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Finally sumpin' good (long catharsis, not much LBC)

To: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Finally sumpin' good (long catharsis, not much LBC)
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 20:13:25 -0800 (PST)
When we last visited the Soave household, they seemed
to be living a charmed life, then 1st week of November
hit...

1) Eyesight threatening malady for the lovely Lynette
2) Stroke for mother inlaw
3) Torn calf muscle for Ron 1 week before black belt
test (YOUCHHH!!!!)
4) Piece de Resistance - the lovely Lynette begins to
go forward upon a green light, only to have some
knucklehead in an SUV run a red light, narrowly
missing her.  She proceeds, 20 yr old bottle blond
looks up from cell phone call long enough to realize
she, too, has run the red light and t-bones our Toyota
Sienna at 35 MPH.  Lynette bangs her head against the
glass, triggering another eyesight threatening episode
(which we find a week later on our way to NY to pick
up mom inlaw to bring back to IL for stroke rehab, as
the lovely Lynette is a top-notch occupational
therapist).  Much follow on crap I won't further bore
you with, such as more TIA strokes, ambulance chasing
lawyers knocking down the door, etc., everyone is OK
in the long run.

Best part - witnesses to accident and Blondie all
corroborate to accident not being Lynette's fault at
all.  Insurance company reads police report, accident
at 35-40 MPH, sends van to auto auction as a total
without looking at it.  Fine with me, I didn't want a
wrecked car back anyway.  In the meantime, blondie's
insurance company assumes liability, orders car to
body shop of my choice.  Car gets lost, shows up at
body shop 2 weeks later with auction numbers painted
on windshield.  Long story shortened, body shop guy
measures frame as perfect, is amazed at integrity of
the Toyota van (sorry, Frank), comments that it looks
like it took a 10 MPH impact.  Also says "that F-150
you got woulda crumpled up like a piece of used toilet
paper", and gives me a dissertation on cars that can't
structurally take a side impact (you don't wanna know;
it's long), including the mid-sized KIA that hit us
and looked like a golf ball afterwards.  Anyway, he
does the car, $4000 cost to State Farm, it's gorgeous
(well, it still looks like a Toyota minivan, but you
know what I mean), better than when I started.  Guy is
a real craftsman, and recently did a 100 point MG-TD
(LBC content).  Shows me receipts for every part, all
Toyota OEM.  Gives me his home phone #, says "if you
look at that thing at any time, even on Christmas day,
and you don't like it, call me and we'll make it
right".  Lifetime warranty on all work, and I doubt
I'll need to take him up on it.  He'll be respraying
the race car bonnet, and doing a proper alignment on
the race car for me.  Wife is ecstatic, everything
getting back to normal (well, except for the ambulance
we had to call last night at 9:30 PM for Mom in law,
but that seems OK now).  Best part is we return the
incredibly bad rental van they gave us tomorrow (had
11,000 miles on it, and felt 10x worse than the 90,000
Toyota).  

So, normally not being much of an organized religious
type (I tend to pray for simple stuff like World Peace
and a 2:45 lap time at Road America), the guys at
McGuire's Collision in Rockton IL were angels, and get
my body and paint business forever.

Thanks to the many of you who knew about this crap and
have sent well wishes.  They really helped.  And
looking back on it, everything's OK.    

=====
Ron Soave

"Chi spende meno spende piu." 
- Aunt Tessie

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