At 9:20 am, when I was fast asleep in bed I got a text and a call from my neighbor Travis. I finally woke up the 2nd time he called me. Travis told me that he had bad news, that someone had hit my car and driven off. He and his girlfriend were fast asleep when they were woken up by a loud crash that they thought was thunder. By the time they got up and looked out the front window the person who had hit my car was gone...
My Intrepid had been parked in its usual spot on the street across from my house, same place I've been parking for a year without incident. I'm assuming that whoever hit my car must have been drunk, the street is wide enough for three cars to park across it. I'm guessing they had to be going at least 50 mph (speed limit in my neighborhood is 30). My car ended up being pushed further into the street and ended up moving about 25 feet forward.
I don't even know how they were able to drive away from the scene. There was antifreeze all over the ground at the point of impact, behind where my car stopped, and then a trail of it that they left behind them. My Intrepid had a huge trunk, as you can see, it's now gone. There are holes in the gas tank, the tailpipe is in the muffler, some of the wheels are pressed up against the wheel well from being forced forward, none of the electronics work anymore, my car is leaking all sorts of fluids and my back bumper is now sitting on my front porch.
For a while I was just in complete shock...
My first thought was that I have liability only on my car insurance. I've always just had liability only. Luckily I had taken out a loan at my dad's bank and used my car as collateral and had to get full coverage. That loan would've been paid off in a couple months so it's a good thing I hadn't paid it off yet because I would have lowered my coverage. (From now on I'm always getting full coverage.)
I called 911, a cop showed up and I filed a police report. The officer said it looked like a while vehicle had hit me and that he would drive around the area to see if he could find the culprit but could make no promises. I had to work 11-8 that day and was not looking forward to going into work. My stomach was in knots and I just felt sick to my stomach over what had happened.
I gave myself a couple hours to be upset then told myself that I had to buck up and move on. There's no use in being upset over something you can't change, all you can do is figure out what to do next. Plus I have so many friends, family members and coworkers who were there to cheer me up, give me rides to and from work, and bring me food. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. Things could always be worse and this was just a speed bump, a minor obstacle to maneuver around.
Things can change so suddenly. Life is change. It's all about adapting, making the most out of what comes your way. Luckily I didn't have to wait long for things to turn around. On Sunday during my lunch break I was checking out cars on Craigslist and saw one that I was interested in. The ad said to call Nathan and gave a number. The phone rang a few times then went to voicemail and much to my surprise I was calling a cousin of mine! Nathan told me that someone was going to come look at that particular car but that if I wanted he could take me to the auto auction on Wednesday...
So yesterday I went to the auction and this is now my car, an 03 Volkswagen Jetta! (Her name is Joan Jetta.) ;) I got a killer deal and I absolutely love this car. Thank you to everyone who helped me out during the chaos of everything. I am so blessed to have such kind, caring people who I can count on.
Stay positive and good things will come your way.
Don't park it on the street. :)
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