Go Big or Stay Home (a St. Christopher story)

Last July our Jonathan was involved in a wreck on I-75 in downtown Atlanta. Jonathan was not injured, but his old car (a 2000 Hyundai Elantra) was totaled (Oh, What a Day).

We drove to Atlanta to deal with the paperwork and to arrange for the car to be moved from the city tow yard to Pull-A-Part (where we were paid $280 for a pile of scrap metal). Before the Elantra was loaded on the flatbed truck, Timothy and I climbed all over that car looking for the St. Christopher medal (the patron saint of travelers) that Jonathan kept on the dashboard. We couldn't find it anywhere. 

In the meantime, Jonathan definitely needed another car for his summer internship in Atlanta and for grad school in the fall. So the Nonni stepped in and, for a pre-graduation present, helped him finance a brand new 2019 Toyota RAV4. After driving a crappy car that broke down numberous times, Jonathan was proud of his new set of wheels. 

And I bought him another St. Christopher medal ... this one bigger than the one he lost in the wreck. I figured he needed extra protection ;-)

Fast forward eleven months and Jonathan has since graduated and is now working for an accoutning firm in downtown Atlanta. Friday evening he called us with bad news. As he was driving home during a thunderstorm, and when he was just two minutes from his apartment, a tree fell on the top of his car. It didn't happen when he was stopped at a light or stop sign, but as he was driving. He didn't even see it coming. 

It was a miracle he wasn't injured, but his brand new car of less than a year was totaled. 

When I saw photos of his car my heart stopped beating momentarily; this could have turned out so badly, but it didn't, and in light of my son healthy and whole the loss of another car meant nothing. 

But it did mean another round of paperwork, insurance filings, and phone calls. Lots of phone calls. Luckily, Jonathan's insurance is giving him the full replacement value of the car (minus the deductible) and has provided him with a rental car for 30 days. As soon as his insurance check arrives he'll be car shopping ... again. 

And in case you're wondering, the second St. Christopher medal did survive the accident, and Jonathan will put it in his next car.

But I'm wondering ... should I upgrade? Maybe graduate from a medal to a statue he can mount on his dashboard?

With his track record, I'm thinking Jonathan might need it in Atlanta.