A bird poops on your head, a cup of hot coffee spills on your lap, a mischievous Great Dane destroys your favorite refrigerator magnets… While totally out of our control, such random, unforeseen events can still put a damper on your day.
Take the other Sunday. I was driving my beautiful new Ford truck on the way to play pool (my favorite pastime, as you know), when a small rock struck my windshield. That little rock left a big, bullet-sized dent. While this may sound like just another small frustration, I’ve got a long history with these windshield-destroyers. In fact, flying rocks have seriously messed up my day five times in the past ten years. Thanks to highway debris, I’ve had to repair or replace five windshields! Now, it’s time for windshield #6.
Before I made Alabama my home, I spent my entire life in North Carolina. In the twenty-plus years I lived there as a licensed driver, I never had to replace a windshield. Then I moved to Alabama, and all of a sudden the highway became a windshield death trap.
Within four months, a rock cracked the windshield of our son’s truck. One month later, another rock shattered his brand new replacement windshield. I love this state, don’t get me wrong. But what is up with all of the rocks and debris on the road? Does anybody know what’s going on here?
In situations like these, often my truck driving friends get a bad rap (as if they could control each individual piece of gravel on the road…). But, as I’ve learned, it’s nearly impossible to prove who’s at fault for this type of accident. My insurance company told me you’d have to have a live recording of the rock falling from the truck and directly hitting your windshield to prove the other driver is liable. And, if the rock hits the ground first and then ricochets onto your windshield, it’s technically no one’s fault. (Moral of the story: don’t tailgate trucks).
As much as I’d love to pin my windshield woes on someone else, ultimately, I agree with Forrest Gump: “…It happens. Sometimes.” And then, you deal with it.
At this point, I’m tempted to just stick my head out of the window and drink in the wild air – who needs a working windshield anyway?
Happy Monday,
~Mary
