Imagine owning a 1931 Model A Ford you personally restored with your aging father. Imagine the feeling you’d have after the distracted driver of a Toyota Corolla destroys the link between father and son as a result of a cell phone. This is the exact scenario we want to tell you about. William Smith from Orange, California is living this nightmare. The only positive is he wasn’t physically in the car at the time of impact. The hit-and-run crash claimed the car that’s been a part of his family for over 45 years last week. Smith parked the Model A in Orange, California on the street as he went to work nearby. Sometime later the unmistakable sounds of a terrible car crash reached his ears. Knowing something was wrong, he walked over and came upon a devastating scene.
Arriving on the scene and seeing the devastation caused a flood of emotions. “I think they call it a panic attack, because I was crying and my hands were shaking uncontrollably,” Smith told The Drive. The woman driving the Toyota Corolla drifted out of her lane and collided into the rear corner of the Model A shoving it onto the sidewalk. The impact was so severe it bent the frame and driveshaft, split the engine block, snapped all four wire wheels, broke the differential, and sent the hood flying ten feet into the grass. Aside from the obvious damage, the car’s entire structure is buckled and tweaked. The result of a life’s work was now totally destroyed. Smith didn’t have much time to take the carnage in. As he got closer the woman driving the Toyota hopped back into the car and attempted to escape. Smith related “She got back into her car and tried reversing, so I got behind it, but she wasn’t going to be able to get out anyway because her car was stuck in the spokes of my car’s wheel,” he said. “So she took off on foot, but the cops caught her about 20 minutes later in a nearby neighborhood.”
It was then when she allegedly confessed to being on her phone at the time of the accident. Eighty-seven years of automotive history, 45 years of a family’s stories, all ruined by yet another case of distracted driving. Smith’s father got the 1931 Ford Model A as 16th a birthday present in 1973, and it’s been a part of his life ever since.
“He drove it to high school and college, and he gave it to me for my 18th birthday, and I’ve driven the car as my daily driver to college and work,” he told The Drive. “My dad spent a countless amount of time, money, and effort on this car.”
Imagine what could have happened had the car been occupied. This car had none of the modern day safety features like seat belts, air bags or energy absorbing bumpers and instead had a rigid frame with wooden wheels. Had the 31 Ford been occupied at the time of collision the only party with safety equipment would have been the one who caused the accident and it’s anyone’s guess what the extent of the injuries would have been. When distracted drivers cause the damage they cause that’s when we get called.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when they refuse to follow the law. We help with serious issues that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth. We have over 80 years of experience in our plaintiff’s only law firm. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We Can Help!