Tuesday, July 08, 2008



Arghhh! Our bit of Shangri-la has taken a hit.

Sigh. Tom was driving home from work this morning along peaceful country roads, just counting his blessings, actually, when someone crossed over into his lane (after making a turn) and hit him.

He's ok--and that's the main thing, yes! (We realize that.)

But still. Arghhh.

"This is just a test. This is just a test." we muttered to each other.

He called the sheriff who arrived quickly and said that accidents happen there all the time. The sheriff said, "There's no question what happened here." And the other guy told him, "Yeah, I screwed up."

He certainly did! He crossed wayyy over the double line, ran Tom off the road, didn't even see him and didn't even slow down.

It could have been worse. We know that. But oh my goodness. Our nice car which we've had for six whole years and has never, ever given us one bit of trouble. Not one. Poor ol' car. She has been so faithful and now this.

And I felt sad standing there in the driveway, looking at Tom with this tired, worked-all-night eyes all teary. You know, men and their cars and how there's just something about that.

And now comes dealing with the insurance companies, which can often be worse than the accident, itself. (Sigh.... Even Pollyanna has a hard time staying positive when it comes to insurance companies.) 

And here lately Tom's had to make a bazillion phone calls to get everything switched over here to this house, all that hassle and now more phone calls, more paperwork. And living out here in the boonies and needing a rental car and possibly paying a deductible, even though it was not Tom's fault at all, when we're trying to save up for windows.

We just did not need this right now. But then, is there ever a good time for an accident? Nah, there never is.

So there's that.


******


And here early, early this morning I listened to my favorite teacher who said what matters most is how we go through trials. Well, I'm certainly glad I tuned her in today, because I needed to hear that, especially since the temptation is so strong to just sit here, sulk,mope and get nothing accomplished. But alas, that would mean a big, fat F on this test!


******

5 comments:

Betsy Mc said...

I am so glad Tom was not hurt!

I have been following your blog for quite a while and feel I know you both. And no, I am not a stalker! Just a Christian wife, mother to grown children, and grandmother. And just when I need it most, you remind me of the grace in my life. Thank you.

janice said...

Glad no one got seriously hurt.

I hear a lot of folks complain about dealing with insurance companies. We have Nationwide and NEVER have had a problem getting our cars fixed. We just take the car to one of their "blue ribbon" dealers. The adjuster goes there, writes their report and leaves the check. We pay our deductible, pick up the car and leave. No problems.

nancyr said...

Glad nobody was injured. If the guilty party has insurance, you are "lucky". Where I live, many don't, and I was hit by one of those once!

This is definitely an inconvenience, but as long as Tom is okay, that is all that matters in the scheme of things.

You sound so happy in your new digs!
It is going to be fun watching the changes you make to the house and the grounds. It looks like a lovely setting, and a charming home.

Judy said...

I am so sorry about your car.

And so thankful that Tom is okay.

Really. Having a small confined time to rant can be helful. The Psalms seem to support that, too.

Then, look 'to the hills' from whence cometh your help!

I cannot begin to express to you how much enjoyment I am getting from reading about your new place! It means so much more knowing a bit about the path you took to get there.

I am SOOO VERY happy for you and Tom!

Anonymous said...

I walked away (a miracle) from being hit by a fully loaded mack truck on the freeway earlier this year. Long story, but the FATHER saved my life. Our wonderful 7 year old car, the nicest we ever had, was judged to be totaled. It was fixable and we figured out that the insurance company wanted it. They could have MADE money selling it for parts we learned. So we insisted it be fixed. We could not find a good dependable non-smoked in car for the measily $3500 they gave us. They only paid half, though the accident was in no way my fault. I did know (from experience of relatives) to call the Insurance Commissioner of the state and ask questions. Actually I had to call twice (talked to 2 different people). Finally understood that in this state (NC) all power of such decisions rests in the hands of the insurance company (even though it was the truck driver's insurance). THEY decide what the car is worth, you can take it or leave it. THEY by law only had to give us UP TO about 75%...and in our case it only worked out to a bit over half the expense of repairs. Once I realized that the law was such, the only thing we could do was take what was offered. Someday maybe I can go to Raleigh, NC (the capitol) and see about getting some changes made to the law. But you can get help and free information from the Insurance Commissioner's office...call until you find someone helpful. The first one was as helpful as a frog. Also, the helpful one told me that if we are not treated correctly within the law, often just a phone call from their office will help the insurance company to do right. By the way, do NOT sign off too quickly on the physical either. The statute of limitations in our state is 3 years...and I have had a lot of chiropractic appts. SO far they have paid them, but at some point will need to figure out how much in settling the claim with them. That dept. said they knew we were not treated fairly in the car part and would try to get us some more for that, under the physical.