By David Heiller

ìIíve totaled the car and Iím at the La Crescent rest stop.î

That was all Cindy said on the phone last Wednesday night before she hung up. I was out of the house in about a minute, driving as fast as I dared on the snow covered road, down Hillside, through Brownsville, up 26, through La Crescent, up 61, and to the rest stop on I-90. All the while wondering what had happened, and was Cindy OK.

I pulled up to a Wisconsin state highway patrol car. Cindy was in the back seat. I opened the door. She managed a smile and a look of relief, which Iím sure was mirrored on my face.

Then the story unfolded. It makes me angry just telling it.

Cindy had been heading home from work. She was driving cautiously on I-90. A couple inches of snow had fallen, and the roads were slick. As she got to the bridge over the river, she felt a huge collision hit the car. Glass flew. She was thrust forward. Thankfully she was wearing a seatbelt. She is religious about that.

She pulled the car over and realized that someone had rear-ended her.

The driver of the other vehicle came up to the window. He was a heavy guy with a white beard. He asked if Cindy was OK, if she had a phone. Cindy said yes, and she was going to call 9-1-1. As she did, the man got back in his truck and roared past her on down the interstate. All she saw was a big white pickup truck with a topper and the letters P.D.S. on the side.

A state patrolman arrived a few minutes later. He said that someone had called him about the accident on a CB radio, and he had been only two miles away.

He called a tow truck, then waited for it to come, with Cindy in the back seat. Cindy called me. Then they drove to the rest stop. Cindy filled out an accident report.

After I arrived, the trooper showed me pictures of our car, a 2001 Ford Taurus wagon. It was ugly and sad. The back end was pushed, the window smashed and gone. It looked totaled, and that made me mad. It had been a great car, and it was paid for!

Now we are waiting for the insurance company to report on the damages. We are preparing for a big financial hit.

And we are totally disgusted that the driver of the other vehicle drove off. He no doubt had his reasons. No insurance, or something that he did not want to share with authorities. But they are bogus in my mind. Leaving the scene of an accident is never OK. No excuses. Itís just plain wrong.

The police are looking for him. Iím not optimistic though. He could be a local person, but he could also be from hundreds of miles away.

But I guess the bottom line of the accident is this: Cindy wasnít hurt badly. She has some aches and pains from the jolt. But it could have been much worse, and for that we are ultimately thankful.

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