The Red Car Redux December 7, 2013

Having recently extolled the virtues of my new red Mini, I must sadly report that the little car has suffered the indignity of being hit and badly hurt by an SUV.  Last night I drove down to the new SF Jazz venue with my friend and neighbor Marty to meet with another friend for dinner followed by the Philharmonia Baroque concert.  We had just slipped into a driver’s side parking space on Oak Street, a one-way thoroughfare, in front of the French and Chinese American Schools, two spaces away from the busy intersection at Franklin Street.  Because we were about 10 minutes early, we remained in the car and chatted when we suddenly felt the rear impact of a large car that thrust us up onto the pavement.  The driver, who also damaged the parked car in front of us, continued through the light and onto Franklin Street, while many pedestrians yelled out and ran after him, but he continued to speed away.  The School guard came out to tell us that the whole episode was caught on tape.  The dark colored SUV had an Idaho license MB1152 and from the detritus it left on the scene we surmised that it was a Nissan.  We were stunned but unhurt.  While we stood in the cold rain, we contacted the police, the tow truck, and the insurance company, and I watched the evening and the next week disappear into dealing with this new and unexpected problem. 

This morning, Marty and I checked in with each other.  We both realized how close we had come to real tragedy.  If Marty had been getting out of the car at that instant, she would have been badly injured or perhaps even killed.  It is a reminder of the fragility of life, that we carry around that vulnerability with us at all times but try not to think about it.  Oddly, it can take a challenging moment like last night’s to wake us up and to remind us to tell our friends and family how much we love them every single day.