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Off-Topic: My house and car were destroyed last night


Colin Gilchrist
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My wife and I just had a scary incident which puts life in perspective. A drunk driver just slammed into our car and house. Fortunately we are ok physically, but the force of the impact knocked our house off the foundation by about 8 inches. It also broke the gas main to the house. My car is now a pancake. But I was fortunate that it was parked out front, as I was laying on my couch, watching TV when I heard the first sounds of the accident. (He took out my neighbor's fence, before hitting my car and house.)

If you are able to help, my family would really appreciate your support during this difficult time.

 

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Fortunately, our landlord has another apartment about a half-mile away. He was preparing it to go on the market, so it looks like we'll be moving into it in about a week. I just hope the town building inspector doesn't condemn the building on Monday, because I really don't want to have to move twice on short notice.

I'm wrecked. I was hopped up on adrenaline last night, and today I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Pun intended. In this case; a F-250. I was tossed off my couch into my coffee table. I'm pretty sure I got a mild concussion. My right hip, wrist, ankle, and elbow are all pretty jacked up.

Besides my Subaru acting as a crumple zone, the thing that saved me is how well-built our rental house is. When our landlord remodeled, he filled the walls with closed-cell foam insulation. This insulation is structural; it bonds the exterior sheathing, studs, and sheetrock together. The whole house moved as a complete structural member, which distributed the load through the structure, instead of the truck just punching my car through the wall. Thank God I was thrown off my couch, since the window glass exploded onto my couch where I had just been lying. 

 

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49 minutes ago, Matthew Hajicek - Conventus said:

Guy must have been really moving.

I heard him coming down the highway. I heard an engine at wide-open throttle for about 1 second, growing closer and louder. I heard the guy taking out my neighbor's fence, then a splint-second pause, followed by a violent impact that knocked me across the room. I knew it was a car collision almost instantly. Immediately my car alarm started going off, and my wife was screaming my name, since she knew I was downstairs. 

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OMG!  I wish I lived closer I  would come help you move your stuff.  Is the tip jar where you want folks to send you money?   I can Zelle you also!  I am so glad you and your wife are ok.  That's super crazy and your right, things like this out life into perspective, and do so quickly.  Prayers for you and your wife. I hope everything works out with the new apartment.   

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3 hours ago, CNC_Newbie said:

OMG!  I wish I lived closer I  would come help you move your stuff.  Is the tip jar where you want folks to send you money?   I can Zelle you also!  I am so glad you and your wife are ok.  That's super crazy and your right, things like this out life into perspective, and do so quickly.  Prayers for you and your wife. I hope everything works out with the new apartment.   

Zelle would be great, whatever method you prefer. The email associated with my Zelle account is [email protected]

Thank you for your generosity. My wife has been overwhelmed by the donations we have received. (Many people have gone above and beyond, and I cannot thank you all enough. Tragedy shows us how much we are truly loved. It is humbling. 

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That was awful nice of your Subie to sacrifice itself by acting as a load spreader. interesting closed cell foam acting as a structural member; makes sense.

 Sorry you actually took some damage. This could easily turn into a million dollar demand letter to the insurance company. Assuming the driver has some insurance, have a little patients with them before hiring an attorney. I ended up with less than half of my policy recently.

 Hope the landlord's homeowner's insurance covers the property and you can  go after the driver.

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I'm glad to hear you are OK.  I just can't seem to comprehend the general misfortune that seems to follow you around sometimes.  I find the ways of the world to be terribly unfair at times.  Especially more so to some that don't deserve the "extra attention".  Makes one wonder what they have done wrong, when in reality it likely isn't even the slightest bit their fault when talking in terms of Karma....

If I had made my move north I'd be happy to come help move stuff.  But I have my hands full getting ready to move from Texas back to New England in two weeks.  Wish you guys the best in getting settled again.

Thankfully all physical possessions are replaceable.

Drunk drivers suck.

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5 hours ago, Colin Gilchrist said:

Zelle would be great, whatever method you prefer. The email associated with my Zelle account is [email protected]

Thank you for your generosity. My wife has been overwhelmed by the donations we have received. (Many people have gone above and beyond, and I cannot thank you all enough. Tragedy shows us how much we are truly loved. It is humbling. 

I am not  rich guy, but I was able to send you some cash.  I really hope you get back on your feet quickly. Most of all I hope that the idiot Drunk Driver has GREAT insurance and owns his own home!

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37 minutes ago, CNC_Newbie said:

I am not  rich guy, but I was able to send you some cash.  I really hope you get back on your feet quickly. Most of all I hope that the idiot Drunk Driver has GREAT insurance and owns his own home!

Every bit helps, and I am amazed by the level of support we are receiving. My wife posted about the accident on our local Shrewsbury town "group" on Facebook, and all day we've had people stopping by to drop off boxes.

Thanks Tom, I really appreciate your donation.

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40 minutes ago, huskermcdoogle said:

I'm glad to hear you are OK.  I just can't seem to comprehend the general misfortune that seems to follow you around sometimes.  I find the ways of the world to be terribly unfair at times.  Especially more so to some that don't deserve the "extra attention".  Makes one wonder what they have done wrong, when in reality it likely isn't even the slightest bit their fault when talking in terms of Karma....

If I had made my move north I'd be happy to come help move stuff.  But I have my hands full getting ready to move from Texas back to New England in two weeks.  Wish you guys the best in getting settled again.

Thankfully all physical possessions are replaceable.

Drunk drivers suck.

Thank you for your generosity too Husker.

I'm no Angel. My 30's especially were a turbulent time in my life. But I find that I feel so much better as a person when I make better choices. I have largely given up drinking, and feel much better as a result. It also happens to help me manage my diabetes better. I'm so fortunate to have found a career that I love, which makes it easier to handle bad things when they occur. At least work for me is typically a bright spot, because I've worked for companies before where I wasn't valued or appreciated. Selway was a great company, and I was happy there, but my wife wanted to live close to her family, which I completely supported. I found that Methods was hiring for a 5-Axis AE, and landed my dream job. So while this really sucks to deal with, it also shows me how blessed I am, and how lucky I've been throughout my life. I have an amazing wife, and kids that I adore. All my pets are safe. So I'm counting my blessings.

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Hey Colin. Sorry to hear about the crash. From the pictures I know right where you are. Been by there a million times. Not far from me at all. If you need a hand with anything give a yell. PM me for my number. Tried sending it to you but it says Colin Gilchrist cannot receive messages.  Can't get the link to work without downloading the app. Any other way to donate?

Brian

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40 minutes ago, BrianP. said:

Hey Colin. Sorry to hear about the crash. From the pictures I know right where you are. Been by there a million times. Not far from me at all. If you need a hand with anything give a yell. PM me for my number. Tried sending it to you but it says Colin Gilchrist cannot receive messages.  Can't get the link to work without downloading the app. Any other way to donate?

Brian

Hi Brian,

I can accept Zelle if that is an option? 

[email protected]

or

206-354-9037

Thanks for the offer of help, and I may take you up on that offer when I have a better idea of the next steps.

Thanks for your generosity, I really appreciate it.

 

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