Total Loss

is what USAA insurance told me yesterday.  I can't get anything more for my truck than what my insurance offered me, $3744 and some change.  $1000.00 of it they will withhold until I mail the salvage company my title which I keep in a folder full of receipts I used  for it's upkeep.  I was expecting the worse and I almost had a tiny little bit of hope that Cooks Collision would repair my truck.
      I stopped by to pick up the rest of my belongings in my 1995 Chevy Pickup and saw the extent of the damage for the last time from my hit and run auto accident that happened almost one month ago.  My poor old truck was littered with numbers and "cant open hood" written on it and other foreign objects thrown in the truck bed.  I saw the front end extent of the damage in better lighting today than I did on that cloudy day of the accident.  I felt sad.  Upon opening my driver door and looking inside,  there was definite evidence of someone hastily looking through what ever was left in the truck and not finding anything of value to take.  Luckily I tried to pack up everything I valued at the time of the accident.   I felt violated on my trucks behalf and said my last goodbye's as if saying goodbye to an old friend which this truck has been to me.  I've been through approximately 4 moves and a host of other moves helping friends and family in need of a truck, long trips up the California coast for camp-outs and everyday commutes to work.  I depended on "Betty".    I originally bought my truck off of Craigslist for $5000.00  from a man who needed a bigger vehicle for his growing family.  The truck gave me very few problems compared to my other cars.  So to say goodbye to an object such as this truck is significant to me.  Now,  the process begins for me to look for a new "used" vehicle.  Wish me luck!

Balboa High School

Hit and Run?  Fleeing the scene?  Run and Hide?  This is what happened to me on Dec 14th while my son was getting his haircut a few blocks away in the city of San Francisco.  School had just let out for the afternoon and this young man was trying to get out of his parallel parking across the street.  I was sitting in my parked big green truck, unseat belted and I glanced up for a short time and saw him backing up.  Thinking nothing of it,  I looked back down as I was listening to the Sandy Hook Tragedy on my truck radio when out of the corner of my eye and hearing him Rev his engine,  I saw him drive at an angle into the front of my truck,  crashing into it and then he preceded to drive through a fence and into an apartment building as the car was now stuck and wedged tight between the fence and a block of wood.  He tried to reverse and back up but to no avail.  He was stuck.  By this time,  the High School kids were surrounding us and taking pictures of him,  the vehicles, me and the area.  I saw him climb out of the driver seat and through the drivers window and on top of the hood of the car.  My phone, which is usually somewhere within reach,  was at my side on the truck command center and I reached for it and prayed to the Good Lord to let me take a good picture of this guy.  As he jumped down from the roof,  I clicked my camera phone and got a shot of him.  His friends were chatty and playing with him like he had won a gold medal at the Olympics!  He seemed oblivious that I was even in the truck.  He grabbed his backpack and ran away. What the heck??  I was in shock and amazement that this was going on.  It was like a 3-D movie and I was in the front row of the movie theater!  I made sure my truck doors were still locked, my daddy's teachings and immediately called 911 for the police on my cell phone.  I did not dare to venture outside to access any type of damage because the mob of school kids that surrounded me.  They obviously knew the young man and I wasn't about to become a heroine/victim and take on these young adults who may have weapons on themselves as well.  The San Francisco Police, Ingleside,  arrived quickly and the Teens scattered.  An ambulance was there to see if I needed to be taken to the hospital as I complained of pain when the truck steering wheel hit me just below the collarbone.  I declined.  The owner of the apartment building also arrived to the scene to access the property damage.  My son arrived from his haircut to see what was going on and was worried to see his me surrounded by the police and ambulance.  Statements were made, a police report, tow truck and a rental car later as it started to rain,  my son and I continued on our way to Travis Air Force Base for his 1st weekend of drills.  Thank you for good car insurance.  Several lessons were learned that day by my son and I as we talked all the way to Fairfield,  driving in the rain,  in the traffic and priceless.