I was driving my sister to the Norfolk airport today when a large cargo van rear ended my Honda Pilot. It was very scary - I swear that's the loudest bang I've ever heard. My seat malfunctioned, sending me flying forward (and my sunglasses whizzing off my face), then just as quickly flopping back into a reclining position. The back window and one side window shattered and blew completely out, and part of one of the back interior panels ended up in the front area with us. After I stopped screaming (yes, I admit I screamed, multiple times...remember the part where I said it was scary?), I found a broken sand dollar in my lap, which had been on the dashboard. My sister did a wonderful job of calming me down and calling 911. My back and neck hurt immediately, so I got an ambulance ride to the hospital on a backboard (two words: seriously uncomfortable), but the CAT scan showed no major injuries ("just" whiplash, I suppose...which is enough...ouch).
John borrowed Sundae's van to come and get us, since Jocelyn obviously wasn't going to make her flight! On the way back home, we stopped at Cape Point Exxon (where they had towed the car) and took a few pictures.
I'm typing this blog several weeks after this all happened, so the update is that the car was totaled. We received the check recently and are working to find another one (as similar to that one as possible - I didn't realize how much I liked my Pilot until it was gone). It's odd to think that if we hadn't found the car that night and taken these photos, I would never have seen it again or known what the damage looked like.
Hope you are safe, wherever you are!
8 comments:
HATE Norfolk ! Everyone drives insane. Dread passing through, with all the loopty loops and merge ramps that leave 0 time to make your maneuver.
Still don't understand what is so hard about clicking 'post' on the actual day that you write this...
...now it is old news already...
I'm not a big fan of Norfolk either, but the accident actually happened in Rodanthe! (Guess I should have mentioned that...we didn't make it anywhere near Norfolk...)
I did click "post" on the actual day I wrote this. That was today (Aug. 6th). All I did on July 9th was type the subject line and hit save. If I'd hit post then, you would have seen "Car Wreck", and not another word...
Hi Kati,
What a horrible experience. How are you doing now? Whiplash can make your life miserable. I hope you still aren't having after effects. So did you get a new car yet?
I miss your writing, but with some comments, I can see why you don't have the same enthusiasm for blogging.
Be well,
Pat....
Kati, so sorry you were hurt, but, glad it wasn't worse.
On a completely different subject, you should add Jenny's blog to your List O' Blogs on your page; blog.blueheronvacations.com
Take care,
Tom
Kati!
Just saw your accident and VERY happy you're ok. We downsized from an MDX (same as your Honda, just Acura badge) to an Element, but we do miss the luxury. We don't miss the high test gas!
We're headed to Ocracoke 9/3 for two weeks. Hope you're around. Ice cream time!
Kate, I am glad you all are ok! This touched me particularly because on July 23 I rear-ended a Honda Odyssey on I95 just outside of Baltimore. We were all ok, but my faithful Subaru was totaled (it was 12 years old w/243,000 miles); just to put the airbags in would cost more than it is worth. But it was a good dependable car, and I miss it. Since my husband has a car and truck, I'm not in a hurry to buy another one.
From the perspective of someone who did the hitting, I was very upset about it and even though I keep playing it over in my mind, I don't understand how it really happened.
Good luck with the car hunting!
Hi all!
Pat - I don't have a new car yet...just got the insurance check for the total on my car, so now I'm getting serious about finding a new one. This (car hunting) is one example of a way that living on an island makes the task a little more difficult! (It's still worth it, though!)
Tom - yep, I was also really glad it wasn't worse - was specifically pleased that we didn't get pushed into oncoming traffic. Thanks for letting me know about the Blue Heron blog - I will add it to the links.
Gary - definitely understand about the gas mileage - luckily, living here, that's not as much of an issue for my pocketbook as it would be if I had a daily commute, etc. I will probably be off island for part of September (week of Labor Day), but since you'll be here for two weeks, hopefully I'll see you. I'm ALWAYS ready for more of your wonderful ice cream! Please tell Trisha I said Hi!
Debbie - glad you're okay after your wreck, too! Even though I miss my car, I truly do get that it's just a pile of metal and the more important things is that Jocelyn and I were not (badly) hurt. The guy who hit us also seemed to feel quite bad (he quickly ran up to check on us, and apologized). It must have been scary for him to see them haul me off on a backboard...of course it wasn't my decision (EMT's call), and with possible back/neck injuries, it's usually the right thing to do to be cautious...but I felt kinda bad for him having to worry about that. The police officer told me later that he had asked how I was multiple times.
Take care and be safe, everyone!
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