Car Update

I have an update about the car situation. You can read about what happened here.

The insurance adjuster finally came out and looked at the car. Due to the fact that they needed to fix or replace-

• Both bumpers
• Both air bags
• All 6 seat belts
• The entire passenger front seat

They decided to total it. The accident happened at a near stop. The damage was surprisingly minimal to look at. The poor man that hit us looked far more "wrecked" than ours. However, adding it all together leaves us in search of a new car.

This post is not about the search for the new car. This post is about the term "totaled". I feel as though it is so misleading. If I tell someone I was just in a car accident. So bad the air bags went off and the car was totaled it seems surprising that there are no real injuries.

This evening at church I spoke to a woman that I have attended church with for years. A long time ago she was in an accident. I was a kid so I didn't pay much attention to the details. While I was talking about my accident she told me how blessed  I had been. How I needed to look at how protected we had been. I was pleased to recall I have actually done that. I continue to be amazed at how little damage seems to be done.

I proceeded to ask her some questions about her accident.

She was pulling into her driveway when a drunk driver hit her at 85 miles per hour.

She was unconscious for 5 days and didn't recognize her husband when she woke. She walked with a cane for a good while after it was over.

Her son's ear needed to be sewn back on. 


I feel like somehow the term "totaled" is inappropriate in my case. Here is a family who's lives were so heavily effected by it.

This woman wouldn't even get in a car, let alone drive for a significant time afterwards. She had to force her son into getting his license on the grounds that if he was sent on a mission that used a car he would be in trouble.

How could my car possibly carry the same label as hers?

I am so grateful for the small scale that I am dealing with. I was almost annoyed that even if it isn't our fault how much of our own time and effort, and some money will be spent putting our normal life back together. It wasn't our action, why do we have to do anything here.

Because life is like that. You don't only suffer consequences of your own actions. Fair or not, other people can and will effect you with their actions.

I am glad for my walk with this woman tonight. I am glad I already recognized the blessing of safety. But I am so grateful to have things put into perspective for me.

My car may have been totaled, but my families lives were not.