Eulogy

["Hall, Dan" <Daniel.R.Hall@Compaq.com>]

It is with sadness that I must report on the death of a good friend.
Last Tuesday, August 24, 1999, someone in a Dodge conversion van
ran a red light in Epping, NH and plowed into the left front of my
beautiful, pearl white 1989 Audi 90 quattro.  Both the car and I
were hurt.  I was slammed into the left front door and B-pillar pretty
hard (seatbelt was on) after I was hit at an estimated speed of
40 mph.  I had a good bump on my head, my neck and lower back are
very sore, and I have a constant low-grade headache.  I'm sporting a
nice bruise on my lower back too, from a pulled muscle, I presume.
Got a ride in an ambulance to the emergency room.  EMT told me he was
going to put me on the back board and I wouldn't like it.  He was right.

I saw a chiropractor last night and got some relief; I'm also seeing an
orthopedic surgeon on Thursday.  I will survive.  The car is not so lucky,
I think.  I was hit so hard that there's a crease across the left side of
the roof, and the driver's floor has a 6 inch high bow in it.  The left
front fender was pushed in about 18 inches.  Had I been hit three feet
back, I probably wouldn't be typing this.  As hard as I was hit, some
people, on seeing the pictures, say the car doesn't look that bad.
Thank you Audi for building such a solid car.

I loved that car.  I took *very* good care of it.  Check out my records
on http://www.a4.org/ to see how well.  It's registry number 90.

I have an angel in the form of an independent witness who left his
contact info.  He said he saw everything and "She didn't even slow
down" for the red light.  When the other driver was asked by a tow truck
operator what happened, she said she didn't know.  She wasn't cited.
When I asked the investigating officer why not, he said "That would
just add insult to injury".   !!!!!

I've driven a few Audis since, but none of them have excited me yet.
I'm going to keep looking, when I'm not having to deal with doctors
and lawyers.  I didn't want to have to do this, and I don't want to now,
but there it is.

Goodbye friend.

-Dan Hall
 daniel.r.hall@compaq.com