I worked across town last night at a pub in Euless TX, 35 miles or so from my house. The weather was bad, and I am so used to seeing drunks on the road at that time of night that I kept my eyes looking extra carefully. Sure enough, I saw a couple of idiot kids, screaming down the highway, playing tag or something between two cars ... they exited before any mishap (that I witnessed anyway).

Then on a straight, long stretch of highway, 3 lanes each way, divided; I was cruising up the center lane at 50MPH (rain was bad enough to slow me down) and SLAM - I was rearended at very high speed by a brand new Mercedez Benz sports car ... she must have been doing at least 80MPH ... she hit the right rear bumper of my Toyota Tundra (full size) pick up truck and sent me tailspinning off the highway. What a powerfull hit!

No one around ... a few cars whizzed by as we each coasted to a stop (me off the road to the right, she at the concrete median - both headed exactly the wrong way). First thing I did was dial 911 and get my first impressions on tape ... cops came, the other driver got out and giggled about the damage to her car, it was demolished (she was incredibally unhurt) ... she cursed the rain ... slurred and struggled to sort out the papers ... I just hoped the cops would get there and sort out her state.

The rain poured down ... all my guitars and gear had been packed pretty carefully in the back of the truck, but had been thrown around ... they appeared OK, though they'd been thrown up against the back tailgate ... the cops ran our license and insurance paperwork, called the other driver to sit in the squad car to go over the details ... and I awaited my turn ... when the officer finally came back to me, he handed me my license and papers and gave me an accident report number ... he said I could go - at first I was disturbed that he didn;t want to hear what happened from me; but then he said, "you can go, but she's going to jail tonight for DWI." I said, emphatically, "GOOD!" Then I told him she had really nailed me hard (when she hit me, every bone cracked from my neck to my butt) and that I could see no reason for it. He said, again, she was going in for DWI and that he'd be calling on me to be his star witness. I said, "I'll be there!"

Sometimes I just love cops!