What I Learned From When a Drunk Driver Totaled My Car

This happened many years ago, but I still don’t like thinking about it. The 2009 Kia car is the car I had the longest out of all my cars. There were some troubles with the Kia, especially in the beginning. Even with all that, I had gotten attached to that car. We had been through a lot together.

I had the Kia for almost three years before it was taken from me. It deserved better than what happened. I’ll tell you what I learned from when a drunk driver totaled my car.

Background Details

2011 had been quite the year for me, very rough for the most part.

I had lived in a two-bedroom apartment. But I had to move out to a place where I could split the cost of rent with many roommates. So, I went to a different city and moved into a house where many others lived. The house was sub-leased. At least I was now close enough to work to walk there in only about twenty minutes. A massive improvement over the extremely lengthy commutes I had been subject to with driving back and forth between different cities.

The one who handled the sub-lease of the house required that I move out. I had only been there for approximately one month. He had a different house for me to move to. It was only a few blocks away. The quality of my roommates was not as high as in the first place. I consider the second house to be a slum house.

I was surrounded by stoners, drunks, deadbeats, and thieves. I had grown up on welfare, but I didn’t know I would end up having welfare cases as roommates.

I figured I had fallen quite far and didn’t have much further to go before hitting bottom. I was being optimistic.

The sub-leaser kept moving me around all over the house. I had never moved so many times in such a short period. I don’t know why he did that. It didn’t make any sense.

That place is where I lived when I made my consumer proposal and arranged things to get out of debt. The consumer proposal decreased my debt significantly and set up a four-year repayment schedule with no interest. (I paid that off in three years.)

Roommates had come and gone. I had to get one of them evicted. Thankfully, I had help with that, including from the sub-leaser. It may have been a slum house, but each person living there was required to pay rent.

And I had recovered from mononucleosis. I took a week of vacation off from work and rested. That was in December. Just in time to get ready for the end of the year.

The Mistake That Cost Me My Car

It was December 30, 2011 — the eve of New Year’s Eve. When I parked the car that night, my instinct told me to park the car in the driveway or on the front lawn. But, like I had been in the habit of doing throughout my life, I ignored my instinct.

And that made all the difference.

I was now in the room I would stay in for the rest of my time in that house. The sub-leaser was done moving me around.

I had a strange, foreboding feeling that night — a spine-tingling sensation. I felt like I was about to lose something.

I still could have moved the car to a different parking spot.

But I didn’t.

My Instinct Was Right

3:37 a.m. December 31, 2011.

One of my roommates woke me up and confirmed what my strange, foreboding feeling had been about. A drunk driver had totaled my car at 3:30 a.m. even though it had been parked off the street.

We all went outside and saw that a policeman had already arrived on the scene. He had summoned a tow truck, which was on its way. I gave my information to the policeman, and the tow truck arrived. I barely had any time to take anything out of the car.

It’s like I was awake in a nightmare. Was this really happening?

The drunk driver wasn’t there. It was a hit-and-run. He had already left.

The policeman and the tow truck got there so fast. It’s like this thing had been planned somehow. Why was it so urgent to take the car away? It wasn’t on the street or blocking traffic. Nobody was in danger from it. And it was late at night. Unless someone were awake and looked outside, they wouldn’t know what was going on.

None of that mattered.

And Just Like That, My Car Was Gone

Everything ran at optimum efficiency. And I don’t even know why. It was the middle of the night on an otherwise quiet and empty street. What was the hurry?

The tow truck hooked up the car and took it away. I never saw the Kia again.

After all the Kia had done for me through the years, it got hauled away like it was nothing more than garbage.

I had never asked the towing company to remove my car, but they did. And then they held it for ransom, too. Thankfully, my car insurance company paid the exorbitant demands of the towing company.

The efficiency of my car being taken spooked me. I thought having any vehicle registered in my name was bad luck.

I had a workaround for that. I took transit for many years. It wasn’t until late 2018 that I again had a vehicle registered in my name.

I lost the Kia. Possessions come and go. Nothing is permanent.

I’ve learned not to get too attached. I’ve also learned to be grateful. Form attachments. Let go. Be grateful. Rinse and repeat.

Life is a series of greetings and farewells, with everything in between, too.

Conclusion

Some things happen that seem to come with too high of a price. So, I didn’t park the car in the driveway or on the front lawn. I didn’t listen to my instinct. Did I really have to lose a car over that?

At least back then, on that final day of 2011, all I lost was a car. A car that, thankfully, nobody was in at the time. These are comparatively much lower stakes than if it were a matter of life and death.

Cars are replaceable. People’s lives aren’t.

I never met that drunk driver, but I can still appreciate what I’ve learned and experienced because he lost control that night.

I forgive you, drunk driver. You made a mistake that night, but so did I. I didn’t park the car in a spot where you wouldn’t affect it. We each had our part to play in that drama. I move on from my oversight and don’t blame you for what you did. It’s no one’s fault, and we are all innocent.

Back to you, dear reader. What is one clear example in your life where you needed to follow your instinct but didn’t? What did you lose, and what lessons did you learn? Let me know in the comments section below. I value your input.

Thank you for reading. Here is what else you can do:

  • Add any questions or comments you have in the comments section below;
  • Subscribe so you can be notified by e-mail when I add another post on this website; and
  • Share this post, including on social media.

Until next time,

James Barnett

Please follow and like us: