An open letter to the douche who crashed into our car… because calling up and abusing you isn’t a smart thing to do (even though it would make me feel better).
Dear Darren
You probably remember me as the woman who made you late for your next courier delivery, after my car magically appeared out of thin air when you failed to Give Way at the roundabout. Your Mercedes Sprinter van with its huge bullbar had only minor scratches but you didn’t think it was driveable. And let’s not forget your broken reflector. A tragedy. My car, with its caved in passenger side didn’t “look that bad”…
Your concern for my twin babies in the car after I found I couldn’t open the passenger doors to check them was touching. “Oh God, I need my van for work!” you said. “Yes, the babies and I are fine. Thanks for asking.”
My bunged up baby
(By the way: I know your van was fine, Darren. I’ve Face-stalked you).
“It was all my fault… I just didn’t look”, you kept saying. No shit Sherlock. If only you’d stuck to the truth when we started the claims process; I’d have saved myself a week of constant phone calls and emails with the insurance and hire car companies laying out my side of the story.
I’m so very grateful that it wasn’t worse. Just another 30cm and Sophie’s door and car seat would have taken the brunt of the impact. It’s for this very reason we got the kid’s carseats professionally installed. It’s just so, so important to have a solid install “just in case”.
But back to you Darren – I’m soooo not finished my rant at you yet. Did you know that losing use of the car has been one of my biggest anxieties? With three kids under 4, and a home in an area not well serviced by public transport, that car is my best friend. Not to mention the fact it was brandfuckingnew and now it’s going to be patchedupafteranaccident.
And the inconvenience… let me tell you all of the hoops I’ve had to jump through since your lack of attention at that roundabout…
-
“Damage”
No car for a week, resulting in cancelled plans and appointments.
- Organising a hire car that arrived with no baby car seats. The ones in our car have been written off, so my husband had to drive an hour away to get some from the hire car depot after they didn’t have anyone available to deliver.
- Getting an invoice from the baby hire company for the written off baby capsules – that $1000 invoice is on its way, Darren!
- Only having room for 2 carseats in the hire car, so having to drive 2 cars everywhere if we want to go out as a family.
- That time I public transported to the city and Live Tweeted the “adventure”. Soph’s face pretty much up how shit it was.
Waiting at the bus stop again… pic.twitter.com/AujfQhDxEW
— Kate Gooden (@kategooden) June 7, 2016
- Having to walk to do daycare pickup – 15 minutes on hilly grass verges with 30kg of pram and babies and a tired three-year-old who now asks why “Douche Darren” broke our car.
- The 10 minutes walk to the bus stop, to catch a bus to Lindfield that goes HOURLY and two out of three trips hasn’t been wheelchair/pram accessible even though the timetable said it was.
- A week of phone calls to organise a replacement hire car that we could fit three car seats into. After an hour of install attempts we found we needed extensions for the car seat straps. YAY! Another shopping trip on public transport. This particular day is wet and 13 degrees. Thanks, Darren. (P.S. Another $60 invoice on its way for those, pal!)
Three weeks later, we finally have a car that fits the whole family (go the Kia Carnival!) The Threenager is loving his seat “in the boot” and I’ve worked out how to get the girls’ pram in the back too. We even have an ETA for getting our car back!
Unbelievably, the insurance companies are STILL haggling over liability. They’ve got to justify their extortionate premiums somehow I guess.
So next time you approach a roundabout Darren, just remember – look both ways as you approach, and always give way to traffic coming from your right.
Regards,
Kate
How Life Has Changed 