Driving in Fallujah

I’ve often complained about Pasadena drivers; they weave, follow too closely, run red lights – all without insurance. Yesterday the wife and I were the second car stopped in the turning lane at a light on a very busy intersection. The arrow turned green and the woman in front of us didn’t go for a good two seconds; she was fiddling with the infant in the passenger seat. She finally goes – again, two seconds after the light turned green – and some big pick-up truck plows into her, scarcely even paying attention to brake. He caved in the woman’s driver side door, shattered her window and God knows what else. We left when the guy got out of his truck to help and we saw that all three people were moving around. I’m just glad she got to the light ahead of us; I don’t want to sue if it means getting side-swiped.

What really sucks is that the woman, having a baby and an old car likely can’t afford to waint for suit; she’ll probably have to snap-up the first offer the guy’s insurance company throws at her. She get a token value for her car (since it was barely worth $500 at the time) and probably nothing for her medical costs. If she has the misfortune of seeking more money, the defense will tie the case up procedurally for months, leaving the woman without a car or money to pay her doctor. Wow, now I really do sound like a liberal today.

This is day two of the apartment’s ten business day ultimatum; still no word from the punks. I’m pretty sure we can take them for $1,000-1,300 but we likely won’t get out of the lease.