Close calls

Yesterday, Elaine was accompanying her Grandma Cathy and Grandpa Dave on some errands. Driving in a south Minneapolis neighborhood, they had a close call in a speeding car that went through a red light, clipped the front the our car, and went on to a horrible crash further down the block. Thankfully, despite the extreme close call, no one in our family was hurt. The damage was confined to the bumper and the license plate of the Acura.

And while the close call must have been a bit unnerving to the grandparents, apparently the accident did nothing to even stir the sleeping Elaine in the back seat. The girl stayed put for a while after the accident until a moment just before her mother arrived when she realized she was hungry. (She must have known instinctively her mom was closing in.)

We are deeply grateful that our family is okay. Sometimes we have those close calls that teach us not to take anything for granted. Certainly, it goes without saying that you should always wear your seat belt when driving. Make sure the child car seat is correctly installed. And most importantly and most difficultly, watch out for crazy, out-of-control drivers on the road. In this circumstance, though, it is all but impossible to avoid someone going over 80 mph down a residential street through a red light.