To the young man who hit my mom’s car:

You crashed into my mom’s car several days ago.  It was parked on the street.  I know it’s only a car, but to me and my mom it was much more than that.  She loved that car.  And this action has affected our lives in ways you do not know about.  It’s still my mom’s car, who just turned 94 and I mostly drive her to her doctor’s appointments in it.  She was going to give me the car but because of the pandemic I haven’t been able to go to the license bureau because I am not going anywhere that I don’t absolutely have to go.  Basically, I used it to go back and forth to be with my mom.  Now, I don’t have one. 

My mom bought this car 19 years ago and it only has 22,000 miles on it.  Even now, it was in pristine condition having been checked regularly by her mechanic, even when it had not been driven very much.  It didn’t have a scratch or a dent on it.  It had been in my mom’s garage until recently.  We really loved that car.  And now it has been ruined and will probably be totaled.  But because of its age it will not have the monetary value from your insurance to replace it in any way close to what it was worth, even with low mileage.  It was very valuable to us.

I was still in bed when my car alarm woke me up.  The policeman told me you were probably on your phone, but after further examination of the damage, even if you weren’t, you were going at a speed that was fast enough to crash the back rear panel on the driver’s side and to ruin the axle.  The back tires are tilted sideways and the top rim of the wheel on the back right tire has been bent. Part of the concrete curb next to the tire has been broken off.  The car was also pushed into the hitch on my husband’s car and it put a hole in the front fender.  I want you to consider these facts and ask yourself if your driving was within the speed limit. 

The car is not driveable.  The damage is irreparable and the car is irreplaceable.  Consider the fact that driving a car is not a right.  It is a privilege.  You need to be totally aware at all times.  You are young.  If you are fortunate, you will be driving for many years.  Drive safely, without your phone in your hand.   Don’t answer it or make calls while you are behind the wheel.  Pull over.  Call the person back.  Or better yet, wait until you get to your destination.   And never, ever, text while driving.  All of these things are against the law for good reason.  It is even illegal to text or use a phone at a traffic stop.  And one more thing you could have done, but didn’t.  You were out there, by your vehicle, across the street, all the while on your phone, and didn’t even think to apologize to us.   

You need to drive carefully, always!.  There are many situations that challenge even the best, most seasoned drivers.  Driving is serious business.  This time, it was only a car.