Crunch

So... I totaled my Jimmy... again.

These things seem to be bad luck for me. I bought my first Jimmy in 1999. It was a '97 model. At Christmas in 2001, we were driving up I-55 across IL, followed another car across a bridge, she hit ice and lost control, we smashed into the side of her car and ended up bending up the front axel -- totaled. No injuries other than sore back and stiff neck.

That Jimmy did so well keeping us safe in that accident, I decided I really wanted another one. So, I bought a 1999 model.

This weekend, I was on my way out to a church retreat. Freak snow flurries had hit the area unpredicted. Yes... snow flurries. Sometimes a VERY heavy flurry, but none of was really sticking to the ground. Just after coming across the Missouri River bridge on US-40, I started changing lanes to pass the cars ahead of me. Hit a slick spot and started skidding out of control. I headed for the center median, corrected, but started skidding toward the shoulder. I smashed the front-driver's side of the car into a retaining wall on the shoulder, spun around, and came to rest on the shoulder, facing the wrong way. No injuries except a stiff back. I didn't notice until I got out to visit with the highway patrolman who responded to my 911, but the front two tires were pigeon-toed at 45-degree angle pointing in toward each other. Totaled.

So, now we're off shopping for a minivan!