Oops

Well, my poor Acadia is headed for the shop. I got into a car accident tonight :( It wasn't my fault though, and everyone is fine.

Chris left for work, and I loaded the boys into the car to get milkshakes. Owen had his first gymnastics class today and I wanted to celebrate his big milestone. We took the "back way" home through Gem Heights, and as we approached an intersection, a Subaru cut right in front of us. Time slowed way down and I can remember everything that happened: knowing that I had no choice but to hit the car, avoiding the reflex to pull into oncoming traffic, forcing myself to pull to the right so I would avoid the driver's side door, hitting the brakes just hard enough to lessen the impact but not so hard that my kids would get hurt, wondering where the pedestrian went because I thought I saw someone walking... I remember coming to a stop but watching the Subaru speed toward the sidewalk, jump the curb and drive right up a rock wall. It was quite a sight and I really couldn't believe it.

The other driver couldn't see if the light was red or green because the sun was setting so she chose to run it. And I had no choice but to hit her. Thankfully, I hit the rear door which saved the driver from being injured. That pedestrian I thought I saw... it was a jogger who had stopped to rest, and she avoided being hit by just a few feet.

Initially, I chose to avoid contact with the other driver and instead let the police speak with us separately. I've always told Chris that I'd kick the holy living sh!t out of anyone who caused an accident that involved my kids. But the driver was a teenage girl, she was very small, and she was very shaken. So I softened up. Once the police were finished, I crossed the street that took that poor girl into my arms and hugged her while she cried. I assured her that my boys and I were fine, and that I was not angry with her. I also told her that I had lost my best friend to a car accident when I was 17 and how hard it was (and still is).

Chris came home from work. He didn't have to, but he wanted to. He wanted to see firsthand that his family was okay.

And my Acadia took care of us. Chris did lots of research and bought me the Acadia specifically because of its excellent crash test ratings. I must say, I'm pretty damn happy with my American-made SUV tonight! Now comes the fun part: dealing with the insurance company.