I phoned the Dunellen town clerk office today. The lady said the report was there, but would not fax it to me. I got there at 4:30 PM, and a guy found it and gave it to me. It is slightly inaccurate, indicating that the impact was in the front of my vehicle, when it was really on the right front side, 100% on the quarter panel in front of the wheel well.

Still no phone call from the Dunellen people that the accident report was ready for pick-up. So I went there today, the Friday between Thanksgiving and the weekend, and it was closed. So I guess the nice lady was incorrect about the holiday not slowing things down.

Here is an interesting thing. I guess I am lucky that I have not received a ticket in a long time so I have not experienced this. I so far have 4 advertisements from lawyers wanting to represent me from a public record search. This shows that there are too many lawyers looking for cases, and that the ability to search public records has become very easy. I am also wondering if the police departments have figured out that they can probably get paid for referrals. I bet there is a service that delivers the information to the lawyers. I am also wondering why they can get the information so easily, yet getting an accident report takes forms and dollars - and I still do not have it.

I went to the Dunellen Police department today to get the accident report, since it has been almost a week, as the officer told me. I found out that to get a public record it now takes a formal request and signed release form and at least 24 hours to get a photocopy. Plus it costs $2. I guess that pays for the people who have to take the time to move the paper around, since photocopies are a lot cheaper than $2 these days. Being a couple days out from Thanksgiving, I asked if the holiday would slow it down. The nice lady said she would call me when it is ready, and that the holiday would not slow it down, that it just depended on who worked at night, since it is the night people that pull the record.

Today I received a ticket from the Dunellen Police for "Careless Driving". This is after the officer at the little accident on Wednesday said to my face, "There are no injuries here and I don't see any need to bang you guys with any tickets." I told him thanks, that I appreciated that. He said the accident report would be ready in a week. I asked him why it would take so long. He said it was because it had to be, "Checked and managed and and rewritten." I am wondering if his superior said to write the ticket, or if he just decided in retrospect, or if the other party asked for the ticket to be written, or if he was just lying.

I never was in an auto accident that involved me striking another vehicle. Until yesterday.

On my way home from work, at about 4:30 PM, I was pulling out of New Market Road onto Washington Avenue in Dunellen - a turn I make almost every day - at a stop sign - onto a busy street. I really believed I had a clear lane. I was looking in my direction of travel, which is up towards the railroad overpass, since the road comes in at about a 45 degree angle. And there was a boom. It was not even too hard, felt like i hit a speed bump. But it was an old Isuzu Amigo. Nobody hurt, cars still drivable, but it was the first time I felt the "I didn't see him" feeling. I had no idea where he came from.

I got out of the vehicle, approached the driver and asked if he was hurt through a 1/4-opened window, he shook his head no. He had his cell phone out, and I said I was calling 911. In retrospect, I am wondering if he was on his cell phone when the accident occurred. Officer was there in a minute; I think he was just coincidentally driving by there. Another one showed up a minute later.

The Isuzu's driver's door was bowed inward. There was a passenger, a 62 year old guy. The driver was 20something. Both men were Latino, and it looked like the officers had some difficulty communicating in English with them. My old Caravan had only a small dent near the front right wheel well and some scuffing and scratching on the fender.

I overheard one of the officers asking the driver if he had been drinking.

I saw one of the officers speaking to a person on the sidewalk, but I don't know if it was in the context of witness.

One of the officers told me that since there were no injuries and the cars were OK to drive, he would not issue any tickets. He said it would take a week to get the paperwork.

I am unbelievably lucky. I was driving to out PA school from Piscataway this morning. I was doing about 75 on I-287 south in the right lane as I approached the PA exit; the last exit in NJ before the Outerbridge Crossing. At that point in the road, it is curving right under a bunch of overpasses with some blind supporting structures. There was not too much traffic. There was a car in front of me, that I was catching up to. I saw the break lights go on, so I let up on the accelerator. I saw the front end of the State Trooper car pulling out of its hiding place, so I braked. He totally entered the shoulder lane, and I had slowed to about 50 by now, so I let him go in front of me. He proceded to pull-over that car I was catching up to. Had that car not been there, that trooper would have nailed me!

It was a freakishly warm day today. It went up to about 65 degrees. I was able to run barefoot for about 50 minutes today. And my feet didn't even get numb, like last time. I am not looking forward to losing my ability to do barefoot runs. The barefoot running has become addictive. It just feels so good. See this post.

I went to this place called Peddlar's Village. It was a big tourist rip off, if you ask me. There was nothing there you could not find on ebay. There were so many people there that you had to cruise for a parking space~! Busloads~! R.V.'s~! I must admit, dinner was very good, at Heart's Tavern. I suggest Earl's Pizza and a 20 oz. Beck's Draft, if you ever go~!