Last night will forever go down as one of the worst nights of my life! It is up there with my mom dying and Mariela being in the hospital with meningitis.
We had snow Tuesday night and our car will not make it up or down our driveway because of the snow turned ice patches we have going up our pretty steep mountain driveway. Yesterday, Michael got home from work while it was still daylight out and he and I left the kids home and walked down the very slippery driveway to out car which we have to park at the bottom of. We were running into town to go to Wal-mart because we were out of everything.....diapers, milk, eggs, juice, water, bread...... (In a house with 8 people it is impossible to go that long without going to the store!!)
Anyways, after our trip to Wal-mart we wanted to go by the Tractor Supply store to buy some salt for the driveway. I was driving and my light turned green to turn into the Tractor Supply plaza and as I was turning another vehicle did not stop at their red light and ran right into the the side of our car.
I was so incredibly scared! I was in a little bit of pain too, but more scared and shook up than anything. We got out of the car and I started to ball my eyes out. All I really remember saying was thank God our kids weren't with us! The point of impact was the passenger side back door and trunk area, which is exactly where my kids would have been sitting. They could have been seriously injured if they were in the car.
Praise God that Michael and I (or the old guy who hit us) were not hurt. Like I said I am a little sore, but I'll be alright. Michael was totally unharmed and he was on the impact side. I have thanked God repeatedly that he wasn't hurt.
The guy who hit us had no business driving in my opinion. He was a older man (75-80 if I had to guess) He said that he didn't even see me. (apparently he didn't see the red light that he ran through either) While we were waiting for the police/tow trucks I was asking him if he was alright. He said yes, and proceeded to tell me that he has some kind of medical condition (He said the name, but I don't remember it) where he looses feeling in his feet and they go numb. Again, this man should have never been on the road!
The side of the car is messed up pretty bad. The door window broke upon impact (I was picking glass out of my hair) and the tire/rim is totally bent/tilting into the car. It is an old car and I am sure that the insurance company is going to write it off as a total loss. Meanwhile, our van has a broken alternator so we no longer have any means of transportation. Wonderful.
Anyways, back to my story.....
While waiting the officer called me over to where he was standing. I walked over to him and when I got over by him he told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. He said that there was an outstanding warrant for my arrest and proceeded to place me in handcuffs. I was totally freaking out. I was hysterically crying not knowing what was going on. I told Michael to go home and call our friend Carrie and ask her to sit with the kids so that he could meet me up at the jail. Then he put me in his police car. I can remember screaming because the handcuffs were so tight and hurt so bad. (I know have handcuff marks and bruises on my wrists thanks to the VA state police dept. He never did loosen them and I stayed in them for a good 40 min.)
The next thing I know they are asking Michael for his license and putting him in handcuffs. They placed him in another police car and that cop took him strait to jail. My cop had to wait until the tow truck drivers came to move our cars from the road. While we were sitting there he asked me who's car I took? I was crying and asked what he was talking about. He said the warrant that was out for both of us was unlawful use of a vehicle, basically car theft only a little bit lighter of a charge. What?!? Yeah.....I'm gonna steal a car......
Then it hit me....Penske! When we moved out to Lexington back in July we had a bad windstorm hit the weekend we moved. It knocked out power for days in Lynchburg where we moved from. It was over 100 degrees the whole time the power was out and because of this we had to keep the truck a little longer. With the kids (Blake was only 2 months old) we honestly were not able to do a whole lot of anything when it came to loading/unloading the truck during the day because it was just too hot. Blake and the other kids were not doing well in the heat and we would have to go anywhere around town that did have power and walk around so we were out of the heat during the day. Then at night we loaded/unloaded the truck. Well, apparently they reported the truck stolen.
We got to the jail and I was balling my eyes out. I was so scared. I asked the officer to please call my friend (since Michael never got to) and he asked her to go sit with my kids because I had no clue how long we were going to be there. I sat waiting outside the office in the handcuffs that were causing me so much pain and cutting off circulation in my hands waiting for what was next. The officer told me that Michael had been put back in a holding cell. They never did put me in a holding cell, they just had me sit there.
They were busy faxing paperwork and getting a magistrate who would see both of us via video from who knows where. While waiting for him the officer brings me out a paper telling me that he is notifying me that my license was suspended (He said most likely because of the warrant) and I was going to get a ticket for driving with a suspended license..... Lovely, I was trying to stay positive and think that my bad luck streak had to be over and Mr. Cop was quick to burst that happy bubble for me........
He took me into the room where the video magistrate thing was going to take place and FINALLY took off my handcuffs. When he did, I saw his face go white. I guess he must have thought I was exaggerating when I said the cuffs hurt and when he took them off he realized that I was serious. My wrists were the darkest pink/red ever and I had indentations all over my wrists. It looked like they were still on even when they were off.
Anyways, I sat there waiting and Michael's holding cell was across from the room where this was going on and I could see him looking at me through the little window in the door and my heart was just breaking. He would put his hand up to the glass and I saw him blow me a kiss. I know he was so worried about me because I was so scared.
Finally, the magistrate came on via video and I talked with him and they gave me a unsecured bond of $1000. Meaning, that I didn't have to pay anything and they were going to release me home, but if I don't show up to court then there is a $1000 bond out on me.
When I was done talking with him I signed some papers and I was released.
Michael went in after me and the magistrate told him he had a secured bond in the amount of $2000. Meaning, we have to pay $2000 to get him out or he sits in jail until our court date. Michael was young and stupid back in the day (long before we were married) and didn't have a clean record like I did so that is why our bonds were different.
My friend Carrie went by and got my groceries out of our car at the tow truck place then came to pick me up from the jail. Michael is currently still in jail until I can get down there today with some money.
I am home now, but still very shaken up over this. I think I got maybe 2 hours of sleep. I am so thankful for friends and family who have stepped up and helped out during this whole mess!! We go to court in about a week and I am praying that this whole thing is just a huge misunderstanding and that it gets dropped. Not sure what in the world is going to happen with the car yet or how we are going to get around, but what I do know is that what Satan intends for evil God can use for good! I am praying and trusting that God is in control of this whole situation and that He is going to handle it for us. I know that His hand was on us when we were in the accident and I know it is today also!!!
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