Not As Planned
Friday: Went swimming and returned the badge-making machine to the place from which it had been hired.
Saturday: Big kids went to the youth-group, younger ones stayed at home. I worked all day sorting through the dining-room, sorting through loads of books (home-ed and other) and scanning and then shredding lots of bits of paper. There’s still another big pile to be done, but I’m getting there.
Sunday: Having spent the night wincing every minute or two because of stabbing pains in my ear, I spent all of Sunday doing the same. And finishing off the dining-room.
Monday: I was woken by Jack, who wandered into my room looking fed up. “What’s wrong?” I asked. In a grumpy tone he replied, “My dreams were boring!” Toby emerged from the other side of my bed to exclaim, “Mine weren’t!” Oooh-kay…
Later in the morning I had a phone-call from the Community Association, who’d had a phone-call from the Resource Centre which owns the badge machine, who said that the “handle” was missing from it. It turned out that they meant the top of the lever that you pull down to clamp the badges, and it also turned out that it was in the boot of my car. It was going to take me half an hour or so to return it, so I decided to leave most of the boys at home. I took Jack with me, because he was irritating Barney, and I took Toby, because he was a bit whiny. They sat in the very back row of seats in my car, so that they could sit next to one another and talk.
I left the badge-machine bit back at the Resource Centre, then decided to do a very fast run around a shop to grab a few groceries. That done, we got back in the car and headed for home.
Five hours later, I got home.
First, and most importantly, nobody seems to have been injured. And really, that’s the only thing that matters.
But my plan for my day – and for my life, to be truthful – did not include having a construction lorry run into the back of my car, crushing the back gate and bumper, squeezing the rear wing, damaging the top bit which goes around the rear windows, and shattering the rear window itself. Especially while two of my children were sitting in the back seat. Thank goodness for cars with masses of boot-space. At least, it did have masses of boot-space. That space has been reduced somewhat.
I had stopped, waiting to turn left at a Give Way sign, and the truck had stopped behind me. The driver of the truck thought I was moving off, and he moved off too – into the back of my car. He pushed my car forwards a bit, into the path of any oncoming traffic – but fortunately there was none at that moment. The car looks worse in real life than the photos, I think – but on the other hand, the frame of it seems to have held up remarkably well, given the bashing it had.
I phoned the police, and while we waited for them, I phoned Scratchy to ask him to come – I didn’t know if the car was going to be drive-able, but I knew that even if it was, I was too shaky to drive it. He arrived not long after the police, and took the boys to his car. The police did their stuff – getting our licences and insurance details, making notes about what had happened, breathalysing both drivers (routine for any accident). My insurance policy includes breakdown/recovery – at least in theory, but in practice, when called a second time (an hour after the first), they could find no record of the call-out. I gave up and phoned our mechanic, who sent a recovery driver he does business with.
I feel sorry for the driver of the lorry that hit me, to be honest. He wasn’t doing anything dangerous or reckless – he just had a stupid, split-second error in judgement. His vehicle wasn’t damaged, as far as I could see – although mine’s a big, heavy car, it was never going to win an argument with a construction lorry – but he’s going to be paying for this on insurance premiums for years to come.
As for my car – well, I don’t know yet. I’ll have to talk to the insurance people tomorrow and see what they say. The mechanic reckons it’s a write-off, but either way, it’s going to be a real nuisance to get sorted 
On the bright side, it does seem to have cured the stabbing pains in my ear…
In: cute stuff they say/do, family, life, outings and adventures, pics, rants and moans
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Oh bum and bugger. So glad you are all okay but ARGH. It is such a pain and so scary when it happens
Ugh, that was far too close to the boys. Making me feel quite ill looking at it.
I had a very similar accident at a roundabout when pregnant with Violet – except I was in a Clio, and he was in a 4×4 with bull bars. The Clio did get fixed, amazingly.
The lack of recovery truck was crap though – hope you can summon the energy to complain about that one at some point.
Hope you’re not all whiplashed tomorrow xxxx
aargh, that looks quite horrendous enough without anything worse and double aargh to boys in backseat!
Glad that there are no injuries, hope that the car situation is sorted out with minimum fuss.
Looks awful! Hope you can sort it quickly.
I have wondered about those cars with kid seats facing backwards in the boot. Now I feel really ill thinking of alternative consequences.
Drink lots of sugared tea xx
It does look awful, Deb
What they all said and lots of love from me too xx
Gosh Deb, no wonder you were shaky {{{{}}}}
hugs to you and yours. any smash feels dreadful and jittery, but yours looks really nasty. so glad you weren’t hurt.
Oh Deb! How horrible! Thank God no one injured.
You are being very charitable about the other driver, but I know what you mean. ‘Just’ an error in judgement is not the same as if he was speeding or talking on the phone or drinking or whatever else that caused the error. But it still doesn’t help the situation he has now put you in. Hopefully he will be cooperative with all the insurance stuff though (not that it seems he has a leg to stand on if he isn’t).
Oh Deb that looks horrid
My Aunt had similar, she was waiting to turn right in the road, lorry either didn’t see her or thought she had moved and hit the car, it was only a little car and the backseat ended up rammed against the front seat with her knees stuck under the dashboard, thankfully she didn’t have my cousin the car at the time or she wouldn’t have been here. So thank goodness for big heavy cars and I am so glad that you had enough boot space to absorb most of the impact. How did Louie cope with you being out for 5 hours?! Also thank goodness for older sensible children I imagine. How did Jack and Toby take it? And I hope you are all feeling much better today but be gentle with yourself *hugs*
How terrifying! Glad no-one was hurt.
omg I’m pleased you’re ok , how scary. I’m so pleased for you that the boys are ok .
Oh thank goodness you’re all ok! What a horrible thing to happen (hugs)