CAR ACCIDENT!!!!

Grab your attention? Don't worry, it is not that bad, I just wanted to scare ya. Of course that assumes you care enough to worry. I guess it had to happen eventually, given the wonderful world of statistics. For the first time in my life I was behind the wheel of my car when it and another vehicle collided with enough force to leave a mark. Sure I’ve had my share of parking lot bumper bumps at 1 mph that don’t leave a single mark. And less than a week after I got my new truck a few years back I sideswiped a telephone pole trying to squeeze through an opening that in hindsight was too narrow. But this was the first time I have had a two man insurance seminar with an unknown driver. Thank goodness it wasn’t my fault, unfortunately it was my damage.

Driving to work last week I was behind a large 10 wheeled mobile fuel truck. Approaching an intersection I saw the light turn yellow from green and estimated that I would easily be in and probably through before it turned red. Apparently the truck driver in front of me didn’t make the same assessment. I saw red lights come on and all 10 tires lock up and smoke begin to rise. I braked hard and stopped a good 10-15 feet behind the truck. I was, however, in his blind spot.

The truck protruded beyond the white line, partially into the intersection. He was not blocking traffic but vehicles would have to alter course slightly to get around him. Not wanting to be a bother, the truck driver decided to back out of the intersection. (You see where this is headed don’t you…) Not seeing a car in his rear view mirror he started to back up.

At this point my heart skipped a beat. Was I really seeing his reverse lights??? Crud, he is moving! Backwards!!! I felt like Hunt for Red October and this "Crazy Ivan" was clearing his baffles. The movie changed however into Austin Powers and I was the security guard, incapable of moving while the steam roller slowly approached him. The car on the cross street saw what was happening and laid into their horn to alert the truck driver. Unfortunately the driver interpreted this as a request to clear the intersection more hastily. After awakening from my brain stutter I simultaneously laid on the horn with my left hand, checked my rear view mirror, hit the gear shifter with my right hand, and slammed my foot onto the gas.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that I was rushing and looking at the mirror instead of the gear shifter I only managed to reach neutral instead of reverse. My engine roared with a full whiff of fuel but no gears engaged to consume its energy. My second attempt to find reverse succeeded at precisely the same moment as the rear of the truck found its mark. I stared in horror as I watched a protruding point gouge into my hood. After 6-8 inches of gouging I was finally retreating faster than he could advance I watched as he came to a stop a good 5 feet further back from where he first made contact with me, oblivious of the entire incident. I stopped another 10 feet back and jumped out of my car to observe the damage.

I can only imagine the other driver’s thoughts when he saw a man doing jumping jacks in his side mirror. He got out and walked back. I think the implications of realizing that there had been someone behind him hit him as I saw the concern on his face grow as he approached me. He was a good guy and I don’t envy anyone that has to tell their employer that they hit someone while on the job. We both pulled into a neighboring Publix shopping center to exchange information and I don’t think a single sentence came out of his mouth that didn’t include the word sorry somehow.

So both my wife and I were in car accidents within 2 months of each other. Of course, unlike my wife’s accident, I am only getting a new hood instead of a new car. Oh well. As everyone always points out, in both incidents, at least no one was hurt…