The Crash Heard Round Our Car

Jim and I have season tickets to the Fort Worth Symphony Pops Series. Last weekend, they were featuring the Von Trapp Family Singers (great-grandchildren of the Captain in the Sound of Music). The concert wasn't as good as the previous Billy Joel-themed concert; but, it was still really cool to listen to music from the movie and see the family members actually wearing Maria's dresses.

On our way home, Jim and I were talking about the concert (because we are cultural like that). All the sudden, there was a deafening crash and the windshield in my SUV exploded. In an instant, I was covered in glass shards -- head to toe. My windshield was a disaster. I guess I've watched too many Dateline or 20/20 stories on violence, because all I could think was, "I've been shot." I actually asked Jim if I had been shot. He slowed down and I started taking off layers looking for any wounds. No bullet wounds. But, tons of glass and an anxiety-induced irregular heartbeat. Once we got home, we analyzed the situation and filed a police report. Someone had thrown a baseball, or larger, sized rock at our car and hit the windshield. Because we have safety glass, the inside layer of glass exploded into the car; but, the object did not come into the car. It simply hit, left a crater, and bounced off.

We are so lucky. I hear stories of people get seriously injured or dying from situations like this. A little bit of a different angle, better aim by the idiot rock thrower, or non-safety glass could have caused major problems. In the end, I just had a piece of glass stuck in my hand, causing some minor bleeding. If you think I'm a exaggerator, check out these photos (click to enlarge). They don't do the crater justice. But, it's the best I could do at midnight.