Possibly the worst start to retirement ever!!!

[2HOTinPHX]

So today was my last day of work and starting retirement tomorrow. Lots of planning went into it and it's finally here. Wohoo...to good to be true. Usually worked from home but go into work on Thursdays and today Friday to finish up some things and turn in all my equipment. Boss says finish up what your doing and you can leave early. I head out get a little nastalgic and drive away for the last time. Feels good got our ducks in a row and ready for the good life. I decided to avoid the hectic freeway I would take the more relaxed side streets home. No rush I am retired now.

This this happens.... driver coming the opposite direction makes a sudden left turn thinking the had time and....Fxxxxx.....I slammed on the brakes and turned sharply to the right to try and avoid the truck...but too late. Shxxx..airbags go off... slammed me in the face and side. Thank goodness for safety features but wow what a smack. I sit there for a few seconds dazed that this just happened.....NO...my beloved EUV. Had to fight my way out as the airbags were blocking me. Nasty smelling smoke filled the cabin. First thought was get out.. battery fire and flaming Bolts crossed my mind. I was out of the car for about 10 minutes before I realized I didn't have my glasses on. The truck hit another car after we collided. My Bolt was stuck half way in right lane and traffic had to merge and go around in the left lane. The cabin was cloudy with smoke so I couldn't go back in there to attempt to move the Bolt out of the traffic. While we waited for the cops and emergency vehicles to get there another accident happened about 50 yards past ours. I didn't see it but I would guess once they got past our accident someone got careless and tried to make up for lost time....
Thankfully nobody was seriously injured in the crashes.
I am sure I will be a little sore in the next few days from my one round with Mike Tyson. I am very very sad about the bolt it's been my favorite car ever. Only one year of ownership and still under 10K on it. It did it's job and projected me well. I do think it will be totalled as all the airbags went off. I will share some pictures later.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

So sad.....worst start to retirement only 15 minutes after I left work for the last time. But really most importantly everyone walked away from the crash.....

 

[Alex The Great]

2HOTinPHX, congratulations with your retirement! This is a huge milestone.
Sorry to hear about accident. But it can happen at any time. Are you OK? if so then other issues are just a noise. Hope you have insurance which will take care about your car.
I'm sure things will slowly get back to normal so you can enjoy your time.

I remember my last day at work a couple of months ago. I did drive to office to return the laptop and drive back was pretty normal without emotions. But I worked from home during the last 3+ years and did not associate myself with this office anyway.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

2HOTinPHX, congratulations with your retirement! This is a huge milestone.
Sorry to hear about accident. But it can happen at any time. Are you OK? if so then other issues are just a noise. Hope you have insurance which will take care about your car.
I'm sure things will slowly get back to normal so you can enjoy your time.

I remember my last day at work a couple of months ago. I did drive to office to return the laptop and drive back was pretty normal without emotions. But I worked from home during the last 3+ years and did not associate myself with this office anyway.

I am doing ok.thanks for asking. I do have some upper body tenderness where the air bag punched me and starting to feel a little sore all over upper body which I guess is to be expected for a few days.
I was surprised it was a little emotional saying goodbye to coworkers since we work from home 80% of the time and never did anything outside of the office together. We did share some laughs along the way. I did send them an email I had put together with some inspirational thoughts and video links to at least start thinking about planning for retirement if they haven't already. I told them I wish someone had done that for me when I was much younger. All I ever heard was were never going to be able to retire so why bother ....worse advice ever. Plan for it or it will bite you in the A ......

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I’m so glad you made it out ok!

 

[JoeWras]

Glad everyone made it OK. Congrats on your retirement. Unfortunately, you have an unpleasant task to deal with right away.

My retirement started out with lingering issues from Megacorp that caused me a lot of anxiety. Some day I may discuss it. It was an unpleasant first two months. But once passed, retirement has been great. 5 years now. Where does the time go?

 

[DrRoy]

Hope the insurance goes smoothly. Bad luck can happen at any time.

