My daughter and I were in a car accident in Dec. 2003. I had a gorgeous maroon 2002 Chevy Silverado. I loved that truck. I took really good care of that damn thing and I worked really hard to get it too. Then one miserable December day in a little town called Lakeport, we're cruisin' along
Hwy 29 when I get a look at a white Exterra sitting in the middle of the Hwy, with it's blinker on, turning left from the Southbound side of the Hwy. I'm thinking, "is this person really going to turn left there"? Sure enough, as I got closer my eyes were not deceiving me. Then I noticed a Brown Bronco II type mini SUV slamming on it's breaks, water flying up over the sides of the (now much lower) front end and it was about to slam into the back end of the Exterra. I'll never forget that poppin sound as the Bronco slammed into the rear end of the Exterra. I'm looking to my left and I'm prayin in my head, "I escaped it....". No....another poppin sound. I remember her eyes just before she hit. Only this time it was on the left side of my truck, pushing me sideways. We banged back and fourth against the door and then the console on the seat. My daughter was sleeping in the back seat up against the back passenger door of the truck, where this Exterra just hit. It started sliding down the side of my truck, pushing us to the right. I can't control the truck. Just then, the Exterra caught on the back bumper and we began to spin toward the left. Instinctively I began to steer with all of my strength in the direction of the spin. I think we spun at least 3 times. I remember saying "no, no, no" in my head over and over again. I remember thinking "Oh Hannah, be okay, be okay." All I could think about was her, sitting in that back seat, so quiet. I believe she was knocked out for most of this. I tried to steer the truck, pumping the breaks as hard as I could. I remember seeing the horizon pass in front of me several times. We began to slow down only to be facing the wrong direction and sliding backwards. The rear end of the truck dipped down and the front left tire came off the ground. I watched the world begin to turn on it's axes and we came to rest on the roof of the truck. I was disoriented and concerned for Hannah. I said, "Are you okay, Hannah?" And this little voice like a song, came over the back of the seat, "I'm okay mommie". I undid my seat belt and fell to the roof. I spun around to see my daughter. I told her to undo her seat belt but to put her hands up so as not to crash into the roof. She did and all I heard was a thud. I asked her if she was okay. "yes mommie". I spun around and tried to open the driver's door. I couldn't. I spun around again to try the passenger side, I wanted us out of that truck. Nothing. I began to notice feet running towards us. Somebody from outside the truck opened the door and reached in to pull me out. I felt hands grab my arms and pull, I landed in the mud outside of the truck. And without a beat, the same person pulled my daughter out of the truck and into my arms. Thank you who ever you are. Hannah looked at the 
truck and said, "mommie look at your truck." All I could do was hold on to her. I kept thinking we could have died. I could have lost my lovie. We must have sat in that mud for a long time. I saw people coming towards us, CHP officers and 2 ambulances. I began to notice people pouring out of the Rainbow Ag store and gathering near the fence that ran along the Highway. An older lady motioned for me to come over to her. I took Hannah over and she said she'd watch Hannah. Some of the people there lifted Hannah over the fence and she asked me to get her bear from the truck. I told her I would. I walked over to the truck and an officer that was standing there. He began to ask me in a stern voice, "can I have your license and registration?" I said I would get it when I retrieved Hannah's bear. I searched that truck for a long time. I looked over at Hannah and she was pale white, the older lady holding her hand and her umbrella over Hannah. I was done. I found Hannah's bear, our jackets and backpacks. I found my purse and my license. I really wanted to find my cigs. Really needed a cig! But everything was all over the place. I couldn't find my registration because I kept it in the console and it was flipped open. I walked the bear and our stuff over to Hannah and the older lady. I thanked her. The cop called after me, a little pissed, "did you find your registration?" I told him I looked, it's in there but if he wanted it so damn bad to be my guest and get his fat doughnut ass in there and look for it. I was going with my daughter. The crowd that gathered walked us over to an over hang on the Rainbow Ag store, the older lady offered me some smokes and there we sat for what seemed to be hours. I had called my dad and he sent my brothers out to get us. (Just a funny side note here. When I called my dad, I had noticed there was a missed call from him. 
