Lady Florida. Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) And I'm home alone without a vehicle, about 50 miles from him. He called me in a panic. I knew the minute I saw he was calling that something was wrong. He's 22. He texts. Calling is only for urgent matters. His voice was shaking which of course started me panicking. When he realized I was panicking, he let me know he's okay. He swerved to miss a possum that ran out in front of him and lost control. He says he wasn't going fast. I don't know. The road slopes down a bit and he went into the slope (not a real ditch, just a downward slope). He hit the guardrail and the front plus part of the passenger side is pretty damaged according to him. We have towing insurance but I wish I could just go and be there for him. I kept telling him it will be okay and he kept saying "But it's Thanksgiving and I crashed the car!" I feel really bad for him. He knows this will send our insurance through the roof and that upsets him too. I just wish I could go be there for my baby but I know he needs to handle this like an adult. UPDATE: Happy Thanksgiving! Today I'm thankful that my adult kid is okay. They got here about 12:30 am. The tow truck driver had to winch it out from the guard rail. He said if ds had gone a bit more in one direction he'd have ended up in the swamp, and if he hadn't regained control when he did he'd have hit the guard rail head on. He was only going about 25 mph but it's a dirt road ("dirt" in Florida is actually sand) so it's easy to lose traction. @Arctic Mama dh basically said the same as you - next time the possum dies! There's nothing we can do until tomorrow so there's no point in dwelling on it. We'll enjoy our day and be thankful it was only property (and ours, no one else's) that was hurt. Edited November 28, 2019 by Lady Florida. 1 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I'm so sorry this happened. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I’m so sorry, Kathy! Of all times to be home alone without a car so you could go get him! I’m glad he wasn’t hurt, but I wish he had someone there with him. He sounds so sweet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I’m so sorry, but glad he’s not injured himself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 28, 2019 Author Share Posted November 28, 2019 He just called me back and a tow truck is on the way to tow it home (we have towing insurance). He finally sent me some photos and it doesn't look good. There's nothing we can do until at least Friday anyway so I told him we'll spend Thanksgiving being thankful he's okay. Then Friday we'll start dealing with it. 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Lots of hugs winging your way! Glad he is okay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 28, 2019 Author Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said: I'm so sorry, but thankful he is okay. Also, the way you are reacting is so kind. I had a friend in high school who had a similar wreck avoiding a dog. Her Dad's first question was about the car, not her, and then when he found out why it happened he went ballistic. It stuck with her for the longest time- and I guess me too that I remember that. Oh that's awful! Your poor friend. While most accidents are preventable, things happen sometimes. As for our reaction, we had enough experiences with dss (Emma's dad) to know you just have to accept it, be glad they're okay, and hope they learned a lesson. Dss was a good kid but he had his share of mishaps and made a few poor choices before getting his act together. 1 hour ago, Arctic Mama said: This is why my dad always told me to hit the animal unless it was bigger than me, he said my avoiding it could be more dangerous. I’m so glad your son is okay, that’s so terrifying! This is so true and he knows it, but I imagine it was hard for him to do in the heat of the moment especially being the animal (and wildlife) lover that he is. Edited November 28, 2019 by Lady Florida. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Ah, I'm so sorry! Poor guy. I can imagine my 22-year-old in that situation. I also am pretty sure I would swerve to avoid the animal. I hate hitting animals on the road - I mean, no one likes it, of course, but I can't seem to make myself stay on course unless it seems like it would cause an accident with another car. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 How frightening. I'm glad to hear that your son is unharmed, Lady Florida. Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Hugs to both of you. Glad he's ok. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I'm sorry, Kathy. Give your ds a hug from me. I know it was scary but I commend him for swerving to avoid the animal -- it shows his true kindness at heart. I am relieved for all of you that your ds is ok. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 28, 2019 Author Share Posted November 28, 2019 Thanks everyone. The tow truck driver finally arrived (and we do appreciate that he's not home with his family tonight). Hopefully he'll be home in about an hour. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I've hit two or three possums. (oh - look at those shiny lights! - thunk thunk.). why did the chicken cross the road? to show the possum it could be done. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 3 hours ago, Arctic Mama said: Oh no doubt, hitting an animal always feels awful 😞. I had a little bird fly into my windshield and I was shaking for ten minutes. Sometimes you just react. not as awful as hitting another car. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 @Lady Florida., hope your ds is ok now that he's home & the adrenaline rush is over. If he can take something like ibuprofen, he might want some tomorrow. (I had a wreck when I was about his age; the car was pretty mangled but I was ok. But, oh did I hurt the next day or two. At the time, I never really took any medicines, so it never occured to me to take something. In retrospect, it would have been helpful as the stiffness & soreness set in the next day.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Hugs it is always awful when you have one of those calls. One of my ds called me when he was around 22 to tell me he had been in a head on with another car. That was an awful feeling. it was on a mountain road. the other car was on the wrong side coming around a bend. Both cars were totaled. Because of the windy mountainous road with a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other both cars were only doing 40km hour so nobody was hurt. I was so glad Ds had done a defensive driving course and a 4x4 driving course . