue van coming up behind me, much too fast.

I heard his tires squeal on the pavement and then BAM! - he hit me. My car was pushed forward and then BAM! - he hit me again. I remember yelling something like, "Are you f*@%ing kidding me!?" I couldn't believe he hit me twice.

I looked up and saw that I still had the green arrow, so I turned left and pulled over. I put my hazard lights on and in my rearview mirror, I watched the van drive away...and that's when I got angry. I jumped out of my car and ran to the intersection, yelling, "Damn it, where is he? F*@%ing @$hole! Where the f*@% did he GO!?" There were witnesses everywhere - punks skateboarding in the parking lot, another librarian on her way to work, people at the gas station across the street - all of whom probably now think that I am a whirling dervish of foul language and fury.

As I was standing on the corner hollering like a madwoman, a man across the street pointed to something laying in the road - the van's license plate! I waited for a break in traffic and dashed out to claim it. "Haha!" I thought. "I've got you now, you son of a..."

The police arrived. Probably a good thing, too - I had just learned that the man in the van was hiding behind the bank across the street.

I finally noticed the damage. My hands started shaking. I made a report* (he hit me twice!) and gave the patrolman the license plate. My coworker and a man on the street came over to say they saw the whole event. I saw another police car pull over a dark van with no front plate. "That's him!" I told the patrolman. Lights and sirens. Yes, it was him.

The man was arrested on five charges and bonded out before I was even done with my shift at the library.




I was jumpy and gun-shy as I slowly rattled my way home.







*btw, when the patrolman ran my driver license and saw I had a CCW, he seemed quite pleased and supportive. So hooray for that, I guess.

41 comments:

Unknown said...

And see, look how this traffic accident suddenly erupted into a gun fight just because you're one of those crazy gun-toters.
Oh wait...

The Old Man said...

How in the name of Samuel Colt did he hit you twice? Overachiever??

OrangeNeck said...

Did he have insurance? I hope you put the vise to his balls.

Caleb said...

Shit, I hope you're okay!

Jeff the Baptist said...

Wow. I've been rear-ended twice in one week, but never twice in the space of a minute by the same guy. Idiot.

Hope you're doing ok and he didn't knock your back or neck out of whack.

Willorith said...

Cops seem to like us. I was pulled over in Bradford County FL on my way to an Appleseed event. I had misjudged the distance across an intersection and had turned left in front of a slow moving pick up. No crunch crunch, but the deputy wanted to see if I was impaired. He followed me several miles before pulling me over. I gave him my CCW license along with my driver's license. I told him I was armed. He was very polite and I allowed him to disarm me. At the end of the encounter I drove away with my weapons loaded and hidden, and a warning (no ticket) about failure to yield right of way. The Deputy left with an invitation to visit an Appleseed event and an Appleseed business card directing him to the website.

Mass Ayoob was at the Hernando County Fl Appleseed last month.

Stephen said...

Wow. As long as he had insurance, hopefully you'll make a nice collection.

But as other's have said, pay attention to how you feel. After my big accident many years ago I felt fine. And then about a week later the pain started. And I had a year I had to deal with it and occasional minor effects to this day.

Earl said...

So glad that all those charges on on his plate, and no --- you may have become more aware of bad Winter drivers - but you will never be gun shy - that is for horses, dogs and those little old librarians that never get out and aren't carrying.

Only advice I have, get the best repair service and have them do a complete check of vehicle, and you go see a doctor and have a complete check of you. Really. And thank your library system for being open on Sunday afternoon - that must be one of those big operations with a real tax base.

On a Wing and a Whim said...

Thank God you're doing well enough to be furious and typing. Get checked out, and be careful the next few days - some damage only becomes apparent after the adrenaline wears off, and some over the next week.

When his insurance company / lawyer / anything comes calling, Don't Sign Anything!

I'm very glad you got the f**ker, and completely disgusted he got out so quickly.

Lissa said...

OMG!!! So glad you're okay!! And the fact that the douchenozzle lost his license plate makes me believe that karma is already reaming out his rear end. Carry on, karma, better-faster-harder, kthxbye.

drjim said...

BUMMER, Breda!
Glad to hear you're OK, but getting smacked (twice?) like that is never any fun.

JohnOC said...

Hope you are all right, second the above comments to get any pains you have up to 4 or 5 days after the event checked out.

I've got a pretty good idea of what road you mean. I lived on it near Rochester NY, and had friends from college living on or within a mile of it in MA, NY, PA, and OH.

The Duck said...

Well at least you were not injured the car can be fixed or replaced

George said...

...all of whom probably now think that I am a whirling dervish of foul language and fury.

Never, ever mess with the world's deadliest librarian!

Glad that you are OK, Breda.

Borepatch said...

Glad it wasn't worse, and best wishes for a speedy and thoroughly satisfactory settlement from the idiot's Insurance Company.

Jay G said...

Man, that's a stroke of luck that his plate fell off.

There is only one logical conclusion.

Fate Herself is in on the Bredalucion...

Seriously, glad to hear you're okay, and heed the sage advice above and elsewhere - if you feel even the slightest bit of discomfort, get to the doctor's ASAP.

