Lola's Accident

So Saturday I was cruising on my way to work. It was 7am and there was very little traffic as usual. No one gets up early to go to work on Saturdays. I was cruising westbound along University Parkway in the right lane. As I came up to the light by UVU there was a semi in the lane to the left of me waiting for teh light to change. As I came up to the light, it turned green and we both went to get on the freeway northbound. As we started making the turn to go north he decided he wanted to be in my lane. Needless to say I was a little surprised. My car was about even with the front of the cab.

First I thought "He isn't staying in his lane very well." Then "Wow I wonder if he is paying attention." Next I'm thinking "Uh oh this guy is definitely coming over." At this point I step on it and try to move over on the shoulder as far as I can, but there isn't much room because of the construction barricades. Quickly I realize "This dude is going to hit me." I lay on the horn but by this point it's too late. He rams into my driver side door with the front right corner of his cab. My poor little Sonata gets knocked sideways and now suddenly I'm thinking "Well that really got out of hand fast. Now I'm totally out of control and this just might roll if the semi keeps pushing me." Somehow my car didn't roll and Lola escaped with a blown tire in the rear on the driver side and just a few dents and scrapes along the driver's side. Honestly I can't believe that this is all that happened to her (no broken windows or airbags deployed). I think the wheel and the wheel well took the brunt of it from the bumper of the semi. The highway patrolman said to put on the spare and see how it worked. Thankfully I made it to work and home afterwards.

For the split second when my car was perpendicular to the road and the side of my car was being pushed by the semi, I thought there was a chance that I could die. I had no control whatsoever and it was not a feeling I enjoyed to say the least. I said a very quick prayer and thought I can't die. I can't leave Britt. Now is not my time to die. Thankfully I didn't and miraculously not more damage was done.

Although being dead would almost be preferable to dealing with insurance companies. Especially when you call and they transfer you to the commercial claims department and they tell you to call someone else and you go back and forth between two different groups telling you that the other one is the one you need to talk to. I seriously had about 12 phone numbers written down, had left countless messages, and was on a first name basis with two different supervisors before I finally got them to give me a claim number and get me a rental car Tuesday afternoon. 3 days of phone calls and waiting to hear back from people. Now I just have to wait and see what the insurance appraisal is and then its off to a collision shop to get her fixed.

All I can say is car accidents are a pain (in more than one way) and insurance companies are a joke. So watch out for truckers because some of them aren't watching out for you!!