A Young Military Couple in a Serious Car Accident

Hi, my name is Kelly, and I’m a 20-year-old military spouse currently working in property management. My husband has served 4 years in the military (E4 specialist) and works in retail. Together we’ve been working hard to build a better future such as financing our first car last Christmas and saving up for our first apartment.

We put our ducks in a row, but now things have taken a turn for the worst. My husband was set to go to the border mission this May, meaning he would be making more money than he does at his retail job. But now, those plans are up in the air and so is our financial freedom. We were planning on using our savings for a deposit on our first apartment to move in June at a sister property I work for, but we won’t be able to afford our own place anymore. His birthday was March 6th and we saw it as an opportunity for us to spend some quality time together before he left for the border. So, we decided to book an AirBNB in San-Antonio for 2 days.

On March 7th, we were involved in a terrifying car accident in San Antonio. An SUV hit the side of our Mazda CX-30, forcing us into a semi-truck. We spun out on I-10 and nearly lost our lives. Our car was severely damaged and had to be towed to the impound. We were stranded at a police station for 7 hours while scrambling ideas on how to get the car back to Katy. We rented a U-Haul the next day just to get back and bring the car to my parents house.

The SUV that hit us was an impatient driver that couldn’t stand to be stuck behind a semi, yet he was able to drive away in one piece. The semi driver is safe and had minor damages. But our car — our only means of transportation — has been declared nearly totaled, with over $13,000 in damages. The frame, axle, radiator, and more are bent or broken. USAA refuses to repair the car even though they promised it would be fixed by April 18th.

USAA is only offering us limited options, and no matter what we choose, we’re left struggling. We either take a small payout and lose our car, or buy it back and try to repair it on our own. And we only have a rental car for a few more days.

We’re asking for help to either:

• Repair our vehicle affordably

• Or buy a safe, used car in cash to keep us working and on our feet

We’ve been trying to do everything right, but this has been a devastating hit — financially and emotionally. Anything helps, and if you can’t donate, please consider sharing our story.

Thank you so much for reading and for your kindness. We are lucky we can even ask for help.

– Kelly & Naz