Oof!

Yesterday morning the weather was just absolutely foul and there was no way I was going to cycle to work. I took the car instead and how lovely it was, being nice and dry. I was nearing work and waiting for some lights to turn green, when all of a sudden: Bam! I had been hit by the car behind me. I slammed forward and just about managed to hit the brakes before hitting the car in front of me. 

Immediately my neck hurt and a headache came up and it took me a minute to get my full bearings again. The person from the car behind came forward with his European Damage Form, but I told him, we were in the middle of a very busy road and traffic was going fast: we needed to move. We then moved to a quieter road where we filled out the form (we don't just exchange names and numbers, we go official and it takes a lot of the sting out of it).

After we had filled out the entire thing (well, the front anyway), we realised we had filled out the wrong page so after I located another one, we started afresh. Finally, about three quarters of an hour later, we could both continue on our journey. 

I had already phoned work to say I was going to be late due to an accident, so when I arrived 45 minutes late, it was not a problem. Somebody else had taken over my shift and I just needed to release him. After a few hours driving however, I thought it might be prudent to phone my gp and make an appointment to check I was okay. 

Which meant that once I had finished work for the day, I headed to my gp to get checked. Well, no whiplash (they don't use that term anymore apparently), but listen to my body and rest for a week, after which I could start again. And for insurance reasons: get an x-ray.

This morning I phoned the hospital to get the x-ray sorted and I could come almost immediately. With a hurting back, neck and head I was driven by my Dad to get x-rayed. However, once there, I was told a scan would be a better option. Off we went to the first aid department. 

Once there I was prodded by the doctor and in the end they told me that due to the symptoms I presented they weren't sure that a CT scan would be adding any new information, so they adviced me to take pain medication. I also should do things so my muscles wouldn't start to stiffen up and cause more trouble. So far the pain killers are doing their job, although hoovering, cleaning toilets or work are not going to happen just now.

There was however one other party involved in this accident: my lovely red car. After visiting the gp yesterday afternoon, I drove to the garage to have it checked out. It looked okay-ish, but I know from experience that looks can be great deceivers. I made it just before closing time for the mechanics, but they did have a look.

Basically, the rear bumper may look okay, but it has been pushed forward causing trouble for the boot, the bumper itself, the light and who knows what else. Apparently the cost of repairing all of that goes way over the value of the car which means it will declared a total loss. Which in turn will most likely mean I will have to go on the look out for a new vehicle. I will find out soon, as it is now an insurance case.

But, everything else is fine. Just so you know.