I have been promising to tell you about my car wreck and now that I have a rental car to use while my car is in the shop, I believe I can come up with the emotional strength to share the details. It was traumatic but I’m not bitter.
It starts out sad anyway as I was in Kansas City for a funeral. Sad for the family that is but Barb is in Heaven, so it was good news for her. I had spent the night with my last remaining sibling, my brother John. It was kind of his fault anyway because he had a dentist appointment and had he not, we would have gone to breakfast, and I would have had an omelet instead of a wreck. Which means I would still be driving my bright white Buick Lacrosse with all-wheel drive, heated seats, adaptive cruise control with lane assist so it almost drove itself. It was an accident that might have been avoided but I’m not bitter.
I will just share the facts as truthful and as short as I can be. About 10:30 in the morning I am driving over the Christopher S Bond bridge that crosses the Missouri river. You ought to google a picture of it cause from the top it looks like the spokes of a huge bicycle wheel are holding it up. Those of us who have stomped around Kansas City most of our lives call it the Paseo bridge. They changed it’s name to honor the former Governor and Senator who was from St. Louis. Why they couldn’t find a bridge in St Louie to name I don’t know, I just still call it the Paseo bridge. But I’m not bitter
We were not in rush hour; the skies were clear and no unusual driving conditions. In case Jess Hodges my insurance agent is reading this I estimate that I was driving 5 miles below whatever the speed limit is there. I was keeping a more than appropriate distance between myself and the car ahead of me.
I had not used my phone or texted for 24 hours ahead of time in preparations for the 3 ½ hour drive that laid ahead of me. I had recently replaced my tires and checked the wear on the brakes noting the tires were perfectly inflated to whatever the manufacturer recommends for that car.
I had been careful to get extra sleep, and only enough caffeine to sharpen my senses. I was driving perfectly undistracted with both hands securely gripping the steering wheel at the recommended 10 o’clock and two o’clock positions not 60 seconds off either way.
There were two cars ahead of me. The first one hit the brakes hard, the second hit their brakes to avoid the first. I am behind the second at a more than safe distance. I hit my brakes. At that point I am thinking I am glad I was at such a safe distance as we were all slowing down quickly in a perfectly safe and responsible way otherwise I would have been stomping my foot through the floorboards fighting the antilock brakes to stop before I smashed into the car ahead of me.
I ascertain that I am going to stop without striking the vehicle ahead of me when it interests me to check the rear-view mirror. I notice a bright red Nissan Versa moving quite quickly. I brace myself with my head against the car headrest and watch and feel the red vehicle collide with the rear of my pretty white Buick. But I’m not bitter.
As it happened only the two vehicles, my beautiful Buick and that Versa collided. The two ahead that started the mess were unscathed and did not even stop to see if anyone was killed. But I’m not bitter.
Thank the good Lord neither I nor the two sweet college kids in the Versa were injured. The Versa however folded up like an accordion and will be picked apart piece by piece in a salvage yard until there is nothing left but rust and plastic. My beautiful, sleek, leather seated, gadget loaded white Buick will probably be in the shop for at least a month. But I’m not bitter.
FYI I am really not bitter, just having fun with the dramatic Lol. I didn’t let it bother me and I will put the miles on a car paid for by the gecko till I get my Buick back. Hmm, maybe I’ll take another trip! I have one more story from this trip to share in a future post. I think you will get a kick out of it.
