"I didn't care for that car anyway", said the fox

[cellio]

The easiest way to describe what happened to us this afternoon is: we were in the right lane of Baum Blvd, a four-lane "25mph" (yeah right) road, when we were hit by oncoming traffic. Um, right. No bones are broken and there was no blood, but lots and lots of muscles are rebelling against both of us, some of which waited a few hours to make their complaints known. Tomorrow will not be fun, I suspect. And just in case there was any doubt, yes, airbags can inflict bruises. (Dani, who was driving, said he didn't notice any impact from his airbag. I most definitely did from mine, but then would expect that in the death seat.)

This should be a no-brainer as far as fault is concerned, though it may be complicated some because the person who hit us said he had to swerve to dodge someone else, and that driver also stopped for the police report. I don't know if that's true or not, but either way it shouldn't be our problem; not only was he in our lane but he crossed another lane of oncoming traffic to get there. But Dani hadn't been planning to replace that car just yet, and the odds are pretty good that it was totaled. (The tow-truck driver offered that opinion, though of course he doesn't make the call in the end.)

I've never seen an airbag go off before and was a little surprised by it. One moment some idiot was barreling right toward us and the next I was sitting in a cloud of smoke wondering how in the world our engine could be on fire (that being the only explanation for smoke that then came to mind). Once I was willing to move at all I had to grope around quite a bit to find my glasses (I was unwilling to open the door or move my feet much until I found them). Fortunately they seem undamaged. We found Dani's glasses in the back seat. Yup, airbags pack a punch, but it beats the alternative.

Auto glass is amazing stuff. The windshield was completely shattered (tiny little pieces), but held entirely in place.

Comments

[paquerette.livejournal.com]

Oh my! I hope today is kind to you. So glad it wasn't worse.

[scaharp.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh! I am so glad you weren't hurt more!

[mrpeck.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you were well enough to post! Both of you take care of yourselves.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're ok.

That surge of adrenaline right before the crash will mask things for quite a while. Please do go get checked out from head to toe.

[ralphmelton.livejournal.com]

I'm very glad that you aren't badly hurt.

[rjmccall.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping you both come out okay.

[ariannawyn.livejournal.com]

Yikes. Glad your car and seat belts saved the day and neither of you is badly injured. I concur that getting checked out is a good idea.

I hope you're well enough to come to the choir party tonight, but completely understand if you need to stay home and rest.

[derrangedferret.livejournal.com]

My word, I am glad to hear that you are (for the most part) okay. I hope the process of getting things back to normal goes smoothly.

[hlinspjalda.livejournal.com]

Thank G-d you're both intact! Add my voice to the chorus of people urging you both to get checked by a doctor as soon as possible.

Sorry about the car, though.

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

Glad you're alive! Hope your muscles are okay!

[moose]

Glad you're both ok, for whatever definition of OK. "Swerve to avoid" doesnt' usually mean cross TWO lanes of traffic. That's just scary.

[cellio]

While he said "swerved" as if it were an intentional act to minimize damage, Dani and I both think he just flinched after suddenly noticing that he hadn't been paying enough attention to the road. I do not know, being only a driver of average skill myself, but I suspect it takes a very skilled driver to -- in a split second -- assess the situation, decide what action will produce the least-bad outcome, and execute it. He failed at either the assessment or the execution. (Neither of us heard the squealing tires that would seem to go with a sudden application of brakes.) We, meanwhile, did not have enough time to do anything, nor was there anywhere to go. (I mean, let's take as given that "through the front wall of the building we were in front of" would not be better...)

[woodwindy.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I'm glad you made it through relatively unscathed.

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I, too, am glad you are both mostly okay.

Do get checked out, and listen to what your body has to say for a while. I was rear-ended in 1993 or 94, and had minor but annoying problems with my shoulder for a long time.

[rectangularcat]

*ouch* do take care and I am glad you're ok enough to type to us!

[magid.livejournal.com]

Eeek! I'm glad you weren't more seriously hurt, and hope that all the muscle aches and such have resolved themselves.

The first (and only, so far, *knock on pixels*) time I was in a car when the airbag deployed, I was sure the car was going to blow up, because of the smokiness. Not so helpful for keeping calm...

[cellio]

Yeah, between the smoke, the missing glasses, and the shattered-in-place windshield (meaning it was no longer anything like transparent), I was disoriented for longer than I would have expected. Having the airbag go off beats the alternative for sure, but it's not perfect yet.

[nsingman.livejournal.com]

Oh, gosh! I'm so glad you and Dani weren't too seriously hurt, and hope the aches and pains dissipate quickly. And yes, it sounds like a no-brainer as far as responsibility for the accident goes.

[cellio]

It should be a no-brainer; the question is whether compensation to us will be held up by the driver's company trying to go after the left-turner's company before paying out. I was once the head car in a rear-ending chain and the dispute between car #2 ("#3 pushed me!") and car #3 held up some of my money for close to two years. Everyone agreed it wasn't my fault, but that didn't help. But that was about 20 years ago, so with luck things have gotten a little better. For one thing, all the claims-processing is being done electronically now, finally.

[chaos-wrangler.livejournal.com]

Adding another "glad you weren't hurt & sympathy on the bureaucratic and transportation messes". This is the second people ok but car (near-)totaled accident involving friends in the past couple of days and I really hope there aren't any more.

[sanpaku.livejournal.com]

Wow. So glad you're ok.

[gingicat]

That sounds really, really scary. Expect spectacular bruising across your chest, I'm afraid. :(

Best healing wishes, and also, best wishes for getting all the insurance reimbursEment and coverage sorted!

[cellio]

So far the most spectacular bruising is at belt level (quite a ways around, developed in stages), but the damage is young. :-)

Fortunately I am not in the habit of displaying cleavage, and especially not at this time of year...

[risiko.livejournal.com]

Well that sucks. Glad you two are relatively unscathed.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

Oy. I'm so glad you're okay.