It had to happen eventually...
So, I finally did it. Mashed the H-Wing into another vehicle on the way to a charity event in Norco.

SIGH.

I'm fine, but my car is mushed, and I'm bummed. As if I didn't have enough time off the road this year with the broken leg in May, June and July. I'm hoping they don't total it out. Kelly Blue Book retail is $5745, and trade-in is $1850. That's a wide range... I also don't know what Mercury is going to say about my "modifications". All in all, it was a pretty lame experience, but no one got hurt. Yet.



I was heading down the 91 East on my way to Norco. traffic was slow, around 35 MPH. At about the 60 mile mark the guy in front of me, in a blue Dodge pickup, stopped.

Without the benefit of brakelights.

I stopped, too, using his truck as a brake. My hood folded up, and bumper sliced in two. Nothing injured but my pride.

So we pulled onto the shoulder to exchange info. He came and looked at my car, and he said he didn't suffer any damage. I looked at his, and he was right. I did no damage to his truck, other than a bit of paint on the underside of his chrome bumper. I went back to my car to get paper to write down contact info and info on his truck, and he left.

Went away. Vamoosed. LEFT THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT.

I suppose he figured that, since he didn't have any damage, he could take off. It would have been nice to have official verification that his lights weren't working... Grrrr.... All I remember about the truck is it's an early 90's Dodge, first LP numbers 5T, Medium blue color, with a 14" Nazi Skull sticker on the tailgate- kind of like this:

So I filed a CHP report with an officer who thought I was a moron for incriminating myself on paper ("You hit him, he took off, and you STILL wanna file a report?"), had the car towed, got picked up by my long-suffering wife and am now back home.

I have to say it's really lame to be in a flatbed tow truck, with your mashed car on the back, getting honks and waves and thumbs ups from passing motorists who still think your car is cool despite being smooshed.

The tow-truck drivers, on the other hand, had the time of their lives.