As some of you may recall from an entry I posted back in January, in the midst of the mostly mild Indianapolis winter there was one particularly bad day with more snowflakes than I could count and roads that were really just crummy.  If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself HERE.  Brrr!

On this particular day my car became sick and exhibited it's illness with shaking when I would idle at lights and smoke that would come from under the hood whenever I drove too far or too fast.  Over time, the shaking dwindled but the smoke continued as I saved my money to get it repaired.  Finally, I was able to get my car in and $600 dollars later she was feeling better and running smoothly.  Woo hoo!

I retrieved my little 1998 Mazda Protege that sunny Friday morning and began my drive to work where I had a full day planned.  But I wasn't focused on that as I enjoyed the smooth ride and lack of smoke... instead I was daydreaming about all the driving I would be able to do before the year was over - a trip to Michigan before the end of September, a trip to Pennsylvania in October, a trip to Florida in November and another trip to Michigan in December .  It was while in this reverie and stopped at a light that I heard a bang and my car lurched forward.  Oh no!

My first thought was that something had gone horribly wrong during her surgery but when I looked up and saw the truck in my rearview mirror, I realized I'd just been rear-ended.  I did the responsible thing and pulled my car to the side of the street and the truck followed suit.  I went out to examine the damage and the tiniest little girl climbed down from her truck, yellow sundress blowing in the breeze and college-girl hair tied in a loose bun with a pout on her lips... it seems her delicate foot had slipped off the break when she was stopped and it caused her big bad truck to roll forward into me - good thing my car was there to stop her or she may have just rolled right down the street!  Tee hee!

There was no damage that I could see and she was just too precious to scold so we bid our adieus and I continued on my way, thinking this would be a funny anecdote to blog about: the day I picked my car up from the repair shop just to be rear-ended ten minutes later.  I was a little nervous as she continued following me on my drive, but by the time I reached Mass Ave I'd lost her and work was in view.  I'd just gone through the green light and Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity"  started on my radio when things began to move in slow motion.  I looked up and saw the side of a white truck in front of me.  I slammed on the breaks.  My tires squealed.  I connected with the truck.  My hood started crumpling toward me.  Oh CRAP!

I sat in a bit of a daze as I tried to figure out how to turn my iPod off and put together the pieces of what had just happened.  My friend Heather came from across the street to assess the damage and make sure I was alright.  Thankfully, I'd never been in an accident before so she was able to tell me what to do and who to call**.  Kris was the next one to show up on the scene with paper and a pen and a hug - the latter caused me to realize how much I was shaking and dazed.  Finally Geoff got there with some tea and a ride to the body shop and Sarah was there to tell me what had happened as my screeching tires had given her the chance to witness the accident.  It seems Truck Girl had decided to make a left-hand turn in front of me without giving me time to stop.  Thankfully no one was injured... except my car that was bleeding radiator fluid down the street and into the gutter.  *sob!*

Truck Girl took responsibility and within an hour my car was towed away.  A few days later I received a check from her insurance company after they determined the car couldn't be salvaged and now I'm borrowing cars and biking to work as I look for a replacement vehicle.  All in all, not terrible... but a little frustrating.