It started off as a good weekend. I had plans to meet up with Mike Gigante
and run the local Healey club's "Flamingo Rally." It involves the use of
lawn ornaments to indicate turns.
Just as I'm leaving the house, my lovely wife Darcie decides she wants to
join us. So I load her and Lily, our two year-old daughter into the Volvo
and we're off.
We had a good time: pretty back roads, challenging instructions and we
rescued a Healey 100 driver who had seized a rear brake. We probably could
have patched things up and put him back on the road but he elected to leave
the car and come back with dad's flatbed. (How many young big Healey
driver's do you meet?) So we threw him in the back of wagon and continued on
our way.
We couldn't hang around afterwards for much chatter, since Lily was asleep
and Darcie was getting restless. Did I mention she's six months pregnant? It
was time to go home.
It was great to see Mike. We chatted about Spridgets and motorcycles and
airplanes and he filled us in on Grattan last weekend (I may have to come
out the Elkhart next month.) Somewhere in there we managed to pay enough
attention to the rally that we came in fourth.
And by far, the most common vehicle type on the rally: Spridgets!
So then Monday comes. Darcie's Volvo is scheduled for service, so we trade
cars. I drive it to the shop and catch the shuttle downtown to work. At
10:30 AM she calls: Somebody rear-ended your car.
It's a bad moment when you hear that your pregnent wife and two year old
daughter have been in a car accident. Nobody is badly hurt, but I don't know
that at the time. Thankfully she was with a friend of hers who is a medical
professional and very level-headed. She was able to keep things calm until I
got there. The bad news is that she probably has a compressed disk in her
neck. I really hope this doesn't turn into one of those long-term chronic
problems. I wouldn't wish that on anybody and she's real good people.
"The other guy" freely admitted it was his fault - he was accelerating down
a freeway on-ramp while looking over his shoulder for a gap in traffic and
plowed into the back of our car. It's a notorious spot for this type of
accident. It happened to Darcie exactly the same way there last year, but
not nearly so seriously. The car is toast; my BMW 318is gave it's life to
absorb the impact and that is as it should be. Lily is fine, Darcie is
sore, and fetal monitors/ultrasound indicate that the baby is OK. He must
have really been hauling: sheet metal was buckled forward of the rear
wheels.
Bottom line: It didn't turn out so bad: family is well; safety systems
worked as intended; his insurance is being responsive and professional; I'm
in the market for a Mini Cooper S and a new baby seat.
Phil Vanner
strap those little ones in tight
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