I was rear-ended in our new car... GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

It's hard to see, but there is a giant circular dent around the "O" sticker and the bumper and taillight are a little messed up.

I don't know what I did to upset the gods of the road, but today I was rear-ended in downtown Springfield. The damage was not too extensive and all the kids are unharmed, but it will take three days in a body shop to fix it.

I was driving west bound on Main street to pick Sarah up from school when a car darted out of a driveway between 15th and 16th streets. The car in front of me swerved to miss it, and I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting it. The next thing I feel is a solid but mild jolt from behind. Fortunately there were two police cars behind and next to us as the whole thing took place so there was no question as to fault and liability.

I talked to our insurance company, talked to Progressive (the other guy's insurance company), filed an accident report with the DMV, and had Kendall Collision Center do a preliminary estimate. It's been a busy day. The verdict is that the other driver was at fault, Progressive accepts full liability and will pay for all repairs, and get us a rental car. We don't have to pay a dime! YAY! It just sucks that we've had this car for only a week and a half and it's already damaged goods. :o(

Interestingly enough, the cop that saw it said that he saw my bumper "collapse" like it was trashed completely, then by the time he got up to see the damage it had popped out. Yay for modern technology. That probably saved me from mechanical or structural damages. The other driver's car was in bad aesthetic shape. And, oddly enough, the guy that pulled out in front of me was actually stealing the car. The cops were able to settle that little matter as well. So, as my mother put it, I sacrificed my car for justice.