At around 4 AM, a loud crash woke me up. I looked through the window and saw a vehicle on its side in the middle of the street. I hopped out of bed and called 911 to report the accident before heading outside to check on the driver.
He had already exited his overturned RAV4 by the time I completed the call and left the house. He was a younger guy, and although he looked a tad disorientated, he was uninjured and seemingly sober. We waited for the police to show up, and I noticed for the first time exactly what the driver had collided with.
Vlad had been struck on the driver’s side. It was a crushing blow on the front fender, right where the tire was. He had been pushed fully against the curb and a few feet back. The driver of the RAV4 claimed he had only been going 15 miles an hour, but it seemed doubtful with how far Vlad had been moved by the impact.
Inside, my fridge had been knocked off its shelf and onto my bed. It was fortunate that I chose to spend the night inside the house. While it’s highly unlikely the accident would have been fatal, it would have been an unpleasant experience for anyone sleeping in the car at the time.
Things didn’t look too bad at first, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the entire wheel had been knocked out of alignment. The driver of the other car said he knew someone who could fix Vlad and offered to pay for any repairs, but I chose to let the insurance companies handle it.
The RAV4 was taken away, and I exchanged details with the driver. I tried my best to go back to sleep. After the sun rose, I contacted my insurance company and reported the accident. Over the course of a month and a half, I worked out the details, sending pictures and information to the assessors at first and then opting to have Vlad towed in for inspection.
My plans for the road trip were put on hold. I puttered around my hometown and went to work at summer school. I was looking forward to finally quitting my job and beginning my grand adventure, but the crash had thrown everything into limbo. It was depressing, but it could have been a lot worse. All that was left for me to do was sit and wait for a verdict from the insurance company.
In the end, the damage was determined to be too expensive to fix, and Vlad was totaled.
It was heartbreaking. All the effort my parents and I had put into turning Vlad into a livable space had been wasted. My test run was canceled before it even began. Despite the setback, I was feeling somewhat optimistic.
There would be a payout from the insurance company, eventually. Vlad’s demise would not be worthless. Once I received the money, I could purchase a different vehicle, perhaps even something more comfortable to live in. On top of that, there was still a way for me to get out and finally attempt the big vanlife test I had been so desperate to try.
Nothing could keep me trapped in the Antelope Valley.
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