I was wondering when my luck would run out, when the other shoe would fall and now it has. My first problem in my new Minneapolis life has arrived...My first, and knock wood last, automobile accident in the Twin Cities.
During a routine drive home from work last night, I was suddenly struck from the left by a large SUV. Much to my surprise, I did not see or hear the SUV before it hit me, just to the rear of the left rear door. Suddenly, I found myself in a slow motion series of 360 spins, deployed side curtain air bags and resting the the middle of an intersection, aiming the opposite direction to which I was travelling. The white air bag dust and gunpowder smell filled the car as I looked around and wondered WTF just happened. After a few minutes I came to my senses and managed to take off the seat belt and get out of the car. Luckily, everybody involved was not injured, although my left shoulder is quite sore from the seat belt. It took a while for the hearing in my left ear to come back given the sound of the collision and the airbags deploying. Standing next to the car, it was obvious my vehicle took the brunt of the damage.
The large SUV had a cracked front bumper and not much else. The local police department finally showed up after 1 hour 10 minutes and three calls to 911. They get a failing grade for response time, although the responding Officer was very nice. It was a good thing nobody was really hurt! One the other hand, my roadside assistance was outstanding. The free tow truck was there within 20 minutes! After exchanging information with the other driver, I was free to go. Giant shout out and a great many thanks to my Minneapolis Guardian Angels, Jeff & Gina, for schlepping out to give me a ride home. After work the next day I visited Enterprise, rented a car and am back on the road. I look forward to hearing what the body shop has to say about my car.
My message to everyone? Drive very carefully on unfamiliar roads, remember the driving school lesson, look left, right, then left and wear your seat belt! And for those of you keeping track, I managed to get in an accident, find a great body shop and rent a car, all within a ten mile radius...
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