I never really thought about pieces of tire causing a lot of damage until a couple of years ago. Justin and I were headed to Valdosta from Tifton on I-75 and saw a pick-up truck pulling a trailer hit a piece of tire tread. The tread flew into the air and hit a little Lexus that was in front of us. I was driving the Explorer and just drove over the tread after it hit the Lexus. As I went around the car, I could tell that there was quite a bit of damage. The side mirror was hanging by wires and there were lots of black scrapes and scratches down the previously white paint.
When the Honda encountered the tread, I was north of Macon. The vehicle in front of me hit the tread and it flew into the air. It hit the road and bounced up again as I was driving by it. Because of other vehicles, I couldn't swerve to avoid it, so I had to hit it. My first thought was that my tire might have been damaged but the car wasn't driving differently so I kept going.
I stopped in a few minutes when I got to Macon. As I was getting gas, I noticed that my bumper looked odd. After further checking, I realized my car had some damage from the tread. The bumper was detached on one side and it was cracked. The headlight was also cracked.
I used the restroom at the gas station and then went back to my car and called the insurance company. After getting all of that taken care of, I continued home. The insurance company arranged for me to get a rental car while my car was in the shop. I was to drop off my car the next day at the body shop and the rental car would be waiting for me. I was reminded to bring my driver's license with me.
During lunch the next day, I went to pick up my food and realized my wallet was missing. I searched my car and office. I drove to Nashville and searched the house. I went to Justin's parents' house because I stopped by there the night before to pick up Pete and Annabelle. I just could not find it! I grabbed my passport and headed back to Valdosta. I was going to go to the license office and get a replacement license, but they aren't open on Monday. I had to call the car rental office and the insurance company to make arrangements for the next day since I didn't have a license. I was so annoyed. I even called the gas station where I stopped and asked if they had found my wallet. They said it hadn't been turned in.
I got a replacement license the next day and got my car fixed before the weekend. The damage total was right at $1,000. I couldn't believe that a piece of tire tread did that much damage to my car!
On the 4th of July, I was headed back to Atlanta for the weekend (and more house hunting!) and stopped at the same gas station for gas. I asked the lady at the counter if anyone had turned in a wallet and she said they did have one. She pulled it out and it was mine! I was so happy! I had already gotten a new license and a new credit card, but I had everything else back and all of my stuff was still in the wallet. I guess I left it in the restroom when I was washing my hands. I'm so thankful an honest person found it.
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