It Definitely Could Have Been Worse.

It must be a bit worrying living by a major intersection.  The thought must regularly come to mind that your building will be hit by an idiot driver.  This morning there was an example of this at Saskatoon's Acadia Drive and 14th Street intersection.  The apartment building there was hit by a minivan about 7 AM.  As you can see by the pictures the van ended up wedged into the building.  Amazingly the driver got out and ran away.  He was followed by a bystander, who tracked him all the way to the Centre Mall several blocks away, where the driver was apprehended by mall security.  Several charges have been laid, and Saskatoon Police say speed and alcohol were involved.

The accident could have been worse.  The basement apartment located where the van hit was empty.  The driver was alone in the vehicle.  And he managed not to hit any other vehicle passing through.  Potential targets could have included Saskatoon Transit buses 3 and 5, which pass through that intersection around that time, depending on how on schedule they are.(I was riding 3 several winters ago when it was t-boned there by a car unable to stop on ice in the intersection.)

This is not the first time this building has been hit.  An accident years ago led to damage to another basement suite.  Perhaps the owners are going to have to consider installing some sort of posts or other barriers so it doesn't happen again.

Fido Fatalities.

We've all seen it more than once. Someone driving along with their dog or dogs, and the dogs have their heads hanging out the window. Seeing an example of that today made me wonder how many dogs are killed in accidents each year because of such behaviour. In an accident an unrestrained dog will be like any other unsecured occupant of a vehicle, at risk for being ejected, or for that matter striking the interior of the vehicle or other occupants in a potentially lethal fashion. I doubt anyone keeps track of this kind of thing, and animal deaths only seem to be mentioned in news reports either when the accident is caused by hitting an animal or when a significant number of animals are involved, such as a truckload of livestock.

Oh, Dear.

My father took his car to SGI for an evaluation and then to the autobody shop. There's at least 5 grand of damage from the deer strike, and the shop told him it might not be repairable. What's especially upsetting is that my parents had planned to leave on a trip to the Yukon at the end of next week, followed by a visit to my aunt and uncle in Kitimat, BC, for their 50th wedding anniversary. At the very least the Yukon trip will be cancelled even if the car is fixable. The obvious question is whether SGI will accept the body shop's claim its unfixable if they find that's the case.