We were just minding our own business, driving down the PA Turnpike. All of a sudden a car bumped us out of our lane, onto the shoulder of the road, and heading (at a bad angle) and grassy embankment. Lucky for us that Dan has had lots of experience skidding on icy Pennsyvania streets, because he managed to get control of the car quickly, avert disaster, and park on the shoulder.
The woman who bumped us stopped her car as well...after Dan honked at her.
As Dan went over to see the other car, the woman sent out her boys to meet him. (They looked to be about 9 and 10 years old.) The woman was unresponsive at first, then said she didn't feel well, so Dan called an ambulance and the police. (No one was hurt because of the accident, but we didn't know why the woman hit us. Was she asleep at the wheel, did she pass out, or what?) The woman and boys looked to be Puerto Rican, and although she spoke English to me, when the police came, she had one of the boys interpret and speak for her. The ambulance people couldn't find anything wrong with her.
I think she was surprised that we called the police and would have preferred just to promise to pay us...but we were in a rental car and would leave the country in a couple of weeks, so we couldn't just let it go.
The policeman was tall and big and intimidating and spoke quite harshly to the boys, since he had to talk through them to the woman. (I'd have been afraid to talk with the man myself, if I had caused the accident.) He didn't seem to be too sympathetic to the lady. (Maybe policemen can't afford to be...or maybe experience has hardened them a little.)
While no one was hurt, the two little dents on the rental (that don't look like much) I bet will cost the lady $1000 dollars. (Each dent is on a different panel.) I felt helpless to help make the situation better for her.
We got off at the next "oasis" exit for coffee and an ice cream cone, and tried to shake off what just happened. I know it's a little shallow, but that strawberry ice cream did help.
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Wow! Glad everyone's ok. Dying to know what really happened there...
ReplyDeleteHurray for Dad's mean as driving skills!
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Delete:-)
DeleteYikes! I'm betting on asleep at the wheel... Anyone else? Glad you're ok :)
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ReplyDeleteHope you can see my comment, it posted 3 times! I feel like the 2 I deleted could say something inflammatory and nobody would know... :P
ReplyDeleteOnly you know what was really written there! :-)
DeleteScary! I do find ice cream does make me feel better about life :-)
ReplyDeleteThe ice cream was Hersheys, and that made it work even better!
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