Who needs a marriage conference when you can just take a crash course?

Ok, that's a bad play on words. The truth is, Amy and I were headed to San Antonio to attend a marriage conference and have a weekend away when it all came to a screeching halt in Glen Rose. A screeching halt, complete with honking, braking, and the sound of crunching metal...

Let me immediately say that Amy and I are both fine. Amy got a mild burn on her arm from the side curtain airbags that deployed (see photos below). Other than that burn and a little stiffness today, we have not seen any other effects. Sydney was not in the car, having been dropped off at her grandparents' house before we left for San Antonio. God definitely had his hand on us, and brought the two cars involved together in such a way that everyone walked away. The driver of the other vehicle cut his elbow on something in his car, but it was not serious enough to require stitches or medical attention. Given that the accident happened on an undivided highway with a 70 mile per hour speed limit with traffic moving in both directions, that is almost unbelievable!

Anyone who has been reading this site for a while may remember this photo of our shiny new Passat on Amy's birthday 3 1/2 years ago.

Well, the last time we saw it, this is what it looked like. These were taken using my cell phone, so they are not great, but you get the idea. I'm not sure yet if the car will be declared totalled or not. There was a message at home from the insurance adjuster by the time we got home (4 1/2 hours later), but it was too late to do anything about it before the weekend.

The wreck involved a section of highway 67 where the westbound traffic had a passing lane going up a hill. A pickup truck in the right lane was moving very slowly (10-20 mph would be my guess) having just pulled on to the highway. We were in the left lane going at a good clip when he decided to turn left across my lane into a side street off of the highway. I was able to brake a little, but unable to avoid hitting him. Both cars came to a stop on the eastbound shoulder of highway 67, where it was clear that the Passat would not be driven away. We had the car towed to a local yard where it will sit for the insurance adjuster to examine. We were told that the other driver had been drinking, but was not deemed to be intoxicated.

We then were given a ride to the local law enforcement office by one of the officers working the wreck, where we were very graciously allowed to use the phone and sit in a comfortable setting until we could arrange for transportation back home. Fortunately, that transportation showed up with a minivan with a seat removed, so we could unload the car seat, our suitcases, all of Sydney's stuff, and even the bag of clothes we had been meaning to drop off at a local charity. By the time we had everything on board, we were amazed everything had fit in the Passat! We'll pretend it's all because of Sydney...

Amy and I have both been continually talking about how friendly everyone was. There was a couple in another truck that stopped to see if everyone was okay, and called the police for us since Sprint did not seem to have coverage there. They stuck around until the police arrived, and were very friendly. All of the officers and paramedics we spoke with were very friendly and offered to help in any way they could too many times to count. When we were waiting at the police headquarters, we were offered soft drinks, cookies, and every other amenity they had. The officer who had driven us there even helped us find phone numbers and make calls to arrange transportation, etc. If any of those folks are reading this, we really appreciated your warmth and hospitality!

So, now we're back at home instead of in San Antonio. We are in one piece but down to just an Acura Integra to get us around. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to get a rental car once I speak with the insurance adjuster on Monday. Beyond that, we'll just have to see. I'll keep you posted!