First a head injury in early spring…and then Tuesday morning I crash my car, after being hit by a bear running full tilt…Something had to have spooked him to get him moving at the speed he was…Threw my car sideway’s and I skidded across a church parking lot.
After having pretty much tried all I could do to pull out of the skid and nothing working…I bowed my head,gripped the wheel and let things go as they were going to…When the car finially came to a stop…I opened my eyes ,To be looking up at a 12’ high cross on the front of the church and still in one peice was quite a sureal moment to say the least…The bear was sighted last night…Don’t have any real details on his condition…But I’m praying he’s alright…waiting on word of what is going to become of my car…
The repair shop owner thinks they will total it…but who knows…It’s in bad shape though…This was the largest bear I’ve ever seen in these parts…Fastest too…Never thought a bear that size could move anything like that…nore that it could plow my car outta it’s way and keep right on hauling off to parts unknow…
This year has been a wild ride for me…Just hopeing the ride is over now…
Hope your all having a much better week than me!
Bill,
The bright side is you probably won’t hit any more bears! Watch for moose!
One of my neighbors hit a ELK with their KIA econo car. The Elk ended up on top of the car and thank heaven no one was hurt in the car. The State Policeman said it was a miracle!
Doug
I’m knocking on wood as I have not yet struck a wild animal, but have been close to hitting deer. Knowing how much damage they can do to a vehicle, I can’t imagine what a bear would do! Thank God you weren’t injured Bill.
Mike
Bill I can totally agree it is not your year. at least you have some good friends here. I am going to tell you this not to hear oh no I am so sorry but maybe just to make your bad year seem not so bad. It started with the first camping/fishing trip of the year. The wife and I were fighting about what to take and how much to pack in the moter home. Got ready to leave and BAM springs on the moter home break. unload moter home and put stuff in van grab tent and get on the way. half way there forgot something had to go back. Van not running good and sucking gas like a mad man get to camp spot. All my friends are there this will be good. OOPS Fish and game stocked the lake with big trout just forgot to put water in the lake, can’t get to lake to fish. Get home fix springs on moter home and second camp trip of the year comming up moter home is ready to go family up from utah ready to go. master cylinder on brakes out on van. fix van take off in moter home for camp ground. Last 26 miles to camp ground lost brakes on moterhome, but brakes on van good. set up camp and on second day of trip family member mad at me turns on lights on van battery dead, but oh well we have a generator on moter home and battery charger. Cop comes into campground to let me know my mom had a stroke and you guessed it no phone service and we are all drunker then 700 indians. Ride for ever on 4 wheeler to get to phone cause battery is still not charged on van. mom ok. camp trip over head back to town and loose a tire on the trailer with 4 wheelers. Have to leave trailer on mountain for a week. back to work and things improving oops following saterday of camp trip one week to the day phone rings mom had another stroke. not good. ok mom doing better get letter from mortgage company they owe me money good deal got to pay for springs on moterhome. got call at work tonight. yard full of sewage due to septic tank full (just pumped out 2 months ago) drain field is bad and more sewage in yard cause boy don’t know how to drive a few miles to service station to use restroom but boy does he know how to use the restroom. Oh and did I forget the plummer can’t get to it right away and I have a appraiser comming over in the morning. Hope this finds you doing better and the bears run from ya instead of at yea.
Oh yea did I memtion this is actually a good year for me
WarmWater…The bear was here in PA on his way to work. This has definitely been a roller coaster of a year for me. More downs and spins, then ups…but a roller coaster none the less. Thanks for all the well wishes, I too was glad that Bill was able to walk away…it was quite a big bear and quite an accident. I think our trooper said … " You hit what? "
Bill,
I am relieved that you are not injured. Sorry about your car You may not realize it but I believe that He was looking out for you. Think about where you crashed and what you saw after you looked up. To me that is an omen.
My first new car was a 1991 Escort. I hit 5 deer with it, a 190 pound female rottweiler (she survived and mended nicely), got hit by a 4 wheeler (ATV), hit by a drunk driver in an F-150, hit by a shovel that fell off of a Pen-Dot truck and had the windshield broken by a rock while traveling I-80. The car finally died at 225,00 miles. Transmission gave up but the engine still ran great. She did not look too good and at first I thought the car was hexed. Then I remembered an old saying from aviation. Any landing that you can walk away from is a good landing, no matter the condition of the helicopter! Same goes for cars.
I know this of is of little consolation to you. You folks deserve a break. Please remember to contact us for any help and don’t let pride get in the way. Sometimes the greatest gift you can give another person is to let them help you. It is the same as letting someone give you a gift.
