Accidents happen

Yesterday I had my first road accident ever as a driver. It seems I could not have avoided it in this case, one way or the other, but I am still disappointed about the whole thing.

 

It felt more like an assault than an accident, likely because it started as an assault. I was heading down Adams Avenue near my home at about 20-25 mph when it happened. Behind me, a modified white CRX got up on my ass. I looked ahead again and all was clear. I don’t speed for ADD-afflicted monkeys, so I stayed put and moved over a little in case he wanted to pass (unwisely) via the turn lane.

 

However, before that annoyance could become a more serious hazard on the road, huge wall of metallic blue, (the side of a lifted truck), pulled up alongside me in the turning lane/median and started merging into my lane. I swerved as the chrome step on the passenger’s side headed for my side window.

 

-CRUNCH-

 

A man in a Honda civic had apparently come to a full and complete stop at a driveway, or (as I suspect) backed into traffic. I thought at first I must have hit him, given the circumstances. He was fine. His car was only lightly damaged, and was drivable.

 

But my Elantra was not happy. The fender was smashed in a little, but more importantly, the wheel had been crushed in and snapped completely free of the drive train. I have no idea how that could happen in a straight-on collision with the corner of his car, especially since the bumper was only slightly damaged, and I was heading straight in one direction.

 

Suffice to say I have had time to think about it.

 

The damage was all on the corner of his vehicle, as if it had been backed hard into something… like my poor car. It had some scraping but was mostly crumpled straight in from the corner inward. I think he hit me, and I think he was backing out hard when he did it.

 

Tellingly, my fender was more damaged behind the headlight cage than it was in the front, and the bumper had only a slight scrape, with the fender behind it was increasingly crushed, as if the impact was into me, not him. We’ll see how the insurance handles it all.

 

Fault will likely lie with me, as there is a no “faultless,” or “we get what happened there,” clauses in our crappy little state of insurance that is, “required by law for you to buy, but not required by law to reasonably accommodate reality on the road.” So, a bump in my rates is likely.

 

The important thing is that, by 10:30, I was at work and feeling okay (if shaken and stirred to boot). I have my rental car, my own vehicle is in the repair shop, and everything will be fine. But I did not want to have a traffic accident on my record, and now I do. Grrr…

 

 

Bah. BAHH!