Car Crash

Almost four weeks ago, some crazy lady crashed her car into our gate, taking out my car and the staircase to our house in the process. Bee and I were not home at the time of the crash, but Sparky was. He said it made a terrific noise. He went out the front door to see what happened, and saw her SUV smashed up against the bumper of my car, the metal gate twisted up between the vehicles with broken glass everywhere. The passenger jumped out and said "Don't worry, she'll pay for everything. Don't worry!" A shocked Sparky attempted to walk down the still intact stairs, and the second he stepped on them they fell out beneath his feet. As he plunged down twenty feet, he grabbed the railing but this too gave out and he was dangling like Indiana Jones until he was able to break his fall by swinging away from the debris and letting go. As Sparky stood up among the rubble of the stairs, the passenger kept assuring him that everything would be taken care of.

Apparently the driver, who was picking up the passenger from our next door neighbors, thought that her car was in drive and she tromped the gas pedal in order to go up the hill. But her car was really in reverse, so instead of going uphill she went downhill right into our property instead. Just minutes after this dramatic event occurred, Bee and I returned home. I was very surprised to see a SUV in our yard, and I thought for a second that I must be seeing things. But no, there it was. The driver was still in the car, and I went over to ask her what the hell happened. Sparky and the Passenger were next door at this point, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The driver, Amber was her name, seemed completely out of it, and I asked if she was drunk. No, she said she wasn't. Amber said she was sorry, and that her insurance would pay for everything. At that point, Sparky and the Passenger returned, and the Passenger told me that Amber had a "medical" condition. Amber was definitely on something, I mean how to you confuse reverse with drive (unless you're a Republican)? It seemed so nutty.

Anyway, the police and fire department arrived, reports were taken, insurance information exchanged, the SUV was towed away, and to our amazement Amber wasn't arrested for driving while incoherent. Her mother came to pick her up, and away they all went. Sparky, Bee and I were left with a useless gate, broken stairs, and smashed car. It will be four weeks tomorrow since this happened. We now have a brand new gate that is like a penny, shiny and new. However, I still do not have a car. They are having a problem getting a new bumper for it. Also, no stairs! We've grown used to only using the downstairs as our only means of egress, but after it first happened, I kept trying to go out the front door, only to be confronted by a pile of rubble. Some day, hopefully soon, this too will be remedied. But it's funny what you get used to.