Of Rain and Impala's and Insurance Claims...

Last Saturday, we had some rain. Okay, a lot of rain. In a very short period of time. Torrential downpour would be an accurate description.

When this happens, the catch basins at the end of our driveway have a hard time keeping up. Then all the leftover fall leaves plug the grate, and the water has NOWHERE to go. So the road floods. This happens more often, but we have never seen it this bad! Deanna and I had gone out to spend her birthday gift certificate, and when we got back, we barely made it into the driveway! The lake was more than halfway up our front lawn....

Art's car was parked on the road. At that point, the water was up over the bumper, which means halfway up the door.

Art and Tim and eventually one of the neighbours went out in their hip-waders (they wish!) to unclog the storm sewers. When the water went down, Art went to check out his car. This is what he found:

He bailed it out, and tried to Wet-Vac it, but no luck, it was so full of water you can hear it sloshing around under the carpet. So he called the insurance company and rented a car for Monday morning.

Today the insurance adjuster went to have a look at the car. Guess what.... the car is a write-off! We were SO not expecting that! We figured they would take out the seats, remove the carpet, clean it, put it back together, and off we go....

But apparently not. There is a whole laundry list of problems that could happen. Also, the seat belts are wet and need replacing, there is an air bag module under the seat that will need replacing, the seat bolts/brackets are already rusting and need replacing, speakers, wheel bearings, possibly water in the transmission and other nasty places where water should not be....

OH MAN!!! Art is a little bit sad. He loves (loved?) that car....

Now start the settlement negotiations....

Sigh....