Not quite the afternoon I had planned

I got the back yard mowed (it looks nice) and was just getting ready to hop in the shower when the phone rang.  It was Alex - he'd been rear-ended at a stoplight a couple of blocks away and wanted to know if he should move his car out of the middle of the road. 

When I said to take a picture first, he said that his neck hurt.  That's all I needed to hear.  Ran out to the shop, grabbed Tom, and we buzzed over to 35th & Yorkshire.

Turns out that there was a previous accident on 35th Ave. (police had still not arrived), and David, the teenager driving his dad's Ford F-150 and who slammed into Alex, had been busy rubbernecking.  

The impact had pushed Alex close to 1/4 of a mile past the intersection!  The back of the Saturn is dented, the trunk won't open, and the muffler is jammed back into the exhaust pipe; the force of the accident knocked the rear view mirror into the back seat, and Tom thinks the frame may also be bent.  It was drivable home (only 2 blocks) but obviously can't be driven until the exhaust is fixed, and it's checked for any other damage.

Happy to report that all the teens (Alex was giving a girl a ride home from school) were wearing their seatbelts.  All 3 were shaken up, but none seemed really hurt, although David's airbag deployed, and his wrist was somewhat swollen.    And of course it could be a different story when they wake up tomorrow.  David's father was already there when we got there (they live on 34th Ave.) and happily we were all on the same page about what was really important: the fact that nobody seemed hurt.  He agreed that it was David's fault, and that his insurance would be the one to pay.  Naturally he wasn't really thrilled about the damage to his truck...

The guy stopped at the light in the lane next to Alex was kind enough to stick around for the police (it took them 20 minutes to arrive) and give a statement attesting to the fact that it was not Alex's fault.  I've already talked to the insurance companies, so that ball is rolling.

The accident could have a silver lining in that maybe it will 'prove' to Alex how quickly things happen, and why he needs to drive defensively and pay attention at all times.

I finally got my shower (better late than never, right?) 

and look forward to working on my Sun Ray blocks this evening.