There's a Car in my Garden

An elderly neighbour crashed into our house today. It happened when we were both at work but Linda and our neighbors Pam and Dave dealt with it, then Craig came home immediately and saw to everything.

My neighbor is 87 and has no business driving. I've drawn a little diagram on Google Maps to show what he did. He got in his car and reversed and then instead of putting his foot on the brake he hit the gas. HARD. He floored that car, in reverse, as fast as it would go across my other neighbour's yard, clipping the corner of their house, then drove across their front lawn and crossed the road. He then came up into our yard, cut through flower beds and lawn, mounted the front steps, destroying the railings, and landed in front of the chimney. All the while still in reverse.

What scares me? That white building is my kid's elementary school. 

My immediate reaction when Craig called me was whether Danny and Linda were okay at home (yes, but scared to death) and then for them, my neighbours Tom & Marge, who I've known for 9 years and they are lovely people. I don't care about the house really - it's all things that can be mended.

But then I got to thinking about what would have happened if Tom had done this at 3.30 pm and not 1 pm. At 3.30pm kids leave the elementary school at the door of that parking lot next to my house. Dozens of children, including my son, would have been in his way. He could have killed them.

As it happened he nearly killed the mailman and would have hurt or maybe killed Linda as she was taking a package from the mailman on the front steps, just seconds before he crashed.

Anyway, I'm glad that everyone's ok and I have to stop thinking "what if". But tonight Tom told Craig that he's looking for another car. What???? I seriously hope that his insurance company and the BMV have other ideas.  If I see him driving again I'm going to lose it.