Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Land of Many Deer

The Land of Many Deer, that's what the Algonquian tribe called this area. Yes, that is a very accurate name. But we're one less deer this morning.

I was driving along on my way to Richmond this morning, and it was about five minutes to five. Just as I was listening to a story from BBC about South African kids flighting with sticks, a rather large doe jumped out of the ditch, and hit my car broadside. It was pitch black, so I had almost no reaction time. The doe wasn't there one second, and was there the next. I braked hard, but still hit her squarely with the front of my Elantra. From collarbone to tailbone, the doe was hit, and she went flying upside down, to where her hooves were pointed skyward, and landed in the center of the highway.

I pulled over, and called for a tow truck. The doe, still in the middle of the road, had to be dragged off the road by a truck driver who pulled over. Not a great start to the morning, for me, or for the doe.

Four very long hours later, my tow truck finally arrived and took me back to Purcellville. (Don't get me started on why it took four hours to get a tow truck! I'm still steaming about that!)

Anyhow, we'll see what the damage on the car is. The radiator is definitely cracked--there was a ton of steam after the accident. The front bumper is gone, the hood, the grill, and it looks like the driver's side panel is folded too. Who knows what frame work underneath needs work. With the car at over 104,000 miles, I don't have much hope. Still, I'd prefer they don't total it, because I can't find another car for under $2000 (which is what I estimate it's worth).

Ugh, what a day.  Only the buzzards enjoyed this wreck.  By the time I left, there were dozens of them lined up in the trees for a hot juicy breakfast.
