Goodbye Old Friend

Truth be told, I have been waiting 6 years this day to come. I knew that at some point, I would be in a car accident in the state Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was just a matter of time. Thankfully, I walked away without a single scratch (just a few bruises). And no one else was hurt in the accident. 

My day came on January 16, 2013. As always, I went to bed wishing for a snow day (who doesn't?). The morning news reported terrible road conditions. I was tempted to play the "I'm from the PNW and I don't know how to drive in the snow" card, but when I looked out the window, all  the roads were plowed. Plus, I figured that I probably couldn't play the card after all, this is my 7th winter. The roads were pretty clear for most of my drive. 

About 5 miles from work, I became over confident. While belting out "Girl on Fire", I hit a patch of slick snowy-slush.  The ass end of my car started to drift into the on-coming lane (this is a one lane, each way back road). As soon as I saw the cars in the other lane, I panicked, jerked the steering wheel and oversteered, hit my breaks, basically EVERYTHING you are not supposed to do in this situation. This girl was not on fire. Luckily, for whatever reason, the cars in the other lane were stopped (maybe the head car was trying to make a left hand turn?). My car drifted back into my lane, but I had lost complete control of my car by then. I was began to spin, I'd say I got about 135 degrees around, when I realized that I was headed straight for a telephone pole. I thought the pole was going to hit about the middle of the drivers side door (I have 3' gap in my depth perception). Just before impact, I threw my arms up to protect my face in case my window shattered. It was a total "Jesus, take the Wheel" moment. 

BANG! POP! 

I hit the telephone pole, the car behind me swerved to avoid me and hit a sign instead, and my passenger side airbag deployed. I've had a faulty sensor for years. The excuse came in handy when I didn't want to play chauffer. I felt like Wile E. Coyote bouncing off a cliff wall (or something like that). I was so disoriented right after the car stopped spinning. Too bad there wasn't video of me trying to get out of my car. I bet that was pretty funny.

Telephone pole - 1, Car - 0.  

Car go bye-bye. See the tilted sign to the left of the pole? That's the sign the guy behind me ran into.

Before the end of the day, my insurance agency had already asked me to clean out my car. Booo. Cleaning out my car was a very sad moment for me. It only got worse as I drove away; tears flowing. My car and I have been through a lot in the past 13 years. It was really to accept that it wouldn't be around anymore. It was almost as if I was losing a limb. Dramatic, much?

It doesn't look that bad right? That white thing on the dash is the airbag. 

That's fixable, right, no big deal? What are the odds that I hit it in the same exact spot as a previous incident (rust spot on quarter panel)?

Ouch!

Maybe I should have gotten that SRS light fixed, maybe my car wouldn't have been totaled?

A week and a half later, my car was officially ruled as "totaled."

Flo is a creeper.

Signing my title over. *sad face*

*All photos taken with HTC Droid Incredible*