The last two days have been a clusterfuck of terrible times. This is going to be in at least two parts, so bear with me!
I left NY at 5:30 in the morning. At about 6:30, I lost control of my van going through a series of S-curves on a hill and crossed the road to slam into a snowbank, coming to an abrupt stop with the vehicle resting broadside, facing the wrong way on the wrong side of the road. I was trapped inside my car, with the snowbank to my left as high as the bottom of the window.
At the moment of impact, a huge mound of snow shot up and covered the entire front windshield.
After breathing for a bit, I confirmed that I and my daughter were both unharmed, though a little shaken up. I turned on the van and used the wipers to clear the glass to see a car heading right for us. We unfortunately were right on the edge of a blind curve, so cars rounding the corner had no idea we were there. Also, they were picking up speed at that point, as they were climbing a hill. The roads were incredibly icy, and as cars spotted us, they would hit their brakes, pull to the left, and start sliding as they then did not have enough speed to top the hill.
I called AAA, and they said a tow truck would take 30 minutes. I called 911, and they said a police officer would arrive in 30 minutes. They told us to crack the window in the car, if we needed to run the engine to stay warm.
The temperature with wind chill was -38. Yes, NEGATIVE 38 degrees Fahrenheit. It got very cold, very quickly.
Thankfully, no one else hit us, though the tow truck took an hour to arrive. When he finally showed, he already had a wrecked car on the flatbed. He said there were accidents up and down the road I was on, and a few on the other side of the hill, as the cars who tried to avoid us slid up and over to the other side. He said no one was hurt, thank goodness.
So, anyway, when he pulled us out, the bumper cover on my van was left behind. My wheels were still straight, but the driver's side mirror was dangling. The tow truck guy advised me to turn around and return to the city to rent a car. He followed me through the S-curves, and then I pulled over because my van was making a loud noise. Upon further inspection, one of the fog lights was up under where the wheel well, and rubbing the tire. The driver yanked it out and threw it in a ditch. I drove up another hill, skidded out, and hit another snowbank.
This impact was much more controlled, because I had been starting to turn and my speed was much less. My daughter was screaming by that point though, and kept saying, "mom, no. NO MOM. NO." This snowbank was much thinner, and on the other side was a long drop. She was terrified we were going to slide over.
I was unable to get the car restarted. The tow truck driver pulled us out again, and we left behind what was left of my wheel well. He had us transfer to the cab of his truck, and pulled my van back to the city.
I cried my eyes out in the truck, as I called the rental car company, who refused to rent me a vehicle when I told them I was from another state, as I only had a credit debit card to secure the vehicle. I told the guy on the phone multiple times that I had car rental coverage on my insurance policy, but he said it didn't matter and suggested I try getting a flight home.
My nerves were beyond frazzled at this point. The tow truck driver dropped us and the van at a collision shop, and the receptionist and her boss were very sympathetic. They had a technician check out my van immediately. He got it started, duct taped the mirror on and took it on a test drive. He said I could make it home, but he had bad news - the airbag sensors were uncovered, and if any road debris hit the bottom of my car (remember the roads were covered in ice and snow) they airbags would deploy. He said he could leave them alone, or he could cover them with duct tape. Unfortunately, covering them with duct tape would ruin them and then the future repair bill would be much worse.
At that point I assumed my van was going to be totaled at the end journey anyway, so why not cover the sensors. At least I could get home.
The normally 5 hour drive took me a total of 10 and a half hours, but we made it home.
PunkRock took me to the rental agency in town and my insurance had agreed to pay for a premium car, so I am now in a Toyota Sienna with 22,000 miles on it. Only $100 deposit - on my credit debit card. Fuckers.
DarkKnight delivered my van to a collision shop in town, where it awaits an adjuster's estimate, but the insurance people have pretty much said that it will be totaled. It's a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan, and though it was a strong runner and in good shape, it has 196,000 miles on it. I will probably only be given $1,000 for it. This is terrible because I have exactly no money to throw at it to get a new car. I am unhappy, but there's no time to worry about this now. I have to return to NY to help my mom get ready to collect my dad's ashes and take care of all the accounts and paperwork, and prepare for the memorial dinner next Saturday.
My daughter is on her way to Disney World with her friends - we dropped her off at 3 pm today. So I am glad she is well out of this part of the mess.
Yep, there's more.
We walked a total of 6 miles and I was wearing Chucks, so my feet hurt terrible. Actually, all parts of me hurt terrible.
