I thought I made the rounds in the house, securing doors and windows. Part way to work, I decided I did not check the back bedroom windows. I did not remember opening them the night before, but I decided to return home to double check: All was locked tight.
We are having a big accreditation survey at work next week. Everything has to be clean and in "tip top" shape. High priority is placed on cosmetics, and first impressions, so the parking lots needed to be cleaned. We have two parking lots: The larger, west parking lot is close to the building entrance, where there are many reserved spots, and handicapped parking, but extends far to the west of the building entrance. I park in the east parking lot, which is much smaller, and further from the building entrance.
The west parking lot was closed as of 4 AM 9-25-12 for cleaning, and later, striping. Because of this, when I arrived, a little late for work on 9-25-12, parking was chaos. I thought I found a spot, near a small ditch just north of the parking lot, but in the grass. I pulled in. But decided I was not off the tarmac, and rolled in a little more. Thunk. Major Thunk. I could not move forward or back. I got out, and saw that I had landed on the cement collar above a culvert used to drain the ditch. The car canted down, and the left rear was off the ground.
I scrambled out the driver's door, to see the problem, then in then out, a couple of times. I finally used the passenger side to get my cell phone, so I could make some calls for help, and let my co-workers know I would be late for treatment team.
A co-worker was sure we could lift the car and push it back, and rallied some others to help. I was worried about the car rolling forward, and hurting people, and they were pushing but not lifting, so that was useless.
Other folks gathered. The correctional officers offered to get some chains and see if they could drag me out. I talked about it. More co-workers gathered, including my supervisor and several other social workers. The more we talked about solutions, the more I decided I needed professional assistance.
I called a nearby wrecking service. Their price was outrageous, but after talking to the correctional staff who had ideas about hauling the car out, I decided to spend the money, and have the extraction done safely and correctly. I did not want anyone hurt while helping me, and I did not want my vehicle harmed any more than it was.
The wrecker service told me they would send someone shortly, but there was a mileage charge because I was outside the loop. They are located outside the loop, and the prison is located less then 2 miles from their yard. I argued, but the dispatcher said "this is the way it is." I needed their help.
One of the security officers took pictures on his phone. I asked him to send them to me, and he did! Thank you!
The car looks precariously perched, but really it was solidly stuck on the collar of the culvert.
The wrecker service sent a truck out shortly, and the technician was great! He was very supportive and soothing to me. He scoped out the situation, looked at the options, and extricated the car from its predicament. The Vue was resting on its frame on the culvert's concrete collar. When he moved it, there was no oil or other liquid visible, so I think nothing was broken. After the wrecker driver extricated the car from its precarious perch, he moved it to a safe place. He said he did not see scratches or damage under the car when he placed the chains. He did not charge me mileage.
One of the security officers asked me to drive the around in the vacated parking lot, to be sure it drove safely. The wrecker driver thought it was okay. My director rode with me and we both thought it was okay. When I drove home and sometimes hit high speeds, it was okay.
My boss stopped on her way in to work, and agreed to adjust my time to give me credit for being at work. Several colleagues stopped and offered support and commiseration. The social workers who stopped asked if there was anything they could do to help me, work wise. Many security officers stopped and wanted to help, but realized they probably could not. The warden came out and apologized that the area was not marked.
Later in the day, a co-worker told me she recently hit a roadside mailbox, with no immediate problems, but some leakages appeared a couple of weeks later, so that is good to know. I will watch for later damage.
Throughout the day, co-workers check on me and asked about my car. This is not the first time I have had a personal emergency at the prison. And the same concern and support has been there, each time. I am reminded, over and over again, how close a community we are: people look out for and take of people because we are "all in this together."
I went through a wide variety of emotions the day this happened: Fear, embarrassment, despair, relief, uncertainty, manic joy, contentment, relief.
I am very blessed: I am safe and uninjured. My vehicle seems to be okay. I do have the economic resources to pay for professional services, although I would rather not. I have wonderful support from co-workers and friends.
God loves me and reminds me that no matter how serious or dire the situation, he has provided me with the wherewithal to deal with it. I am blessed.
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