Curse the Immutable Laws of Physics

As you can tell from the picture, my luck finally ran out and I was involved in an accident. The picture doesn't quite do the damage justice. Luckily no one was hurt and the car will hopefully not be totaled. It happened on my way home from work on Wednesday. I had come to a stop and was about 8 cars back from the light. I had been stopped for a couple of seconds when I saw a car fast approaching in my rear view mirror. I could tell he wasn't going to stop in time and braced myself. Sure enough, the jarring sounds of crushing metal and the ensuing whiplash confirmed by suspicions. This is what happens when you try and go against the laws of physics. Momentum will win out. What his brakes couldn't do, my car did for him. He must have hit me going 25-30 mph.

Besides doing significant damage to the rear bumper, it also bent the exhaust pipe and dented the rear hatch. In fact, the rear hatch won't open now. At least my car was drivable. The car that rear-ended me had to get towed from the scene of the accident. Adding a twist of irony is that the guy who hit me works at the same place I do.

I do feel lucky that I wasn't injured. I woke up Thursday and felt a little sore and even now I have a little bit of back pain, but nothing too serious. Now it is just the hassle of dealing with his insurance and getting the car fixed. The adjuster looks at it tomorrow. Here's hoping it doesn't cost more to repair than the car is worth.

Of course when I got home Wednesday night I started thinking about all the coincidences that put in the wrong spot at the wrong time. First, I left work 30 minutes later than normal. Second, I took a different route than I normally do. The accident happened in a spot I always go past, but I took a route that may have been faster than my normal route. All the little things that could have made a difference.

Oh well, at least my car is old and I am OK. One accident in 16 years. Let's hope for no more.