So I hit a guy

Eventually it had to happen really. If you think about it. Nearly 3 years here and I suppose I’ve been dodging the bullet. Quite honestly it was more the guy hitting me but I’ll take it.

So here’s what happened. Taking W home on Monday night as typical, about 9 pm. Saw guy in the middle of my north bound lane. He was standing on the dashed line between the two north bound lanes. There were 5 cars coming in the south bound lane and he was turned watching them. I honked at him, he stepped into my lane. I laid on the horn and braked as hard as I could. I had slowed enough that he was simply swiped as he walked into the side of the car. My rearview mirror was pushed in by his shoulder. I pulled over. The first thing the guy says is “Doesn’t your car have breaks?” My response is “Can’t your head look both directions?” I insist he get in the car so I can take him around the block to the emergency room. He says no, its ok, he’s not bleeding. I make him get in the car. He gets in and my stomach turns with the smell of alcohol. Yep, I hit a drunk crossing the street.

We spend about an hour in the ER. He gets X-Rays and he’s fine. Police take our statements and sure enough the story changes. He was on the sidewalk now all of a sudden. He told W that I’ll leave and they are the same so they have the same story. We went out to the scene of the crime. Traffic cop drew a diagram of the road, complete with measurements of the width of the street, sidewalk, line on the road, everything. Crazy.

I was told to take the guy home and then go to the traffic police headquarters. Drove drunk home. Ran by our house to pick up purse and tell Jonathan what had happened. Normally driving W home is like a 15 minute job; at this point I had been gone an hour and a half. Drove 30 minutes acrosss town to the traffic place. Traffic Cop took my statement again. Asked what I did wrong. Told me I had to leave the truck for 3 days. Now you know that isn’t happening. So W clarified with him- mind you it is 11:30 and we are in the middle of nowhere. Finally guy said come back tomorrow morning, I’ll take your words ( which I thought had already happened).

Took W home finally then went back to the ER to pay the bill. Now get this the total of the ER bill, card, seeing the DR, 2 X-Rays- 150 LC = 10USD!

Today I went out to the police station. They looked at my car again. OK, go get the medical report from ER and come back in the morning. Went to get the medical report. Actually the ER nurse was walking the case down to archives when she took me. So I thought no problem. Took my paper from archives up to the med. director. Well the med. director is in and working but the secretary had a death in the family and won’t be back until maybe tomorrow. So tomorrow morning I get to explain to the police that I need to come back another time with the med report. Oh and I get to pay another 100 LC for the medical report. How great is all of that.

So that is the true story. Don’t go believing rumors that I hit the guy and ran. Don’t believe those rumors of me driving onto sidewalks and gunning for people. None of that is true. Perhaps I need to be making up with that Byron Grimes so that he’ll give me some driving lessons- taxi drivers have important driving tips they don’t share with the rest of us.