I want to tell everyone about the hurtful but wonderful experience we had in Rocky Point. My mom (94 years old), my dog and I went to Rocky Point to have a very relaxing Thanksgiving. It turned out to be anything but that. Mom and I (the dog was at my husband’s house, Rick Gillespie, superintendent of Las Palomas Golf Course) had only been there for about one hour doing some shopping, and were heading to Rick’s house when we got t-boned on the passenger side where Mom was sitting. I had looked before entering the intersection but didn’t see anyone, so went through. All I heard was mom yell, “Vic”, and she didn’t even get out the ‘ic’, when I heard a bomb go off. Turns out this guy was going very fast up the hill to my right, and that is why I didn’t see him.

 

He hit us so hard we moved at least 40 feet. The door, on mom’s side, was so caved in that it hit the seat she was sitting in and the dashboard was completely destroyed. The glass in her window flew out into the street. We also had a lot of glass in the car. Heck, later we were still finding glass in our clothes and hair. My purse was full of it. My chest hurt really bad. I asked my mother how she was and, of course, she said, “I am fine”. I got out of the car, saw the damage and realized she could not possibly be fine. The guy that hit us called the ambulances while I called Rick. I can’t believe I had the presence of mind to tell Rick exactly where we were, just two blocks from his house. At some point I realized that my mother’s hearing aid had been knocked from her ear, so she couldn’t hear anyone but me. I was on a stretcher before Rick got there, but saw him there before they took me away so I wasn’t worried about mom.

 

The ambulance wanted to take me first since I had chest pain, but I kept telling them to take my mom as I thought she must have been hurt. She continued to say that said she says she was fine – again, I didn’t believe it. We went to the hospital in separate ambulances but someone had found her hearing aid and the doctor put it together. They probed and prodded both of us – my chest is all black and blue with a cracked rib – don’t know if I hit the steering wheel or if it was just the seat belt, but I am sore. I also hit the door with my shoulder and it is sore. They took x-rays and it turns out Mom was just fine, not a bruise on her – how, I don’t know. I took the brunt of it – how, I don’t know. Rick stayed behind and gave the police my drivers license and insurance information, and then was at the clinic for us so fast I was afraid he had left my truck there with our passports in the glove box. Turns out he had located our purses and secured them in his vehicle. The glove box couldn’t open because the door smashed it. In Mexico, they impound your car very fast. We had to go the police station on Wednesday to go before a judge. The judge decided it was not my fault stating that in Mexico, when you have an intersection without stop signs whoever enters first has the right of way. The judge decided it was me who held the right-of-way, after reading the police report. We spent Friday trying to get my car out of impound, and have it towed back to Phoenix.
I do have to hand it to the people of Rocky Point. Rick, especially, since he not only came right away but drove us back to Phoenix. I also have to thank Rosie Glover, my insurance lady who came to the clinic to make sure we were OK and if we needed an interpreter she was there and she also went to the police station both days. Also, thank you to Rick’s assistant, Neftalie Morales, he called his wife and daughter and they went to the clinic in case we needed assistance since they speak perfect English. Dennis Bleeker, the tow truck driver, was also wonderful. Rosie went above and beyond what I expect an insurance agent to do. They wouldn’t do that here in the states, show up both at the clinic and the police station to speak on my behalf!