PICTURES OF THE CAR FARTHER DOWN BELOW
I was on my way to close the store for 9:00 pm on February 9th, 2004. The trip only takes a couple minutes, so I usually take a slightly longer route that skirts the city so the car has a chance to warm up properly. I approached the city from Hwy 4 heading North in the 100 km/h zone in the right-hand of the double-lane. Signs posted before the intersections show to reduce speed to 50 km/h. The double-lane road begins to gradually incline as you approach the entrance to the city as it becomes Central Avenue. I let off the gas and mildly tapped the brakes. (Image #1)
Ahead of me at the first intersection for Battleford Trail I noticed an SUV on the left, slowly crossing the on-coming lane of Central Ave.
Image 1
From its approach angle, it looked as if the SUV was slightly heading South, as if beginning to skirt the center meridian and turn onto the left-hand lane of Central, basically to run alongside me as I continued in the right-hand lane. (Image #2)
I thought it kind of peculiar that a person wouldn't wait until I had passed before entering the street, but I figured if they were turning into the left lane, I'd just go by and no harm done.
Image 2 
As I closed the distance between us while the SUV was slowly gaining speed, I noticed it moving into my right lane. (Image #3) I slammed on my brakes and then had to decide between swerving left and hoping not to T-bone the SUV, now easily recognizable as a Chevy Trailblazer, or taking a sharp right into Battleford Trail and ditching the car Dukes of Hazard style off the snow bank.
Image 3 
Keep in mind, this is all happening in a lickity-split second. I thought my speed was reduced enough that I could take the corner and still stay on the road, so I immediately swerved right with some faint hope that the other driver might instinctively slam on their brakes and I would go ahead of them; but unfortunately, the Trailblazer just kept on going. (Image #4)
Image 4 
Knowing what damage was to come, I swerved left, again with some faint hope to clear its rear end; however, it was too late. (Image #5)
Image 5 
I tagged the rear end dead-square in the passenger wheel with the driver corner of my car. My car pushed the Trailblazer into a right-hand spin. Since my wheels were locked left, my car spun in that direction and just BARELY cleared the Trailblazer's front end as it came around behind me. (Image #6)
Image 6 
We both went backwards into Battleford Trail. The Trailblazer stopped in the right-hand lane as if at a stop-sign. My car backed into the snow bank behind the actual stop-sign. (Image #7 & #8)
Image 7 
Image 8 
The first thing that went through my mind as we began to spin was, "How the hell did that huge hole get into my windshield?". I thought something came off the Trailblazer and blasted a hole through it. From what I gather, it turns out the passenger airbag ripped the mirror off the windshield. The mirror is attached to cables for the map lights, so it swung up into the cabin, then swung back at the window with the momentum of the impact and smashed through the windshield. It's still hanging by the cables. The only other visible damage inside was the metal dash piece that came out of place.
I got out of my car, knowing that the driver-side of my car was mangled. I immediately went over to check on the driver and passenger of the Trailblazer. Aside from the passenger smacking her head on the side window, they were both saying that they were fine. What startled me at first was that there was a baby seat in the passenger-rear side; fortunately, the baby was not traveling with them. The driver immediately began to apologize. It turns out she was not turning left into my lane; rather, the intersection crossing onto Battleford Trail is slightly to the left - off the street she was coming out of, so it only looked like she was turning left, when in fact, she was merely crossing and didn't see me until too late when her passenger was yelling, "Car, car, car!!!". Soooo, in hindsight, if I'd have swerved left at the very beginning of it all, I might have got away with nothing more than a dented wheel by hitting the center meridian at the very worst. Oh well... In this case, I was simply cut-off as she didn't know I was coming. From what I was told after questioning, the R.C.M.P. will be charging her.
I remained calm and supportive through the whole ordeal. The driver was very apologetic and shaky. At the beginning, when she got out of the Trailblazer to get her phone, somewhere in the back seat, she was close to emotional shock and was very close to absolutely losing it. I had to reassure her verbally, and still more by putting my arm around her that I wasn't angry and that everything would be okay. Nobody was hurt, and that's what was most important.
PICTURES OF THE CAR
(click on the thumbnail for the full-blown image)
The insurance settlement was quite fair. At the time, I was already contemplating selling the car that Spring because we did not need two vehicles. The savings in maintenance and insurance alone would offer us a great down-payment on a new vehicle (which we just bought on March 26th, 2004 - click here to meet our new car). It turns out the amount I received from the insurance settlement was pretty much what I was looking for anyway, so this just made the process of selling the car quicker. The unfortunate thing is...clearly, the car will never be in the hands of another driver. It'll be sold for parts now.
The insurance adjuster and estimate evaluator told me that it was a real shame to see my car get written off due to how great condition it was in. Certainly, the body work and interior re-fit would be extremely expensive, so it was on a real borderline with regard to whether-or-not to repair it or write it off. In my case, I would be hurting either way...obviously, writing it off would mean I would lose this gem of a car; and trying to sell a car requiring so much repair would never net me the appropriate amount upon re-sale. So it was a blessing in disguise that the car and I parted in this manner. I received a good sum of money due to its excellent condition, and I was able to let go of it quicker this way than if I had tried to sell it in the first place; which is an interesting thought in itself, because there is another white Monte Carlo in town that has a "For Sale" sign on it and hasn't sold in a couple months now. I just don't think there would be too many people interested in this kind of car around here.
So there you have it. A 1995 Monte Carlo Z34 with 155,000 kms on the ticker. What a car it truly was. I loved it.