He called sometime during the accident! Spooky!) An EMT came over from the wreckage of the Exterra and asked us if (like an after thought.) we wanted to go to the ER. I declined. I just wanted to go home and get Hannah home. We were there for so long after that I watched them load my crushed truck onto a flat bed and drive away. We then endured a long ride home and every bump made us feel sick. Three days later we went to the ER.Thus began our downward spiral into a medical nightmare. As we sat in the ER being poked and prodded, we were told we both had multiple contusions, severe whiplash injuries, concussed and I had kidney damage. We were xrayed, tested and sent home. I was out of commission for 4 months. I couldn't work, I couldn't sleep and every pang of pain my daughter had sent me on a whirl wind of emotions. We could have died. She was nervous in a car, I was nervous driving one. Then they put me on disability immediately.
I went and got a lawyer. I knew I'd needed one. I later fired this lawyer due to lack of enthusiasm and pure frustration. Nothing was going to happen and I had never even met this guy face to face. Sight unseen, I fired his ass.
I kept in touch with my employer Mendocino Brewing Company the whole time they kept me out of work, because I was a new hire and wanted to return to my job. When I returned to work 4 months later some other guy was doing my job. My hours were reduced to 12 hours a week. No one told me. No one cared enough to tell me. I was devastated. There was nothing I could do about it either. I was 76 days into a 90 day probation period. I was fucked. Two weeks away from becoming a permanent employee and this happens. Makes you wonder about how loyal they are to their employees.
I started going to a chiropractor. Thank gawd for small favors. We met a wonderful couple, Dr. Tipton and Lorna, my chiropractor who saw my daughter and I pro bono. He knew he'd have to wait to get paid on this one and was very accommodating to us. I credit Dr. Tipton for keeping me upright. Thank you for your patience and understanding. We started going 3 times a week. It was a relief to have such wonderful people to help us through this. Thank you guys and good luck on the recent retirement and a much deserved travel plans.
We also started a regiment at Meadows Physical Therapy that was such a great source of inspiration and advice, that I wish I could still go back to. Thank you Herman Meadows, you're doing a wonderful thing for this community. It was hard and painful, but it helped me in the long run.
Now my attention was turned to my new lawyer. He was telling me that the lady that hit me won't come forth with a demand, her injuries or even a lawyer. She was basically ignoring our letters. And that the girl that was in the truck with her was her x boyfriends' daughter and that the parents are fighting over who gets the little girl's money from the accident. He also told me that she went back to work at Safeway 2 weeks after the accident and in those 2 weeks, went and bought a new Exterra to replace her totaled one. Well fuck me! So it became a hurry up and wait type of thing. Very frustrating. All this at the same time the Bronco II driver who caused the accident admitted fault and his insurance policy was only $30K. OH GREAT! Every time I go into that Safeway, I see her. I wonder if she ever wonders "who's this chick staring at me"??? She'll find out soon enough. Daggers baby, daggers coming out of my eyes.
We began to see Dr. Wirth. He is a family practitioner that my dad had been seeing for years. We went and were checked out several times. He was told upfront that this was a motor vehicle accident and he agreed to continue to see us in lieu of payment. He found it necessary to request an MRI on Hannah's head as she was still not her normally bubbly self. She was tired and slow and I was freaked out. I felt the same but I didn't care. This was my little girl. My mind set was to take care of her first. We got the okay from my x husband's insurance company and scheduled the procedure. And yes! Hannah has a brain in there! My son and I were so excited. I told him he could never call his sister brainless again. Cuz I saw it, there's one in there. And get this! I'm still getting a $3500.00 bill from that MRI that was "preapproved". Figure that one out! Then it was my turn. He wanted an MRI done on my lower back. I had symptoms of serious damage, neurological damage to my left side and lower back. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, the med pay on my insurance policy ran out long ago. Thus ended our relationship with Dr. Wirth and our proper medical care. I never got that MRI and my chiropractor really would like to see one to this day. And before you ask, he can't request one because it has to be through a "medical" doctor. Oh yes! Yet another catch 22 loop hole!
