Blame it all on a traffic cone

As some of you know, i have a love/hate relationship with my Sebring Convertible. I happen to LOVE it; it happens to HATE being driven.

Now, i say that last part b/c of the amount of time it's spent in the shop since i got it last fall. There was a time when the days with Joe, the mechanic, far outweighed the days in my (crowded) driveway. I used to long for a sunny spring day when i'd have the car in MY possession so i could ride with the top down & the cliched wind in my hair.

Since i finally got it back for good (~ 6wks ago), the temperature has been way too hot for any top-down driving. It might shock some of you that a convertible lover like myself actually has a high when it's too hot for the hair to blow around. Nothing like the wind feeling like it's been sent straight from Hades!

Today, started out as a normal day in life with the convertible. We went to work, top up, a/c on. When it was time to leave for my doctor's appointment this afternoon, everything was good. We were tooling along Interstate 295 as we usually do when we head into Mechanicsville.

Suddenly, things changed forever.

I was in the far left lane, slowing as i noticed the unmarked state trooper with lights on stopped at the shoulder. As a matter of fact, this was no normal police car pulled over to the side of the road. The trooper was out, standing there as though he was waiting for a moment to shoot across the 3 lanes.

What the heck does he want to run across the street for? Is he suicidal or what?

Well, ask my car. It knows what was going on. There was an orange traffic cone in the middle lane. Oh good... middle lane. i'm safe!

Before i could exhale, the little orange booger was in MY lane. What the??????

The car ahead of me managed to avoid it. He moved on down the road safe & happy.

I know what you are all thinking now... you are thinking that i ran over it. That my CAR just raced straight ahead for it.

WRONG... we were on our way around the cone (laying on its side in the middle of my lane!) going a respectable 30mph or so. That's right, car, slowly, around the cone, into the left shoulder area. Good, take it slow...

BAM!

uh yeah, that would be the noise i heard when the green minivan left it's mark on my right rear panel & bumper. hmmm... i guess that would imply that the bumper still looked like a bumper. I think it looked more like shredded wheat. How many of you knew that there was STYROFOAM under that bumper????

In addition to the visible damage, there was one sign that meant BIG PROBLEMS... that was the right rear tire sitting at a angle. Now, granted, i'm no mechanic or car expert, but i know THOSE tires aren't supposed to move in that direction. Can you say axle all messed up? hmph.

Since there was a cop right there, it was a convenient way to garner an eyewitness. (yeah... now that's what i'm talking about.) It happens that this Trooper wasn't even from the area. He was driving through town on his way back to West Point where he works. Obviously the good guy in him decided to try & help us poor motorists out & move that cone. Too bad it didn't work out that way for all of us. double hmph.

The green minivan actually hit me, bounced off me, crossed 2 lanes of traffic & clipped another car on its way over to the right side of the interstate. (uh huh - got some good damage on that little green monster too!)

I spent the next hour or so waiting for a trooper from the area, watching the troopers run across the street while we all melted in the 95+ heat!

The tow truck was called (thanks AAA!) They showed up & drove my car to the shop. We left before they did & i couldn't even look back. It's just sad when you see your little car on that big truck!

Of course the insurance company was called. They asked about 100 questions, but they are on the case to determinne who was at fault. Luckily for me, the trooper who saw the whole thing happen offered to tell what he saw should the need arise.

i guess we'll wait & see what happens with the decision to fix or call it quits. I hope it's fixable. I still LOVE the car... & i am going to make it see things my way!