We were on the way to Jen’s parents’ house for lunch today, as is our Sunday custom, when we were suddenly rear-ended by a Kia. We pulled off the road and soon realized that the driver behind us, the one who hit us, wasn’t at fault. Rather, it was the Ford behind him, who slammed into him so hard that his license plate number can be read backwards on the front of her car.
We were idling when we were hit. The light was red, so we had stopped. The Kia behind us was back a healthy distance from us as well. Then out of nowhere – BAM!
For the record, no one was injured. Grace, Jen and I are fine. The driver of the Kia and his passenger are fine, although the poor guy was driving his sister’s car for the first time. The woman who hit the Kia was fine, but visibly shaken up, understandably. Jen and I offered to drive her home since she seemed so upset, but she felt she could make it. Her car was leaking antifreeze, but she didn’t have far to go, maybe a mile, so we all figured she’d be OK.
While we waited for the Kia driver’s sister to arrive, we chatted rather amicably. It was definitely the kindest collision I’ve ever had to the pleasure to be involved in. The driver of the Kia, who looked about 18 or 19 and was as polite as could be (“Sir” and “Ma’am”), told me he had just gotten back from overseas; he was a Marine. I asked if he was in Iraq, which he was. He was on leave and waiting for his next assignment. I shook his hand and told him that I appreciate everything that the armed forces do for us. I was glad to have that opportunity, and I think he appreciated it. He told us that he was borrowing his sister’s car, since he had sold his before going into the service, to go to church and then take his friend home afterward. Turns out he goes to church right down the road from our house, and knows the drummer on the church’s worship team, who was with us at the retreat we went to in January. Small world.
The Kia ended up with some damage to the front and back, but not as extensive as the damage to the Ford, which will probably be quite expensive to fix. My wagon has a couple scratches on the rear bumper, which seems to be looser than it ought, but nothing major otherwise. I happened to have a digital camera with me (leave it to me to bring a digital camera and forget my cell phone) so I took some pictures of the damage.
As the Kia driver’s sister pulled into the parking lot, he looked at us and said, “I need your help. Please tell my sister this wasn’t my fault. She didn’t trust me driving her car, but you guys all know this wasn’t my fault.” We vouched for him.
Grace mentioned several times later today that she really didn’t like getting hit by that car. Jen and I could only agree.