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Dear Friends,
I want to take a few minutes to let you know about the last moments of my little green friend’s life, as well as relive some of our more enjoyable moments together.
As many of you know, I was in Northern Virginia last week attending a conference. I planned to drive home on Thursday afternoon, 10/6, but as I wasn’t feeling well in the morning, decided to just call it a day and drive home early. I took a new route in order to enjoy the fall foliage and curvy roads of eastern West Virginia. The top was down and my car was living the life it was meant to, cruising along scenic roads.
About 100 miles north of Charleston, just outside a small town called Buchannon, WV, the world changed. The car drifted to the left side of the road and I felt the rumble strip beneath my tires. I instantly reacted and pulled the steering wheel to the right. Overcompensating, I skidded across two lanes of traffic. The last thing I remember was passing a car, seeing a grassy ditch and a tree in front of me, and thinking “that ditch is a bit deep, I’m going in”.
When I came to, I was surrounded by paramedics, police, and concerned passers-by. I was flown by MediVac to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV, part of the WVU Hospital System.
After performing numerous tests including CT scans, X-Rays, and the poke and prod, it was determined that my injuries were, miraculously, minor. The most traumatic of them happened to my right ear. It was mostly severed. Fortunately, due to the quick response of the passers-by (one was a doctor) and all the professionals involved, after a little work by a plastic surgeon, my ear should look as good as ever. Until then, I do have long hair to hide any stitches and scars. I also have lacerations on the right side of my face and head as well as on my left hand and elbow. Nothing a little time and TLC won’t heal.
My little green friend didn’t fare as well.
It has been impossible to reconstruct the details of the accident as yet, due to the damage received by the car and the lack of eyewitness reports. The Saab obviously stuck the tree with the passenger side taking the brunt of the impact. The passenger seat was crumpled and all center console components were ejected. In addition, the windshield was smashed and the driver’s side rear trunk panel and front panel by the door were damaged. There was no damage to the front or rear of the car. At this time, we believe the car hit the tree with the passenger side and then flipped up, with the passenger side on the ground and…the top of the car…scraping the tree. The car landed with the driver’s side closest to the tree. The tree was damaged as high as 6’ off the ground. The car did NOT flip or roll over as earlier believed.
Two days later, when I went to claim my possessions from the car, I discovered massive amounts of tree bark and grasses inside the car. This lends validity to the theory that the car scraped by the tree on its side.
As far as I am concerned, this little green friend of mine, the 1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible, saved my life. I was belted in, the airbags did not deploy, and I am here to talk about my experience. I have photos available to share of the Saab to illustrate its beauty in the early days as well as to illustrate its final moments.
I am still waiting to hear that my insurance company will write off the car as a total loss and then I will consider future options. Suggestions are welcomed.
My little green friend and I had a great run. From ‘topless’ (convertible) trips to the beach to off-roading through the hills of West Virginia to road-tripping with Bella to Orlando, it was a great car. It will be missed.
In closing, every day I am reminded of how precious life is. I encourage you to respect your time here and to use it wisely. Be kind and considerate to others. Be forgiving and humble. It is all too often that we forget to be human and in the blink of an eye, no longer have the option.
All my best,
Susan
posted by 141.153.5...
, Tue, 11 Oct 2005 11:42:36
, Mon, 10 Oct 2005 16:44:47
, Mon, 10 Oct 2005 14:45:16, Mon, 10 Oct 2005 13:51:04
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