On the way home, the car in front of me stopped when the green changed to yellow, but the car behind me did not. I was rear-ended big time. I saw it coming, but there was nothing I could do - traffic was bumper to bumper on both sides of me, and I was stopped still. I was a sitting duck. The impact was more forceful than I could have imagined - the rear end of the Subaru was shoved forward quite forcefully.
The front end of the car behind me was totally smashed in and had to be towed away. The driver was a woman, but I don't know if she was injured or not. I hope she had a good airbag.
My airbag did not deploy, probably because it was a rear collision. I sat in my car for the longest time, but finally a police officer came to see if I was OK and asked me to move my car to the center left turn lane. I was OK - I knew nothing was broken or bleeding - I just felt a little bruised in the seat belt area, and I felt considerably shaky. Four police cars came, two amublances and two tow trucks.
I think I sat there for 40 minutes until the ambulance guy came to check me out. I declined any treatment and turned down the ride in the ambulance! The police officer took my info - license, registration and proof of insurance - and disappeared with it for a long time. It seems like I sat there forever.
Finally he told me I could leave, and I drove home. The engine was fine, but the rear end was very noisy with scraping and rattling, and it certainly didn't feel right, either. Thank goodness I didn't have far to go. Dick thinks the car may be a total loss, and that we may have to replace it. Tomorrow we'll see about renting a car.
I filed a claim online with Meemic because they woun't be answering phones until Monday morning.
Even though it was time to get over to the stadium, I was feeling a little too shaky and bruised and I decided I didn't want to try going. I convinced Dick and Jana to go ahead to the game. I told Jana that I would be very sad if she drove all the way from D.C. and then had to miss the game! So off they went.
On television, the game was just getting ready to start - they were lining up for the kick off, and the cell phone rang. It was Jana, and her opening words were "I broke myself." It seems that she fell down the stairs in the stadium, and had to be carried out and taken to first aid.
There, they told her that she should go in the ambulance to U Hospital for x-rays of her foot, ankle, knee and hip. She had the cell phone and the car keys with her, and she also wanted her Dad with her - so Dick was paged in the stadium to go to first aid.
Jana's "ambulance guys"
The next time I spoke to them she was in the ER, and Dick was with her, taking pictures. At that time she was still being examined and hadn't yet been x-rayed. She was in some pain, but seemed to be OK.
So I spent the rest of the afternoon listening for the phone to ring, talking to Laurie and Chip, and sporadically watching the game on TV.
Since I'm the only one of the three of us who has had a chance to watch the football game - here are some fleeting impressions that I found memorable: There were at least 3 plays reviewed that I know of. One of them was a Michigan touchdown that was kind of a phantom touchdown - I think that mistakes were made in the review booth upstairs. I'm sure it will be controversial forever. Michigan somehow managed to stay even with State up until the 4th quarter. The score was tied 14-14 at the half and 21-21 at the beginning of the 4th quarter. The State quarterback was sacked at least 3 times that I saw - although I must admit that I didn't watch continuously. Brandon Graham got all 3 sacks. It appears that State may be winning statistically - total yards, etc. State missed 2 fieldgoals - one was blocked and one was shanked. State easily got two touchdowns in the 4th quarter to win 35-21.
Losing the game doesn't seem like that much of a tragedy to us today. We have been preoccupied with our own personal stuff, and so to us, this time football is just a game.
U-M Loses to Spartans in Battle for Paul Bunyan Trophy
October 25, 2008
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: Michigan State 35, Michigan 21
Records: U-M (2-6, 1-3 Big Ten), MSU (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten)
Attendance: 110,146
Next U-M Game: Saturday, Nov. 1 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Paul Bunyan Trophy will reside in East Lansing for the first time in seven years as the University of Michigan football team fell 35-21 to the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 25) at Michigan Stadium in the 101st meeting between the programs.
MSU's big-play offense registered two of the four longest plays against U-M's defense all season, scoring touchdowns on a 64-yard rush and a 61-yard pass while rolling up 473 total yards of offense. Spartan quarterback Brian Hoyer completed passes of 61, 50 and 44 yards to finish with 282 yards through the air and three throwing scores. His most potent target, Blair White, caught passes of 61 and 50 yards, finishing with 143 yards and a touchdown.
UPDATE;
Here's a letter that I just wrote to Sharon with the update on our day from hell:
We are all fine. I have deep bruises where the seat belt goes, from my right hip to my left shoulder. All I have to say is Thank God for seatbelts!. I also have a lesser bruise on my left knee - I think it must have hit the steering wheel. So no big deal really. The car is a different story. We're glad that Jana's car is here.
Jana is OK - nothing is broken! She has crutches and an air cast on her ankle. She has bruises too, of course. We're just so relieved that she has no broken bones. She's limping around the apt. on one crutch. They got home from the ER around 9:40 p.m.
Limping around the apartment
At U Hospital ER, you have to go through security!
We're fine - just aches and 'bruisiness" and it's just a reminder of how lucky we are compared to what might have been. All's well that ends well, the the only real victim is our poor little Subaru.