We are always going shopping in Selinsgrove and it is not out of the way for us to swing by to take you folks along. Email, pm or call me if you need our help.
I am glad you did not get hurt. The car can be replaced, you cannot!
Oh yes, I forgot about the tractor trailer that hit my escort at the truck stop. took out a tail lite.
Someones deffinitely doing some watching over these shoulder’s over the past few month’s…I’ve talked with the Pastor of that church twice since the accident…We’ve been given an open invitation to sunday services…and any services for that matter.
Kinda funny you mention that your friend was driving a Kia econo car…Mine is a Kia Rio…Love that lil’fuel saver!!! and I’m missing it muchly…
The rental place gave me a Town and Country for the time being…Very different from almost sitting on the road…lol…
Won’t know for certian till monday when the ajuster is souposed to look at the Rio, Wheather or not it’ll be saved…The general consencous is that they will prolly total it…Today an agent for my insurer was at the repair shop and he and the owners wife were looking it over…She told me this eve, when I stopped to clean out my stuff that he’s of the same opinion…But…She also say’s her husband can straighten anything…
So this gives hope in all direction’s…I really like the car, We REALLY need the car…But I want for overall saftey in our kids being safe while in any car.
I was sure to mention we have 4 kids!!! And that their saftey is paramount, Not dollar sign’s…
Took a few pic’s of it tonight…Doing some shopping in Kelly Blue Book …Looking at Kia’s mostly…Something a bit bigger and more geared toward Yak hauling…As the Wife’s grand Voyager is suffering from cracked head idais(sp)…Got a motor…just not the quoted 800 to get it dropped in…Trying to get the Bro’s to help out and help me out by saving that 800 I ain’t got…As they’ve got experience at this sort of thing…I bought the Rio to avoid such experience to begin with!!!
Bill,
I want you to know…that NOTHING matters except you and your family’s lives. God spared my life twice and I’m thankful, but it took my whole life to appreciate it. Were still here for a reason and I believe that reason is to give back. I can just picture God saying for yrs, “Doug, when your done beating your head against the wall, let me know!” My life was a merry-go-round out of control, but not now.
But like flyfishing, LIFE is a work in progress.
Bill, I have a 93 Dodge Caravan with 141,000 on it and it’s still running. I’m sure it isn’t worth more than $1500.00 I have no idea what I will do if the engine quits someday. Keeping my van fixed is much better than car payments (can’t afford then anyway)
KIA makes a van you know! I think it has a good safety rating also.
Doug
Yep, The sadona…My wife is more inclined to have the Rondo at the moment…7 passenger seating and more fuel efficent…I on the other hand I want to fix her 1997 grand voyager and add the Kia sportage in place of the Rio…
But… Here In the real world…I’ve located a 1998 Doge Caravan with three row seating that I think would seat 8… for 4 grand…And that seem’s much more feasible at our present ability to pay off a loan…
Provided that if the car be totaled…We recieve enough to pay it off…If not…well, We be in deep doo doo…I know that all Kia’s lose value at a supriseingly rapid rate…For such dependable transportation???..But I know this will change as they gain popularity in the consumer’s eyes…And they will if they keep making them as they are…Dependable,Well built & Fuel efficent !!!
But for a family car…I would not recomend the Rio…Just does not have the leg room in the rear seating,Even for small childeren…The Altima looks a bit better,But still iffy in the rear leg room dept…
Someday I’ll have a Sportage…!!
The Rio is toast, Just found out today for certian…we will be getting enough to pay off the car anbd fix the wifes present van…prolly will have to be a one car fam for a while…Hope is that thumb tax time will give us enough for a decent down payment on prolly a slightly used 07 town & country or similar from enterprise car rental…was qouted a price around 17 grand for a fully loaded TC with only 8000 miles on it…even had stow n go seating…and power doors…Not bad for a base price…I doubt that any dealer could get that low on a mini van of that high end quality…Still want a sportage though…lol…we shall see… but thats the skinny on what happened to my wittle fuel saver
I agree about the space but you know that having a Caravan…I would be embarrassed to tell you how many Chrysler minivans I have had…starting with the Plymouths and moving up to the T&C…last year decided to go the stow & go route and that is nice…no more lifting and storing those seats…but I hated to give up the 4 wheel drive…but that was and oxymoron…they just have no clearance…barely could clear a grapefruit :shock:
I’m looking forward to just popping my Nav II into it…I was able to carry an inflated 8’ pontoon in it but had to separate the hardware.
Incidently I heard they’re making a “major” change for 2008 and looked it up on a Google…nothing I’d be interested in.
Bill,