 

[REWahoo]

2HOTinPHX, congratulations, you just won the "Wildest story of retirement day" contest.

Very glad you are OK, but what a massive bummer about your EUV. I think you are correct in that with air bag deployment it will be totaled.

On the plus side, I'm seeing new EUVs on dealer's lots so it is very possible you can find a replacement without too much hassle, maybe at a price below MSRP.

Please let us know what you end up doing.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Glad to hear you're relatively OK, 2HOTinPHX! It could be the worst start to retirement ever....or maybe it means, with a start like that, your retirement will be a "bull market" from here on out! I hope the stiffness is minor and short-lived.

 

[old medic]

So sad.....worst start to retirement only 15 minutes after I left work for the last time. But really most importantly everyone walked away from the crash.....

Glad to hear you walked away with minor injuries, and Congradulations on the last day.

If it makes you feel any better, My last duty at work was loading our son onto a helicopter for a life flight to a distant hospital.

 

[Car-Guy]

Look at it this way, now you probably have the bad S^&T out of the way and it's smooth sailing now.

 

[Jerry1]

Look at it this way, now you probably have the bad S^&T out of the way and it's smooth sailing now.

Exactly what I was thinking. It should only get better from here.

Congratulations on your retirement. Retirement is a time to make memories. You’ll never forget your first day of retirement.

 

[intent]

My wife suffered some health problems shortly after she retired. At first, she was naturally a bit down about not being able to engage in some of the pastimes to which she had looked forward. Then a lightbulb went off ... she thought about how much the health problems would have sucked if she'd have been dealing with them AND with the stresses and time demands of work. In retirement she could schedule doctor's appointments without worrying about how to find time to get to them, she could focus on rehab, diet, or whatever else she needed to focus on to get her health back. And when she wasn't seeing doctors, rehabbing, or meal prepping she could veg in front of the TV, play a game, read a book or whatever else she wanted to do.

Completely changed her perspective and outlook.

Happy car hunting during the weekdays when you'll have the lots to yourself.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Glad to hear you walked away with minor injuries, and Congradulations on the last day.

If it makes you feel any better, My last duty at work was loading our son onto a helicopter for a life flight to a distant hospital.

Wow sure hope you son was ok. That is the scariest thing to have a loved one in pain.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

That's a pretty good perspective. Couldn't happen at a better time. At least now I don't have to worry about work getting in the way. Just turned off the alarm clock on my phone. No more Mondays!

 

[MarieIG]

That was a jammed packed day! Congratulations on your retirement, sorry about your car - but glad no one was hurt.

 

[iloveyoga]

I'm so happy nobody was hurt.

 

[pacergal]

Congratulations on your retirement.
So sorry you experienced that accident on your way home, but glad no one was severely injured.
Your body/muscles will be sore for a bit, most likely worsening in these next couple of days. Rest, apply heat/ice, take NSAIDS will help. See your Dr if needed!

Hope the insurance business and looking for a new car go well.
Take care.

 

[Dreamer]

Glad to hear that you only had minor injuries. What a retirement day to remember.

Congratulations on your retirement.

 

[jollystomper]

Congrats on the retirement! As others have said, very thankful there were no serious injuries. Cars, as much as they are loved, can be replaced. Being retired, you will have more time and flexibility to replace it. Take the long term view, and enjoy!

 

[old medic]

Wow sure hope you son was ok. That is the scariest thing to have a loved one in pain.

Thanks, Its been a life long issue with him. At 4 days old he had surgery and given a 50/50 chance of surviving. He's made it to 37 and given us a grandson.

 

[freedomatlast]

Terrible day, but it beats dyeing at your desk like a coworker did years ago. Better days ahead and congratulations on your retirement!

 

[More Cowbell]

Yay for making it over the line, and more importantly, being able to walk away from the accident! Sorry about your beloved EUV, but you get to have unencumbered time to search for your next ride.

 

[Beldar]

The car can be replaced, you cannot. I'm glad you are OK.

Happy ER!

_B

 

[rk911]

SO glad that you survived and are not seriously hurt.