Smith Family Car Fund

On November 15th, the eve of my 47th birthday I was traveling with my youngest on 95 South. We were about 20 minutes from home when I heard a weird-kerchunk-sound in the back of my car. Within seconds I went from traveling 50+ mph in the far right lane to slamming into the jersey barrier in the far left lane. I had no idea what had happened, I only knew that I had no control over the car. I looked over at my equally shocked 12 year old son, and then I turned my head and saw the lights of a semi at my window. The grill of the truck hit my door, and then all I heard was screeching tires and squealing brakes. Then the car was pushed over a mile marker and into a guardrail. My son and I sat stunned, and as folks came to check on us, we kept being told not to move and that 911 had been called. One gentleman ran to his car and gave us a lovely quilt, another held my hand and checked on my son and I repeatedly. The men who stopped to assist all seemed amazed we were ok, no blood or terrible injuries. A man who had seen the accident in his rear view mirror kept saying we should have flipped, and that he had never seen an accident like this where the occupants were ok. The truck driver checked on us, and soon the State Troopers arrived and took control of the situation. My son and I were shaken and in shock, but we were fine, except my hands ached from gripping the steering wheel. The air bags didn't deploy, and we had three separate impacts. In short, we were incredibly blessed, amazingly and incredibly blessed. This was the best birthday present I have ever received, because neither my son nor I was injured.


M

Sadly despite this wonderful outcome, my little old Hyundai was totaled, and the insurance amount is simply not enough to purchase a reliable vehicle. This is where the hard part comes into play for me. I am a forensic social worker, and I regularly transport clients to appointments, meetings, and medical care. I also travel to correctional facilities all over the state of Maryland. In short, my car enables me to do the job I love so dearly. Without a reliable vehicle I can't do my job; I need a vehicle in order to serve my clients. Now being a social worker is wonderful and my calling; it doesn't however, offer a large financial cushion. My husband was out of work for almost two years, and we are finally both employed. We were just starting to get abreast of our finances again, but we are dealing with huge debts and huge loans. Needless to say, our credit is not as good as it should be, and a car loan is impossible at this time. Which brings me to my request for assistance. I have found a reliable car, with less than 95K miles on it for $5500. Our trusted mechanic, who is wonderful, is selling the car, and he has done amazing work keeping our family cars running smoothly and safely. Our family would very much appreciate any little bit of help to get us over this hurdle.