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Oh how scary. I am so glad he is ok. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 Thinking of you and your ds! (hugs) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 (edited) Oh, that is so scary! Hopefully you can get everything taken care of soon, and your son can put it all past him! We got a phone call like that Sunday night. Our DS19 (ETA: he's actually 20, almost 21, lol) called to say he had been in an accident, and he was very shaken up. He's down in Huntsville and was on his way to a church (different than his usual one, and one he had never gone to before) for a "friendsgiving" dinner. He was making a left turn on a green arrow, and all of a sudden, a car came straight (going opposite to his direction before he started turning). He t-boned them. He wasn't going very fast, but they must have been, because their car flipped over, and they were both carted off to the hospital. Ds's car isn't really that bad--the front is a little crumpled, and his airbag deployed, but he didn't hit the steering wheel, and he's not been at all sore. He never saw the people, but someone said they were older (elderly?). The policeman didn't issue any citations because there were no witnesses to say what colors the lights were. I think this is the most upsetting thing for DS--there's no way to be vindicated. He is positive his arrows were green. He said there were 2 hanging over the intersection, plus 2 more on a pole, so it's not like he couldn't see them. He was so shaken up. He is one of the most serious, responsible, careful kids I know. He's been driving since he was 16, and he's never had so much as a speeding ticket. So the cars were towed away, and we had to figure out where to get it to Monday, since we knew we didn't want to leave it in a lot for very long! Fortunately some friends were able to have it be towed to their driveway. We've never had experience with accidents where no one was cited, so we really have no idea what is going to happen now, We bought him a ticket home, and he got home Tuesday night. He was so happy to be home! This has been such a stressful experience! Edited November 28, 2019 by AFwife Claire 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 28, 2019 Author Share Posted November 28, 2019 18 minutes ago, AFwife Claire said: Oh, that is so scary! Hopefully you can get everything taken care of soon, and your son can put it all past him! We got a phone call like that Sunday night. Our DS19 called to say he had been in an accident, and he was very shaken up. He's down in Huntsville and was on his way to a church (different than his usual one, and one he had never gone to before) for a "friendsgiving" dinner. He was making a left turn on a green arrow, and all of a sudden, a car came straight (going opposite to his direction before he started turning). He t-boned them. He wasn't going very fast, but they must have been, because their car flipped over, and they were both carted off to the hospital. Ds's car isn't really that bad--the front is a little crumpled, and his airbag deployed, but he didn't hit the steering wheel, and he's not been at all sore. He never saw the people, but someone said they were older (elderly?). The policeman didn't issue any citations because there were no witnesses to say what colors the lights were. I think this is the most upsetting thing for DS--there's no way to be vindicated. He is positive his arrows were green. He said there were 2 hanging over the intersection, plus 2 more on a pole, so it's not like he couldn't see them. He was so shaken up. He is one of the most serious, responsible, careful kids I know. So the cars were towed away, and we had to figure out where to get it to Monday, since we knew we didn't want to leave it in a lot for very long! Fortunately some friends were able to have it be towed to their driveway. We've never had experience with accidents where no one was cited, so we really have no idea what is going to happen now, We bought him a ticket home, and he got home Tuesday night. He was so happy to be home! This has been such a stressful experience! Oh that must have been terrifying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 28, 2019 Author Share Posted November 28, 2019 14 minutes ago, Arctic Mama said: Ooooph - that’s going to take some body work, three panels at least. Ouch! It is SO GOOD the damage was passenger side and he walked away. Amen to that. Yeah, we just stared at it in shock when it arrived. It's going to take serious work. Fortunately it doesn't seem like the wheel base was damaged. We're so thankful he's okay. He won't say but he must have been really scared. It's scary enough for an experienced driver but he didn't get his license until he was almost 18 so in the big picture he's really inexperienced at driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said: Oh that must have been terrifying! It really was! Our oldest son and his fiancee were here for the weekend, and my parents had come over for dinner too. That phone call definitely cast a pall! We're about 6 1/2 hour away, so there was absolutely nothing we could do except pray. Looking at the pictures, your son's car was a lot more damaged than ours. It's just all so weird. Ds is really concerned about how the other people are doing, but I can't think how we'd ever find out. I will say, it has made me more conscious of being thankful for his being home this Thanksgiving, when it could very well have ended with him seriously injured or worse. I'm sure you are feeling the same way about your son! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted November 28, 2019 Share Posted November 28, 2019 I'm glad both young men in both situations are okay. Things can happen so fast, and while people often stand in judgment about the "he/she should have done" thing sometimes, none of us is a perfect driver, and we don't know what our automatic reaction would be in any given situation. And sometimes, there are just accidents. When we were newlyweds, we hit a car that ran a red light. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. The other car held a teenager and his date who were following a tall van through a light and turning left in front of us. They couldn't see the light for the van, and ran it. Yes, it was their fault, but they were so shaken up, and I will never forget the young man's dad showing up and chewing him out. He already felt horrible and was shaking, and that was not beneficial at all. I determined then that if something like that happened to my kids, I would make sure they were okay, and refrain from the chewing out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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