Drunk Driver

[RUDisney]

Last night, I was watching TV on the couch when I heard what sounded like an explosion. I waited to hear my DH yell about something crashing upstairs or for him to yell at my DS for toppling something over. That didn't happen. Then, I heard tires spinning outside. I called 911 when I saw the driver in my next door neighbor's front yard, trying to back up.

Turns out, it was a late 20s to early 30s girl driving the jeep. When the cops arrived, (very quickly) one asked the girl if she'd had anything to drink. She told him 2 glasses of wine. Well, she failed the sobriety test.

That's when I noticed that my van was hit. I had gone to see if I turned my mirror in or if it was ripped off. At that point, I only saw the damage to the front of my car. I told the officer who asked for my vehicle information and my license. I went inside to get it and my DS told my DH about the damage.

When I got back out, the cop told me that the damage was up the total side of my van and she got my DH's truck, too. So, back inside to ask DH for his information. That's when he finally came outside, too.

His truck has less damage than my van. His tail light is smashed and there is some scuffing up the side of the truck. His mirror wasn't tucked in and was broken.

My van has a smahed tail light, a very damaged back wheel well and major dents and scuffs up to the front.

My neighbors' one bush was taken down to the ground and their yard has big ruts in it where she tried to get out. They are away for the weekend, and I'm sure will be surprised when they return. I told the cops that I'd leave them a note.

The drunks truck was some good front end damage and a blown out tire and bent rim. She was taken to the police station when she refused treatment by the EMTs.

So, as we are in Thanksgiving weekend, I am very thankful that no one was hurt and that the damage, while a pain in the neck, can be fixed. The last time someone hit my van, I was laid up for a long time and had to have surgery, so this accident is a blessing compared to that one.

I hope the girl who caused all of the damage has learned her lesson before she causes a worse accident. At least she has insurance. The cops were actually surprised about that.

So, moral to the story is to have someone drive you home if you've had a few drinks. Better to be safe and healthy than sorry.

 

[mommy*RN]

I'm glad you and your family are okay! What a scary experience. I'm sorry your vehicles were damaged by someone elses negligence. I also hope she learned her lesson...it could be so much worse next time.

 

[Oreo Cookie]

I'm glad you and your family are okay. The cars can be fixed, and it's good she has insurance.

I hope she learns a lesson and there is no next time.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

That is scary! A similar thing happened on our street last year during the week after Christmas. I was sitting at the computer (probably on the DIS) and I heard CRASH, CRASH, SQUEAL, and immediately a siren. I went to the front window and saw that a car had crashed into our neighbor's SUV across the street. It was wedged between the SUV and a tall hedge by the driveway. There was a police car in the street and some of the neighbors were out. The officer was telling everyone to get into their houses

Turns out the cop was doing a routine traffic stop about 2 miles away. He was pulling over a car for an expired license sticker. The car pulled over but then the driver freaked out and drove away. The officer chased him down the expressway and into our quiet little neighborhood. As he came around the corner to our street, he crashed into the truck that was parked next door (corner house) and then into our neighbor's SUV across the street. The cop was right behind him the whole time. After he crashed, the guy left the car and ran into yet another neighbor's backyard. He hopped their back fence and was several streets over in no time. The officer called for back up and suddenly we had like 8 police cars in front of our house! The guy eventually was caught a few streets over after he asked a homeowner over there for a ride to the hospital (he broke his arm jumping fences). The homeowner thought he looked weird and called 911.

Turns out the guy was high on meth. He had tons of stolen property in his car. The police spent almost 4 hours bagging up all the stuff and cataloging every single item. We stood outside and chatted with the cops and our neighbors. I brought the cops some bottled water and Christmas cookies. At first they laughed and then they ate them! It was definitely a weird day in our otherwise peaceful neighorhood! We were just commenting to our neighbor that his little shrub was growing back nicely almost a year after being run over!

 

[S. C.]

A few years ago at 3 am we heard a car driving by too fast for our side road and the curves that are on it. Sure enough we heard and felt the crash (it jarred the house) The car hit a tree head on. Police had to use jaws of life to get the drunk teen out of the car and they had a rescue helicopter waiting in a field a few blocks down the road. We heard he was in intensive care and doing well haven't heard anything since.

