A Safe Trip Home

"You have a safe trip home now." So said a woman to her departing companion at the beach today.  I sadly smiled.  Isn't that what everyone wants?  Just a safe trip home.

We went to Fred Howard Park beach today for two reasons. First, we needed to get out and to relax.  Secondly, after El Nino warmth the last three months, we are now promised an unusually cold January and February, so we thought this might be the last time we can go to the beach for some time.  The woman's comment at the beach was made to someone, I suspect, who is on vacation here and needs to depart to another state or part of the country.

Been there, done that.  Our trip north to Wisconsin for Christmas was hectic but fun.  We each saw a doctor for pre-scheduled check-ups, we each went to the dentist for our six-month checks, we celebrated the anniversary of Owen's adoption, and we celebrated Christmas with our family.  Lindsay was terribly disappointed that we had a brown rather than a white Christmas.  I always tell her to be careful what she wishes for because it just may come to pass.  Such was the case again this year.  Just as happened last year, Wisconsin received no snow until the day we were trying to get out of the state!

We decided to travel to Milwaukee for our trip back to Florida on a Monday since we had an early morning Tuesday flight.  Sure enough, one of the worst snow storms of the season descended on the state this past Monday.  Green Bay received 13.2 inches of snow.  Milwaukee was hit with 9.4 inches, less than Green Bay because their snow turned to ice.  We had a four-and-a-half hour, white-knuckled drive through the snow, then sleet, then icy pellets beating down on our car.  All we wanted was a safe trip back home to Gladys.

On Tuesday morning, we carefully made our way to the airport only to learn that our 8:25 a.m. flight was delayed because our plane was coming from Boston which was experiencing the terrible storm that hit Wisconsin on Monday. Then the flight was delayed until 9:20...then 11:55...then 12:40.  After a five hour delay, we finally border the plane and were on our way.  The flight was fairly smooth and landed with no problem.  We were almost safely home, or so I thought.

We had our car at the airport, so Steve and Chris drove back to Dunedin with us.  We dropped them off at their house and made a quick stop at the grocery store.  When we were about four blocks from Gladys, we had to stop at a stop light.  One car was in front of us, and no one was behind us.  We were watching the light when BAM!, someone rear-ended our car.  We were jerked forward about three feet, stopped for a few seconds, and then heard squealing tires as we were hit a second time.  (Thankfully, we were not pushed into the car in front of us.)  I figured someone was unable to stop and had rammed into the back of the vehicle that had hit us.

Well, not quite... It turns out that the person who hit us was intoxicated and after hitting us the first time, his truck bounced off our car, and he had his foot on the accelerator, so he hit us a second time!

We just wanted to get home safely, and after a terrible snow and ice storm and a delayed flight, we thought we were home free.  Ha.  Rick immediately dialed 911.  The man came to our car.  Rick rolled down the window and the other driver asked if we were OK.  We said we were and asked if he was injured.  He said that he was not hurt.  Then he said, "I'm really sorry I hit you, but it looks like there is no damage, so let's just be on our way."

Rick replied, "No.  I've already called the police.  We'll just wait for them to arrive."  In all fairness, our Honda CRV did not look like it sustained any damage, but we knew with the way we were hit, there probably was some damage.  We bought the Honda because it has an excellent safety rating, and I must say that the Honda lived up to that reputation.  We were not hurt; however, later examination shows that we will have some repairs on back bumper of the Honda.

We also learned that the man -- who was arrested and charged with a DUI -- has a long list of moving and traffic violations.  This was his second DUI, so we suspect that is why he did not want to get the police involved.

One fortunate thing for us was that the clerk in the convenience store whose driveway the other driver had just sped out of came forward and told the officers that he had witnessed the whole thing.  His story corroborated ours, so we should have not problems with insurance.

Today we heard from the man's insurance company.  Rick told them what had happened and that we had an eye witness.  The insurance agent told us that they will probably pay for all damages, even though the other driver told family members that WE had backed up into HIM!!!!  (Oh, yeah?  Then why did he apologize for hitting us right after it happened?)

Time will tell how this all plays out.  Our vehicle is drivable although it will have to be repaired.  The man was arrested, and when his case comes to court, I hope that they can order him to get some help for his alcohol problems rather than just fining him. No one was injured, and in the end, we got our wish: we were able to get home to Gladys fairly safely.