Monday afternoon 6/13/05 Debbie and I were driving in Sarasota; we were coming to a stop behind a truck turning left and a SUV behind it (we were 3rd in line); we were rear ended by a 19,000 pound truck going very fast.  The pictures below show the results - a 5 car wreck.  Our Honda was actually sent airborne into 3 vehicles, first the Ford SUV, then the pick-up, and finally hit the red car sitting on the side of the road (For Sale - the sign said "Excellent Condition").  The driver of the Ford was transported to the hospital.  (Interesting reality hit me later as I had time to think - abs brakes & steering don't work when you're in the air - my thoughts at the time were "the brakes & steering aren't working" - hey, they don't work when you're off the ground - our vehicle was hit so hard that it was turned into a temporary missile!)

Debbie was pretty shook up and has a stiff neck & my old back is stiff/sore; hopefully, all will be fine (the paramedics wanted to take Debbie to the hospital in the ambulance; she declined).   We're very glad that we weren't driving the Miata or we'd be a grease spot on the road!

The Honda really held up well after taking a severe beating; the passenger compartment stayed in tack and we were well protected.  I'm hoping to buy another Honda SUV as we're more convinced than ever that they're great little vehicles.  It was sad to see the Honda, all the fluids on the ground, the transmission frozen, and the windshield motor grinding (I must have hit the knob when we got hit).

Bottom Line Update:  We both have suffered permanent back injuries; Debbie has been forced to give up golf and I'm about done.  We've dropped our family golf membership, I've kept the individual membership, but it's not a rational decision.  I've played only one time since Christmas when the kids were here; it was when Jim was visiting and I had to ice my back after playing.  Bike rides are now short and pretty much slow within the neighborhood.  On the "to do" list is explore whether there are bikes or bike seats that aren't as hard on the back. We both love working in the yard, now we just go a little slower and spread it out.  Our doctor said that it's just something that we must learn to live with, and get ready for arthritis to set in sooner or later.  The very good news is we're both alive thanks to the Honda sustaining the hard blow and maintaining structural integrity within the passenger compartment.