blairmacg | The End of the Story (Reply)

The end is... No one got hurt and damage to the car was much less than it could have been.

Dad and I were heading up the highway in Dev's low-slung Z-car. (Why Dev's? Because mine must go back to the shop. Don't ask.) A huge strip of tire rolled out from under the semi in front of us. No time or place to swerve. Dad kept us from spinning as the tire rumbled beneath the car and was finally spit out the back.

Mind you, we were moving with traffic at around 70 mph, in a car with extremely low clearance. Dad's amateur racing days paid off.

White smoke starting blowing out from under the car. Now, no smoke is good, but white is generally better than black, and the smell was distinctly radiator fluid. Indeed, we lucked out. The underpan, intended to protect the underside of the car from impacts, gave its life to perform its job with distinction. The impact also yanked a hose completely off the radiator -- source of smoke -- with the clamp still attached.

It's fixed now. I have no idea how we came through that without greater damage at the least and hitting another car at the worst.

Dad missed his flight, but even that ended up working out better. The weather that kept his Cessna grounded over the weekend breaks tonight. Since he had no choice but stay an extra day (and all our schedules are fucked because of it anyway), he will likely fly the Cessna home tomorrow rather than take a commercial flight.