Thursday, March 25, 2010

My Daughter Ran Over My Husband


When Hannah was a young driver, her vehicle was Grandpa Audie's old pickup. Old Red was with us for many years as a faithful, reliable vehicle. No power windows, locks, or foolishness about this truck. It was a five speed, extended cab and the odometer quit after 140,000. That was years ago. No telling how many miles it actually has on it.

Anyway, Hannah drove it for the first couple of years after receiving her license. During this time, the air conditioner gave up the ghost. The heat of summer would force her to drive with the windows down. To anyone who knows Hannah: you can just imagine what her hair looked like after driving very long with the windows down.
Our driveway often looks like a used car lot and so parking requires thought and planning. Beside the garage, there is a portable basketball goal that receives a good deal of attention. Hannah kept parking right under it or beside it.

One day, we went outside and the windshield on Old Red was broken. As the story unfolded, the boys confessed to shooting hoops with the truck there. The ball must have hit just right for it to break like it did, but we still reminded the offenders they had been told not to play basketball when a vehicle was in the way. We had also told Hannah not to park under the hoop. After having the windshield replaced, we again reminded everyone of the "rules". 
Several days later, Hannah once again parked the truck under the basketball goal. Kregg was home from work and about to ride his bicycle. I was standing outside watching him after telling Hannah she needed to move the pickup. I don't remember what I said to him, but Kregg turned into the driveway as Hannah was backing up. He was looking one way, she was looking at something else. When he glanced her way, she was on him. He fell off his bike, and I screamed at Hannah to stop. She had no idea he was anywhere close to her.

Thankfully, Kregg was not seriously injured and Hannah didn't have a heart attack. He did, however, break his wrist in the fall. 
On the insurance questionnaire that arrived in the mail concerning the accident, Kregg honestly answered that his wrist was broken in a fall from his bicycle. He did not, however, give any more details than were required. Thankfully, there was no blank on the form asking if one of your teenage drivers was involved in trying to run you down with a twenty-year-old pickup truck.

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