As for that "med pay", I had no idea that my insurance policy from Allied Insurance Companyonly had $1000.00 each person in the vehicle med pay coverage. I had no idea what that term meant, what it did for me and what it was for. It was glossed over in conversation with the representative when I took out the policy a mere two weeks earlier. She was more interested in me dating her 40 year old son!
At this point I was bombarded with nasty phone calls, a stack of over due bills and mounting bad debit. Redwood Regional Medical Group Ukiah Valley Medical Group Credit Bureau of Ukiah Inc, all were just horrible. One woman at the "Bureau" brought me to tears, like it was my fault that lady crashed into me. There were many more that I can't think of now. It was like I was a total dead beat. Like I had this stash of cash that I refused to give to them just to be a total bitch. I had to have my lawyer call them off of me. They were like crazed dogs. They were told repeatedly that this was a motor vehicle accident and they would get paid when I got paid. My credit rating was plummeting every day. They called my work, they called my house, my cell phone, it was crazy. I couldn't pay my rent and my mom bailed me out on numerous occasions. She bought a truck for me on the promise I would pay her when my settlement was finished. We were thinking maybe a year.....wishful thinking, I tell ya what. Then my dickhead of a property manager, whom was being paid, decided to sell the house to a friend of his. I had to uproot my two kids, who lived in the house for over 2 years, had their own rooms and move in 30 days. We moved to this tiny little 2 bedroom apartment, in the same neighborhood in the hopes we would be out of there soon. I crammed a 3 bedroom house with a 2 car garage into a 2 bedroom apartment. I was hopeful I would rebound on the job front and make a little bit more money then unemployment and disability could afford me. We're still here. Almost 3 years later. And this pile of paper bills is getting bigger and bigger. I'm afraid to stick my neck out on a bigger rent bill. It could be worse. At least we have a pool. Shit!
So here we are....almost 3 years later. My liar, sorry LAWYER calls me and tells me that she's obtained a lawyer right before the statute of limitations ran out. OH yeah! so? What? Let me guess; hurry up and wait some more. No! He says. We're going to mediation in Oct. He's trying to get them to settle. He's not budging on exactly half of the guy's policy for just me and maybe split the remaining with Hannah. Either way, it's coming to an end and we will get the bigger half of the policy. And you must be thinking...."all this for $15K? Oh no....this is just the beginning. I had a "under insured motorist" policy. We have to finish this policy out before I can have that payout on my policy. I've waited this long, I think I can wait a little longer. Oh and get this! He goes on to tell me that her medical bills are only $3K!!!! The kid's dad, the X boyfriend, never showed his face, they've been dropped from the suit. Hummm....Karma? Maybe.
And all this time it takes me a good half hour to warm up my muscles when I get out of bed in the morning. I'm stiff, I can't sit in one place for long periods of time; I can't ride horses anymore, (This especially breaks my heart. I've been an avid horse nut since I was 3 years old. It makes me cry to think about it.); I can't ride motorcycles, jet skis and all this pain I feel in my neck, my lower back, my hip and all that radiates into my legs is now permanent. I feel a constant ache and at times it cramps and I use a large ice pack to unlock those muscles. I never had to do this before in my life. I never felt this until after this accident. My left hand gives out on me due to the neurological damage I experienced and my left hip gives out if I put too much weight on it for long periods of time. I've reached the 2 year mark that tells you if the damage is permanent. Guess what, this is it. This is what I will be for the rest of my life. And I've been told it could develop into arthritis and really screw up my golden years. Oh yes, bend me over some more! I so don't need that vasaline! And my daughter? I got real lucky. She seems to be okay with a recurring neck cramping and headaches, I think she'll be fine. Thank GAWD!
Just think! All this damage, delay and heart break for a measly $3000.00! I hope you choke on it you Safeway working, Exterra driving dumb shit. If you had only gone ONE FUCKING BLOCK SOUTH TO THE FOUR WAY SIGNALED INTERSECTION, I wouldn't be in this mess!
And just for the record, I think you caused the accident! But I will be laughing LAST. So blow me! Greedy BEEEOTCH! So stick that $3000.00 up your ass!
J Grace
