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Help Tea's Car Get Back on the Mean Streets of LA

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UPDATE (9/13)
Welp. The people over at Big Car tell me that the damage makes my car a “total loss”. What this means (if you, like me, did not no), is that the cost to repair the car is more than the car was worth so the good people at Big Insurance Provider are going to pay me out what they think the car is worth (minus my deductible, of course). The good news is that means I don’t have to wait for my car to be repaired! The bad news is I need to buy a new-used car and the money I am being paid paid out is just enough to cover what I still owed on the loan I used to purchase the car.

This is, how do you say, a drag. So I am bumping the “goal” here and hoping that I can crowdfund as much as possible for a down payment on a fuel-efficient car with one, maybe two catalytic converters still attached to it (…for now).

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. I am, humbled, grateful, and blown away. If you can’t donate (or don’t see the point, which, can’t blame you) I would ask if you could share this among your network. Maybe someone there likes throwing money at strangers.

The Money I’m Asking For Break-Down:
$500 - Make up my deductible
$1000 - Bike & Accessories, Rideshares, and other Interim Travel Expenses
$2000 - Down payment for a new-used car
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Last Tuesday night (the 29th) I was turning left across a street, did not see an oncoming car, and was (ironically) T-Boned. As Mike Birbiglia put it, "this is the culinary way of describing when you are hit by another car, on the driver's side, at a 90-degree angle, like a t-bone steak."

There are a number of reasons "why" this happened: I didn’t see the other car because, as it was a Fiat, it was hidden behind the larger cars parked alongside the curb; I wasn't as cautious as I could have been pulling out; I have some bad car-ma (from making jokes like that). Whatever the reason is, it happened.

But at least, as it was a Fiat, the impact damage was as minimal as possible. I walked away from the crash uninjured and thankfully so did the other driver (actually he didn't walk away, he drove, somewhat annoyed but not concussed). I bruised some ribs, suffered some whiplash, but I am incredibly grateful that the worst thing I feel walking away from a car accident is frustration. That frustration comes from a number of factors (like being without a car in Los Angeles, which the infrastructure of this city does not *checks notes* "vibe with") but the chief source of my frustration is the unexpected financial burden.



I did (and do) have insurance, so the majority of the damage to both vehicles is covered. However, the claims adjusters for the insurance companies found me 100% at fault for the collision, so I have to pay my deductible and my premium will go up. At the same time, AAA towed my car to a garage in their network but I had to have it moved to a garage in my insurance company's network or they wouldn't be able to inspect my car, let alone work on it until the 11th. I wrestled with tow companies trying to get it moved before Labor Day weekend but I was unsuccessful and the AAA facility has been charging storage fees, not all of which are covered by my claim.

These are large unexpected expenses but they also come with little needling costs. I bought a used bike to get to work (and a helmet and a lock and a light and wow this stuff adds up quickly). There’s the cost of rideshares to get to where I need to go when it's further away than I can bike safely (like my second job and other gigs).



I’m kind of embarrassed to be asking for help like this. I know there is financial hardship all over. I have friends in the entertainment industry who have no idea when these strikes will end and they’ll be able to go back to work, I have friends in the tech industry who have been subject to the massive lay-offs, I have friends who are ill and need their healthcare costs covered. We live in a nightmare. I am not the most worthy cause there is. These expenses can be filed under “the cost of living” and if you scoff to yourself like, "suck it up, buttercup" I totally get that. But ask for nothing, and that’s what you get, right? I’m practicing asking for help. If it helps you to frame it this way, my birthday is the 23rd. This would be a very cool birthday present.

So, if you can spare it, I’d love your help paying for this accident, please. And if you’re like, “Sorry, but, like…no.” I completely understand. But, who knows, maybe you’re reading this and you’re like “I’m a comfortable retiree who was forwarded this email and I *do* have $20 burning a hole in my pocket.” If so, might I help relieve you of that?

And one last thing, sometime people are like "If I get more than my goal I'm going to do this cool thing with it." The cool thing that I will do if I go beyond my goal is: chiropractic and rolfing work to make my neck feel all the way better. I know. Tres cool.
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Donations 

  • Jamie Perkins
    • $25
    • 1 yr
  • Alma Young
    • $50
    • 1 yr
  • Sands Hall
    • $100
    • 1 yr
  • Julio Valdez JR
    • $20
    • 1 yr
  • Anonymous
    • $200
    • 1 yr
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Organizer

Tea Wade
Organizer
Pasadena, CA

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