smash up derby with the loaner car

I was in a car accident the day before yesterday.  Everyone is fine.  The worst part is that it wasn't even our car (bought online before we arrived).  Our car was in for service, so we had a loaner car for the day.  One day and I managed to get hit.

I was on the bridge crossing the Saane river, wide enough for one vehicle at time.  The other driver was was coming from the opposite direction.  She drove onto the bridge and I realised that she wasn't going to stop in time.  It happened both quickly and slowly.  Anyone who has been in an accident knows what I mean.  We looked at each other and I braced for what I knew was going to be a crunch. My shoulders hunched up to my ears and my hands gripped the wheel in anticipation of the sound of metal crushing into metal and that horrible feeling of impact.

Thankfully, the other driver spoke English and after making sure that we were both ok, she indicated that we should go see her mechanic, conveniently located just down the road.  I managed to get my car to the garage, but it wasn't driving well.  It felt like the front tire was square instead of round and there was liquid leaking from under the hood.  We limped slowly into the garage and parked.

Then the Swiss system of getting things done really kicked in.  The garage called the dealership (located 20 minutes down the valley), the dealer came to pick me up, the other driver waited with me, the garage filed all the insurance paperwork, the dealer drove me to where our serviced + washed car sat waiting and then I drove back home.  It was all very efficient, of course.  I didn't even have to give my name or driver's license to anyone.  Amazing.

As it turns out, the other driver has been involved with the Kennedy School (where our kids go) for 40 years and is a great friend of the Lovell's.  Main bien sur!  As I said to her, we were obviously meant to meet, it's just too bad that it involved two cars in the middle of a bridge.....