DUDE!!!! That Was a CLOSE One!!!

Well, it was again about 2 this morning before I got to bed, but at least this time I can blame it on somebody else, in a MAJOR way!


Scott and I were just getting ready for bed. Scott was sitting on the bed reading Sunday's paper (which neither of us had a chance to read before LAST -Monday- night) and we'd been chatting. I headed into the kitchen to quickly strain off some tea for iced-tea, before going in for my shower, when we heard tires squealing on the road outside our house, then a crash. We thought somebody had come around the corner too fast and flipped.


Not quite, but close. E., a close friend of our neighbours J and T, DID come around the corner too fast, but she didn't flip. She plowed her big-ass Ford F250 into ANOTHER neighbour's truck, which was parked in front of his house (in the "driveway", not in the road). Anyway, it'll probably be totaled because of the damage done to the frame.


She blew an breathilizer test of .120, all the while claiming that she hadn't been drinking. She also had empty beer cans and an open empty vodka bottle in the truck with her when she crashed. Immediately after crashing into Ben's truck, though, she proceeded to back up and tried to leave, but had already wrecked the steering column on her truck, so she couldn't turn it. She plowed down this big ol' poplar that lived right on the corner at the edge of Ben's yard. Took her 3 tries to take the poplar down, but she finally managed. Fortunately (for the rest of us, but not for her) that messed up the undercarriage of her truck enough that it wouldn't drive at ALL anymore (not even back & forth).


Poor Ben had already been asleep, his wife Wendy was sitting in the livingroom watching TV. Had E. swerved a LITTLE bit sooner, she would have put her truck through their livingroom window, probably killing Wendy. Had she swerved the other way, E. would have plowed into our bedroom where Scott and I were getting ready for bed. Had she swerved a little moment later, she would have plowed into Cliff's truck, pushing it through HIS bedroom window and killing him. As it is, all E. wrecked was her life, Ben's truck, a tree, and a good night's sleep for at least 4 of us.


E.'s poor children (two little girls, 5 and 1) will lose their mother (to jail, not to death). Though, I'm rather thinking it may not be such a loss as she was a terribly neglectful mother anyway (her 5 year old doesn't speak in anything other than vowels and is has such majorly stunted motor skills). It's a damn good thing she didn't have them in the truck with her this time, as they could have been hurt or killed in the impact. As it is, they'll be placed in foster care, I'm almost certain.


Needless to say, by the time the last cop left at 1 am, Scott and I were already pretty exausted. Besides Ben and Wendy, Scott and I were the only other two witnesses who REALLY saw what happened. Kat and her hubby came out of their house, but quickly disappeared again. Another neighbour down at the end of the street pulled up the road JUST after the accident, so he didn't stick around to be a witness once he made sure that E. wasn't going to try to drive away (he was in his truck and was incredibly willing to sacrifice that, to keep her from getting away). Cliff slept right through it, even though it happened only 100 feet from his bedroom window.


So, Scott, and I and Ben and Wendy all had to write up witness statements in the pouring rain. As I said, it was after 1 am by the time the cop left. I hopped in for a quick shower (had to wash off the bug dope we'd all sprayed down with, to keep the massive numbers of 'skeeters at bay, not that it worked) before bed. But then Scott and I were up till after 2, just talking over the events, and mulling over the other possibilities had E. swerved a little bit sooner or a little bit later.... It was well after 2 before either of us calmed down enough to sleep.


I talked to Ben already this morning and he said that E. didn't have insurance on her truck, even though she gave Ben and Wendy an insurance card last night. Evidently she let her insurance lapse. So, the damage to Ben's truck isn't covered by E's insurance. And Ben's got a CDL for driving, so HIS insurance won't cover accidents caused by drunk driving, whether or not it was Ben doing the drinking and driving, or somebody else. (Even given the fact that his truck was parked and he was sleeping in the house when the drunk driver plowed into it. Ridiculous!!!! What good IS insurance?!?!?!) Ben then called his home owner's insurance company, and they said that they won't cover it because the damage was to the truck, and they don't cover vehicals even when the vehical is parked on the home-owner's property. So, Ben's calling his lawyer. *wry smile* E. is toast. Not that Ben's going to get any money out of her, but she's going away for a long time, most like. (Oh, and besides all the alcohol bottles and cans in her truck, she also had 2 loaded firearms in the back seat.)


*sigh* I called my boss today to let her know that I won't be in. I'm going to be useless for work today. I'm already wishing I could climb back into bed for a nap. I may just, a little later. And Tay has a soccer game tonight in town. I'm going to take her in and meet Scott at his work, then we're going to go do some clothes shopping at Old Navy before the game and pictures. Tay needs to be stocked up on shorts & t-shirts, as she's outgrown all her current supply. I need a couple more tanks & t's to take with me to Spokane, as I've only got 3 tanktops and 2 t-shirts that are really appropriate. (The rest all have holes or major stains and aren't very nice looking any more. And I'm not wearing my library shirts while down there. Gotta get something that's appropriate for hanging out with family and going out for casual events.)


Anyway..... *sigh* What a week so far! I really hope it gets VERY boring after this!

Have a Blessed Day!