Wednesday, September 02, 2009

crash

immediately after work yesterday i left for clever mill. it is about thirty miles from my work. we buy our specially mixed feed from there since they specialize in small batches five hundred pounds at a time. most other mills have a minimum of two thousand pounds. we do this since this quality of feed is not available in prepackaged pelleted products, the only other option.

i took my usual back road shortcut. immediately after i started on the dirt road i came to a sharp curve. i wasn't even going twenty miles per hour yet. ahead of me i saw a red toyota truck coming around the corner in the center of the road. i notice he wasn't looking at the road. in fact he was turned around reaching for something. i slammed on my breaks got even further to the edge of the road and laid on my horn.

eventually, it seemed like hours, his head popped up and he slammed on his breaks. all the while still headed directly toward me. slam, by this time he was only going fifteen or twenty miles per hour.



as you might know we only have one vehicle right now. we were planning remedying that as soon as possible. but times are tough, you know.. today i am stranded at home. our five hundred pounds of chicken feed and five hundred pounds of pig feed are still sitting there at the mill, we called and informed them.

i am waiting to hear from his insurance company. i am not hopeful since the little nissan has almost no perceived value. it was valuable to me. it started every time. it got great gas mileage. it could carry it's weight in feed, wood or whatever. the entire family could legally* fit into it in a pinch.

imagine on our tight budget the worst possible time for this to occur. we just entered a payment schedule for the pricey home school supplies. we just racked up our credit card to go to toly's hospital visit in st. louis. our water heater just went on the blink. the list goes on...

i need a truck, we heat our home with wood. getting wood to and around the farm requires a truck. i travel over an hour from home to get feed for the animals. i use my truck to work from, transporting my tools and supplies. i can easily stop and get building materials that might be set in the cull pile at the lumber yard. which is the kind of thing you'll miss if you don't get it at the time. having a pick-up has become critical to us saving money at every turn.

finally and most poignantly we need a vehicle to get to and from the hospital for toly. that vehicle isn't a truck. even a newer king cab won't legally" do the job. crap, i realize that things could be worse. i could have gotten hurt. or, worse yet, one of the kids could have been with me and gotten hurt. i feel very lucky in that respect. but, being lucky because it could have been worse doesn't salve the soul.

we have plenty of food to eat. i just don't know what to do. i guess i am still too stressed to see my way through this yet.

*abscure missouri law allows the exact criteria of the nissan to legally transport our family of six. this is due to it's age and type of seating.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry about you're accident. If worse comes to worst, you can sue the driver in small claims and probably get close to what the truck was worth to you. Insurance companies usually just pay such judgments because it's too expensive to contest them.

Cheers.

Caroline said...

Such a bad luck.
I wish you find a new car/truck that fit your need. The one you have is beyond repair?

Danielle said...

Mini-van with a hitch and a trailor.

Kathie said...

I left a comment on Tabitha's blog too, but wanted to say that I'm glad you're ok. I hope something turns up quickly, maybe bartering work or something for a truck? I don't know but will send plenty of loving / truck finding vibes your way.

I hope the day or two after doesn't find you too sore, either...

Fleecenik Farm said...

We also do the one car thing right now ( as I stare at our glorified lawn ornament, 71 vw bus). I wish I could offer you a good idea. Is there a way that some of those necessary things like wood could be delivered? Is there a freecycle around you? Maybe post the situation and see if there is someone with a clunker that would work temporarily until you can figure something out? At the least see if there is a neighbor that could let you borrow their car for Toly's visits.

Wendy said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your truck. That's so tough - on top of everything else.

It would be so great if those of us in our little blog community were physically closer to each other, because I know we could all help each other out of tough spots like this one.

warren said...

Ugh...sorry for the accident. Stuff like that sort of sucks a good bit of fun out of you...push on friend!

Tammy said...

so glad you weren't hurt! what a terrible outcome the crash could have had. you will get through this, and I can't wait to hear how this all turns out for good!

Anonymous said...

This is one of those times that I like to watch God at work.....you will be blessed!

This will work out and you will look back at this post and smile:)

Many Blessings,

Renee

tansy said...

oh man, i'm so sorry karl. what an ordeal. i hope the insurance is able to work out something that will make it worth your while.

Bugl3t said...

I am just glad you got through it without injury or worse. I hope you get more than you expect for the truck from the other person's insurance... glad they had some.

Like R. Sherman said, small claims should allow up to $3K in a suitand you aren't required to have an attorney... it costs a little to file it - $10...

The down side of it is that the court won't actually enforce the judgement and collect the money for you, but an insurance company would probably just pay anyway.. they might even settle if you threaten the suit.

The truly darker side of it is that the defendent *could* file a counter-claim, though if their insurance is offering payment, I am not sure what basis they would use. If a counter-claim is filed and you lose, you could be presented with a judgement against you for some amount + court costs.

I hope the insurance company is fair when they evaluate your vehicle. What year is it? My volvo was hit from behind (a 1991) and its "totaled" value was $1750ish...

Robbyn said...

Wow, we're so glad you weren't hurt! I wish we lived closer so we could help lend a hand

Robbyn said...

Karl and Tabitha, Jack and I would like to be in contact asap if you could email us at jargil@juno.com...dont' want to post details here :)

jenny said...

ugh! Similar to how my husband's truck got into an accident:: country road; sharp bend; guy in the middle not paying attention; pulled all the way over on the shoulder and still-- crash!

This bites, and I hope something works out soon. We could not live without our little truck, too. Check craig's list and freecycle-- never know what's out there.

MamaHen said...

Please let us know what happens; insurance etc. Maybe some of us CAN help.

nathan said...

I thought the law in Missouri said if you don't have enough seat belts for everyone then you could not get a ticket for too many people in the vehicle? Car seats for kids might be a different story though.
Nathan in Missouri.

Woody said...

Good thing you're not hurt. My sister-in-law had a head on last week. She has a compound fracture of her left arm and is bruised up pretty bad. All things considered she is fortunate that it wasn't worse.

You'll find a suitable replacement...too bad my old truck was the one involved in my sister-in-laws wreck. I would have made you a sweet deal for it.

Peace

Omelay said...

we are still waiting for any real news from the insurance company. they are stringing us along. maybe today

Anonymous said...

Ouch, just saw this- I'm sorry this happened, as if that does any good. Glad all are okay, and so good that you were paying attention- must have been one of those slow motion experiences where you can't believe it's happening. Holy cow.

Beau said...

Goodness I'm glad you're all okay and that you were driving with your eyes on the road. Wow. Hang in there.

carolyn said...

any thoughts about putting up a Paypal donation button? Folks not close enough to help physically could help out that way.....

Melinda said...

Been there done that and know how depressing it can be. I agree with the previous poster that a paypal donation button would enable those who could help the avenue in which to do so. Also, is there anyone in your area (maybe an older person) who has a car or truck they know longer drive that would be willing to let you barter for it with your labor or something? It might not look that great but it would have a motor and get you back and forth to work.

The best of luck to your family. I wish you all well.

MamaHen said...

check your email karl!! I may have something for you.

Gina said...

O, so sorry about your accident. It's a frustrating experience!

Glad you or the other driver were not physically injured.

I hope his insurance co is fair to you (if not, try and fight it if possible!!)

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