Riding Off Into the Sunset

I got the call today.  And was given an answer I was pretty much expecting.

My cute little beetle that I loved so much was deemed a "total loss".
It was really no shock.  While I waited this week to get the final word, I had mixed emotions.  People told me that even if they repaired the damages, my car might never really be the same again.  So, in a way, I thought it would be best if it were totaled.  But then I just hated to lose it and have to try to find another car that even comes close to suiting me as well as my beetle did.

I remember so fondly the day I got my car.  It was the week of Thanksgiving in 2004.  My sister was in town from Seattle, and we were all over at Mom and Dad's house.  Fermin asked me to grab him a drink out of the outside fridge.  I told him to get it himself.  ;)  But then Mom said, "Kerri!!  Go and get him his beer!"  And I knew for sure, something was going on.  Fermin never bosses me around, Mom wouldn't have liked it if he did, and he normally would've been drinking wine with her, not beer.  But I looked at Mom and said, "Oh...okay." And I knew right then, there must be something great waiting for me in the garage.

The whole family followed right behind me as I opened the door to the garage.  And I just kept saying, "Oh. My. God."  I said it an embarrassing number of times.

My husband completely surprised me and picked this car out just for me.  I loved everything about it.

The night I had my wreck just about a week ago, that car really took all of the brunt, and I barely suffered any injuries at all!  And that made me love my beetle even more.

So today, when the insurance man told me my beetle was "a total loss" I thought that was the worst and most inaccurate phrasing ever. 

I know that a car is just a car.  That things are just things.  And that what's most important is that I'm okay.  Believe me, I have been counting my lucky stars all week long.  But this is the time of year for me that emotions run high and deep.  I miss my mom.  I want my mom here when I've gone through something scary.  I want my mom here when it's the holidays.  I want my mom here when I get my next car.  I know that Mom would be so grateful to that little Beetle that I am okay after that crazy mishap on the highway.

I drove out to see my car one last time today.  I took some pictures, took a little farewell video, and said my goodbyes.  Tomorrow, the insurance company will pick it up and take it to...I don't know?  Beetle heaven?  I sure hope so.

The Uninsured

On my way to a gig Friday night, me and my little Beetle got pretty beat up on the highway.  A car plowed into the back of me and as the airbag was exploding in my face, I hit a big truck in front of me.  My little beetle is most likely totaled, as she took a pretty hard beating from both the back and the front.  I don't yet have the photos of my car, but I do have a photo of the car that caused the whole problem in the first place. 

The driver of this stupid car doesn't have insurance!

It all happened on a congested highway during rush hour traffic.  I've never been in a wreck like this before- nothing beyond a little fender bender many years ago- so this was really scary. 

I really didn't know what was happening, it all happened to fast.  I just felt like I was getting hit from all sides, not just the front and the back. And because the airbag almost immediately popped me in the face as soon as my car was hit, I couldn't see anything.  A few minutes after the wreck, a woman came up to me and my car and asked if I was okay.  I thanked her for stopping and she said, "I'm the one in the truck that you hit."  I didn't even know I had hit a truck until she said that.

I think I was just sort of in shock during the aftermath of it happening and it gets confusing when I try to piece it together.  Later that night, when I went to the wrecker's storage lot to get some stuff out of my car and saw my car, and the car that hit me, I felt so mad. 

I had asked the guy that hit me, "What happened?" and he said, "I don't know.  I was trying to switch lanes and I guess I hit you.  I was on my way to the gym."  It just makes me so mad that he was so wreckless,  and for really no reason.  And to top it all off, he doesn't have insurance.

I used his phone to call my husband and my brother for help.  Later that night, we got a text from him (the uninsured driver) that said, "Whatever you do, DO NOT POST PICTURES OF MY WRECK ON FACEBOOK!"  The all caps seemed so threatening, and I'm not really sure what that was all about, but I wanted to be sure to put a picture of HIS WRECK up on my blog, since he's not "allowing" me to put it on facebook.

The police officers told me that the man had been ticketed and that his car would be impounded until he got some car insurance.  By the looks of his car, I'm not sure he's going to want it back.  And I'm pretty sure that even if he does get insurance, which by the way- is the law!- it's going to be too little, too late to help me out.

But, having said all of this, I need to also say I am thankful.  I walked away from this with bumps and bruises and whiplash, and I think that's all.  (Although I am going to have everything checked over because my neck is in quite a bit of pain!)  My guitar is fine. All the other drivers are also alive and seemingly okay.  And I did get to hitch a sweet ride to meet up with my rescue squad after the wreck...

Thank you officer, for the nice ride in your car! :)