Take it from someone who spent ~ 9 months in physical therapy from a simple car accident...

DaddyBear said...

Glad to hear you're OK and the slime got busted.

zeeke42 said...

Sorry to hear about this, but glad you seem to be relatively OK and that his plate fell off.

I've been rear-ended twice, once on the way home from the dealership with my new to me car. Both times, it was on clear sunny days simply due to the other driver's idiocy.

Robert said...

Glad you're OK. He was probably hiding hoping you'd drive off. I was lucky in that of all 4 times someone has rear ended me, they all stopped and admitted guilt. One time I was driving a 1 week old new car so I was pretty upset.

Anonymous said...

Well, you obviously can't buy a break but are still luckier than sin. I'm not sure how that works out for you in the Total column.

Glad to hear you are ok and that things worked in your favor. My wife was hit much like that and her car had to be totaled from the damage (not much different than yours).

Mike W. said...

As I said elsewhere, glad you're OK Breda.

Getting checked out thoroughly if you feel any discomfort can't be stressed enough. In college my car was totalled with my little sis at the wheel. That was 2003 and she's had back & neck pain ever since.

Heath J said...

Any chance it was an Illegal?

The Damned Mexicans are getting bad on our end of Cleveburg. The hit and run is popular.

Glad you're alright.

Joe Allen said...

Did you hear about the one legged librarian that got in a car wreck?

She was hopping mad!

I'm glad you're okay - as others have suggested: get a clean bill of health and a satisfactory repair job before you sign off on anything!

I sure would have liked to witness you let your vocabulary off the leash!

Anonymous said...

It seems fitting that his license plate should all but land in your lap, and I'm glad it was only property damage.

I've gotten in the habit of looking in the mirror before I get on the brakes if I can help it, and I picked up a framed photo of the back of my car the one time because I had to choose between going through a red and stopping without knowing what the guy behind me was up to. $$ but worth it in the end.

Jim

w/v: brope. Suitable for restraining rambunctious twins, perhaps.

Old NFO said...

Sorry to hear about that Breda, glad YOU are okay!!!

dr mac said...

Just glad your ok, kid.

doubletrouble said...

Glad there's no boo-boos on the cailin...

Anonymous said...

Glad you're in one piece; hope the only lingering pain is in his insurance payments.

ZerCool said...

WTF.

Glad you're OK.

Never mess with the World's Most Dangerous Librarian - she'll pull your goddamn license plate off your car!

Fred said...

My last car got hit twice, and I wasn't in it either time. Really sucks coming out of a store and seeing the car you left in decent shape now with a nicely dented and scrapped up driver's door and no other cars in sight...

Hopefully you get things straitened out quickly, and glad you're alright.

Brian K Miller said...

Major bummer, but at least he didn't get far.

Glad the cops were supportive of your CCW, and glad you didn't have to shoot the idiot.

A Horse Thief said...

A trip to the friendly local chiropractor is highly recommended. When you see it coming you're more likely to have tissue injuries and be a bit out of alignment.

NYEMT said...

LMFAO @ Joe Allen!! "..hopping mad..".. Sheesh. :D

Hope that a) he has insurance, and b) the judge cleans his clock. Glad you walked (hopped? LOL) away.

JC Speiser said...

Glad your okay!

Just remember that soft tissue injuries are the hardest to document - not to mention see in x-rays...don't just take some OTC meds and keep slugging away...get checked out by a doctor that knows how to deal with soft tissue injuries.

Keep well

Zdogk9 said...

Damn, you weren't even deer hunting and your rig's trashed. Really glad you're OK

SpeakerTweaker said...

Glad you're okay, Breda. Loving the dropped license plate!



tweaker

W/V: bakin Srsly. Kinda sounds like... Bacon?

Anonymous said...

Damn-double tapped, and lived.. Glad you ripped off his plate.

Very glad you did not get hurt.

See Ya

rickn8or said...

Glad you're okay, get checked at the first twinge, insist on nothing but gold-plated replacement parts.

Andrew said...

The double-bump is actually pretty easy to explain: Say he hit you at 20 mph. The impact slowed his speed to 10 mph, and increased yours to 15. But you had your brakes on, so you went from 15 back to zero pretty quick -- quicker than he went from 10 to zero.

I'll second the thorough checkup. My wife's TMJ was a result of a rear-end crash and took weeks to present -- long enough that the car insurance wouldn't cover it.

Best wishes for no need for a speedy recovery!

wv: dicali -- the logical place for the jerk to hide.

Will said...

Just because you are mobile and don't feel anything right after the crash, doesn't mean there isn't damage. Hopefully none, in your case. After riding into the side of a left turning car at 50mph, and skipping off and over, with date behind me, I felt fine. Wrist looked funny. Never felt a thing until they put an inflatable cast on it.
Some damage didn't become apparent until many months later.
Don't be in a hurry to settle with the insurance, drag it out as long as the statutes allow, just in case. Once you sign the release, you're done. Not much recourse after that.

phlegmfatale said...

Jeez. How terrible and how upsetting,but thank goodness the damage wasn't more extensive, including most especially your fair person. Perhaps a butt-kicking posse is in order?