twisted frame

moments before, you'll see it. they are traveling toward you, going fast.

"surely they'll stop. if they don't stop, it's their fault."

in most cases, you won't freak out. they are going to stop. they don't want to hit you any more than you want to be hit by them. you don't brace. you don't react.

but now they're getting too close. they haven't slowed. the time for you to react and avoid has passed. now you tense up. you hit the brakes, hoping for more time and more room. the streets are wet and slick. the brakes do their job. the tires do their job.

physics does its job.

contact.

at the first moment of the impact, your body is thrown a new direction. sort of sideways and forward. metal on metal grinds two massive pieces of machinery to a sudden, drawn-out halt. you wait for the glass to come at you; for the plastic, cloth and wires to slap the side of your face. you've already created a mental picture of yourself standing outside looking at the damage.

'remain calm. you're o.k.... you need to call the police.... you need to check on the other car.... you need to see the damage.

"are you guys o.k.?"

fused sheets of metal create a new shape, one you are not used to seeing. it's as if this other vehicle has simply grown out of the side of your car. it's difficult to tell where your veridian green ends and his metallic silver begins.

"i need to report a collision at the intersection of live oak and good latimer."

"was anyone injured?"

"no ma'am, everyone seems to be allright."

"are both vehicles drivable?"

"i can't tell. it's just happened. i think so."

"you need to move the vehicles to the side of the road and exchange information."

"can we get a police car on the scene?"

"if no one is hurt and both vehicles are drivable, you just need to exchange insurance information and then tomorrow go to your local precinct and file a report there."

well that sucks. what if this guy starts being a dick, or tries to flee the scene?

"see if you can drive your car over to the curb there."

his car starts. metal pops, squeals, and scrapes. pieces of plastic and styrofoam break away and fall to the asphalt. i start my car and drive it to the side of the road. hmm. doesn't seem to bad.

"are you willing to admit that you ran a red light?"

"yeah, man, i'm sorry. it was my fault. are you sure you're o.k.?"



an ambulance arrives less than a minute later. "is everyone allright?"

"yes, it appears so. thank you for stopping."

a fire truck is right behind. "everbody o.k.?"

"yes, thank you." they both drive off.

now... one... two... three cruisers arrive on scene.

he's maybe 23 or 24 years old. he's shaken up. his passenger is less than fully coherent. "...are you sure? i can smell alcohol on your breath. do you want to change your answer now? it'll be much easier that way."




"o.k., sir, he's admitted to running a red light and causing the accident. i can smell alcohol on their breath, so it's possible that this was a cause. here is information with your case number. give this case number to your insurance agent. it will have all of his information, including his admission of liability. at this point, unless you have any more questions, you're free to go."

driving away, i notice that things aren't as fine as i believed. the car is driving funny. the steering wheel is turned all the way to the left in order to keep my car traveling in a straight line. i pull off the highway. i notice the bulge in the floorboard of the passenger side. damn... twisted frame.



i'm o.k. folks. my back is aching a bit and i'll probably be fairly sore in the morning. but no one was seriously injured. the small infinity was probably traveling over 50mph when he plowed into the side of my truck. it caused extensive damage to the frame and a fair amount of cosmetic damage to the entire passenger side of my car. the passenger door is opened at the top, which should allow a fair amount of the drizzling rain to pour in over night. the front axel appears to be bent and as i said, the car will not drive straight. the young man that was driving was quite apologetic, and remained calm and polite. it is quite possible that he went home this evening with a dwi, and a ticket for running a red light and causing an accident. at best. i don't feel sorry for him, however. i'm glad that no one was injured. and i remained centered and collected through the entire ordeal. but now i'm pissed as hell. i don't want to have to deal with the insurance companies. i don't want to have to worry with getting a tow truck tomorrow. i don't want to have to worry with a rental car. it sucks. it's inconvenient. it's less than two weeks before christmas. my car will most likely be totaled by the insurance company.
i was extremely fortunate. we had just left sons of hermann and josh was right behind me and andy and amber were right behind him. i had my two best friends there to support and help me out. i managed to call josh on the cell phone after we had left and had him pull over with me and he gave me a ride home. my car is sitting in the parking lot of the store where i work. tomorrow, i will decide on it's final resting place. so long... we had a great five and a half years together, and you were all mine.