 

[wilderness01]

Been there, done that with being hit by a drunk driver, except we were all in the car. My DH has some injuries years later, but we indeed were very lucky to have survived. Sorry this happened to you.

 

[Kae]

Glad you are all ok. Once I wasd standing in my parents front yard, they live on a curve. I was talking with a friend it was night & we hear this car coming around the corner, my friend said wow it sounds like the car is on 2 wheels, next thing we know the car is flipped over in my parents yard. Young kid driving under 19, tries to pass off a fake id. But my friend was his dads insurance agent. bottle of dark eyes inn the back seat.

Kae

 

[kacaju]

thank goodness no one got hurt!!
My brother was at our other brothers house a few weeks ago. My SIL called me all upset because this drunk brother of mine was trying to leave their house (both brothers were out at a football game and the one snuck in vodka) He refused to hand over his keys and had the drunken nerve to tell both SIL and her dh that he has driven home in worse condition then he was that night.
I called the police on him and they got there before he turned his car on. (he was in his car)
stopped him from driving... it was a hard thing to do but I couldn't stand the thought of knowing he was out there driving.

 

[Disney Doll]

One evening when I was at work and DH was home, the doorbell rang and when DH opened the door, there was an off-duty policeman with a guy in a headlock on our front porch yelling at DH to call 911 and tell them an officer had a drunk driver suspect and was in trouble. So DH ran to the phone, did that, then ran out to help the cop wrestle with the guy, who apparently was really giving the cop a hard time (which, BTW, is never a good idea! ).

DH said that within about 1 minute there were about 6 cop cars all over the road near our house, they got the guy under control and arrested him & took him away. Apparently the cop had been off duty and driving down our street when he saw this car weaving and then the car glanced off the phone pole across the street and then glanced off the tree on the corner of our lot, so the cop pulled the guy out of the car and told him he was a cop and that's when the guy got all rambunctious.

Thank God all that got hit were your cars...a pain, I know, but, as you well know too, not as much of a pain as it would be if someone got hurt.

Drunk drivers.....

 

[Aardvarks]

Hmm tough one.

3 years ago I was driving home from work at around 11pm and a car came around the bend in front of me almost on my side of the road, I pulled over as this little sub compact shot passed me and watched in my rear view mirror as it suddenly mounted the kerb and hit a solid stone wall head on without braking first. She must have hit that wall at almost 40mph.

I did a U turn and raced back to help.

The lady had totalled the whole front of her car, all the air bags had gone off and I had to really swing on the drivers door to get her out and turn off her electrics. The little car was leaking fuel and brake fluid all over the place. She was absolutely drunk and was hardly able to stand at the side of her car. The car was only a week old and she said her husband was going to kill her if he found out she had been DUI ...again!!

Some people came out from a bar across the street and helped her across and inside, she asked me not to phone for an ambulance.

The car was now junk.........she knew that it was alcohol that caused it.

If you had been me............would you have called the cops? .......she now had no car............and was looking forwards to a conversation with her husband......................??

 

[RUDisney]

If you had been me............would you have called the cops? .......she now had no car............and was looking forwards to a conversation with her husband......................??

Yep, absolutely. She created the situation, not you. She obviously needs help.

An update to my OP. I picked up my DS from work at 11 a.m. yesterday. The tire in the rear wheel well was knocking something fierce. I don't know if it was parts that were loosened by the crash or if my axle was bent. Either way, I didn't want to risk anything, so I called my insurance company and they told me to get a rental car. They considered my car to be undrivable just because of the broken tail light. The rest just added to it.

So, I got a chevy impala and I can turn that in on Monday to get a van. They didn't have any vans because of the holiday weekend. I need the larger vehicle because I cart children around all the time and they said that wasn't a problem for me to have something comparable to what I usually drive.

At least my DH's truck is running without issue, though his tail light is broken, too.

 

[Loverly]

So did she hit your vehicles in your yard-or were they parked in the street, before she ended up in neighbor's yard? Yikes!
Terrible thing to happen to you!

 

[RUDisney]

So did she hit your vehicles in your yard-or were they parked in the street, before she ended up in neighbor's yard? Yikes!
Terrible thing to happen to you!

Our cars were on the street. She hit them and then careened into the neighbors' yard.