Time for an update

Here is the latest update on everything that is going on over here in the Vincent house.

 

For those of you who don't know as of yesterday morning I still had no idea who the insurance company was of the man who hit me. The cop who was at the scene and did the report did not get his insurance information :( More concerned with arresting me I guess.......

 

I still had no clue as to why my license was suspended and I still had not talked to a lawyer. Everything had been closed since all of this went down Friday because of the New Year holiday.

 

Anyways, the stress of all of this was really getting to me. I had to get up at 4:30ish with Michael instead of 5:30 because he was going to have to walk to work because we don't have a car. Thank God we only live 1.5 miles from his job, but I was still worried about him. It is pitch black out that early in the morning and it is also only in the lower 20's that early in the morning.

 

I did't know if/how we were ever going to find out this man's insurance, I needed to talk to a lawyer, I needed to go to the DMV, Michael has had to miss work and is going to miss more...... Plus, I am totally freaking out about how we are going to be able to pay for all of this, plus pay our rent, electric, etc..........just way too much stuff going on and my emotions are running high.

 

Also, not having a vehicle is very stressful in itself. I have to keep asking people to come drive me around. I know they offered to help me, but I still feel like an inconvenience to others when I need to ask for help. It is very hard not to be able to just get up and go do what I need to do. I need to make arrangements for someone to drive me around to different places all day. I need to find someone to come and sit with my kids because I can't take them all with me like I usually can. It really is a difficult situation for me to be in.

 

Yesterday, a lot of this stuff was sorted out. First of all,

I talked with a lawyer on the phone and explained everything about the accident and the arrest. He actually knows the guy who hit me so it was kind of a conflict of interest. He gave me the number of another lawyer out in Lynchburg who could help me since that is where we were going to be going to court anyways.

 

I called the lawyer that he recommended and I told him I may possibly need him to represent us for two different cases, one for the arrest and one for the accident if I can't get a hold of the man who hit us. I told him the whole story and we set up an appointment to meet him at 2pm on Monday after our court appearance. He said that Monday when we go to court nothing is really going to happen. It is just for them to tell us that we have the right to representation and that we can  hire a lawyer or get a court appointed lawyer of we were to qualify. He said for the both of us we are probably looking at around $3500 in lawyer fees. Lovely......... As for the man who hit us he said that if I couldn't get ahold of him today then to let him know and we would go from there.

 

One thing checked off of my to-do list for the day. It didn't really help me calm down at all, but at least it was checked off, right?!?

 

The next thing I had to deal with was the suspended license issue. I had a friend come over and hang out with my kids and another friend come and pick me up to take me over to the DMV. She dropped me off at the DMV and went to the store. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot and it looked like I would be there for awhile. I went into the DMV and a wonderful lady from my church actually works there :) She pulled all of my info at the information desk and told me why it was suspended.

 

I guess the DMV sent me a letter requesting proof of insurance that had to be returned by Nov 14, 2012. Well, we never changed our address with the DMV after we moved and we never got this letter. (Note to self....... ALWAYS change your address with the DMV.....check)

So our licences were suspended for that reason. Then she told me the wonderful news that it was going to cost us $1300 to get them un-suspended, $500 per car that we had and $150 reinstatement fee. Yay, more money we don't have. (Note the sarcasm)

 

She also said that before they can reinstate it I have to get a SR22 form from the insurance company to have on file. She said I could go home and call the insurance company we had before to see if I can get it through them, but as I said earlier finding people to drive me around all day is not what I want to do. I asked her if she knew of a place around I could go and get it from so I could physically bring it back to her that day. She said that there was an insurance agent right next door that I could go check with that she knew did tham. I walked over there and they close at 1pm on Wed..... it was 2pm, so there goes that plan.

 

I pulled out my phone and googled, car insurance Lexington Va. It pulled up every car insurance agency in our town. I called the first one on the list and it went to a voice recording so I hung up. I scrolled down through my different options and called one. (I honestly wasn't even sure that they were an insurance company because they were the only one that didn't have the word insurance in their name.) I talked to a guy and asked him if I could get a SR22 policy from them. He said yes, and told me to come down and meet with a lady named Alice when I came in......so off we went to see Alice.

 

I walked in the office and Alice was sitting at one of the desks in the front. She told me to come have a seat and took all of our information. I told her that I had been in an accident and found out that my license was suspended and I needed this SR22 filing whatever it was. She was very sweet and soft spoken. While I was sitting there and she was entering all of our info I felt in my spirit that I should ask her if she knew the man that hit me. (He told me at the accident that he used to sell insurance) I asked her do you know John Smith? (I changed his name to protect his privacy) She smiled and said, yes. I said, "That is the man who hit me Friday night." Her eyes got wide and her mouth dropped open a little. I figured that she was shocked to hear that he was in an accident. I went on to say that I didn't have his insurance info and she just started pointing to herself........ She said, "We are his insurance company."

 

OMG!!! SERIOUSLY!!!!! OMG!!!! I was ecstatic!!!

 

She told me that he had come in earlier that day and he had very little memory of the accident. I asked her if he filed a claim and she said she didn't think so because he couldn't remember who he had hit. (I told you this guy should NOT be on the road!!) Anyways, she said that she would get me his policy number and everything that I would need to call and file a claim!!! I was in so much shock!! I said something to the effect of I am so glad I google picked this company! She then said without hesitation, "God sent you here," You know what Alice?? You are 100% right!!

 

I can not even begin to describe how I felt sitting in that chair. I was shaking and I was just overcome with emotion. In the midst of all of this stress and freaking out all day of how are we going to be able to do this???? It was like God was trying to tell me, "Leslie, I am still in control. Trust me."

 

Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

 

I know that there are some of you who read my blog who don't believe in God and will say this was just coincidence, but it wasn't. It was God. There is a peace and an overwhelming feeling that can't be described when God moves in your life. God sent me Alice, and I told her that she was my angel. She was so good to me. She called the police station to find out about the police report (this was something else that I was worrying about because I never received one). She gave me all of the info I needed on the man and told me exactly what to tell the claims adjuster so I can get a rental car so I could stop freaking about not having transportation. She also gave me the name and address of an auto body shop that can help with the insurance quote.

 

I thank God for bringing Alice into my life! Out of all of the insurance companies and all of the people I could have talked to He brought me to the only one that mattered!! Before I left Alice gave me a huge hug and told me if there was anything that I needed to please let her know. Again, I can't express the peace and emotions that came over me. Even as I write this, I want to cry. Not out of sadness, but out of awe for the God who is always holding me in the palm of His hand and taking care of me even when I feel like my world is falling apart all around me!

 

I honestly don't know what tomorrow will bring. I don't know how in the world we are going to get through all of this financially, but what I DO know is that my God never fails! He will be right there beside me and I will make it through this.

 

 

Psalm 36:5 -7
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.