Lightning McQueen’s Hit and Run…Away From Daddy

CarWhen Justin was a younger, his grandparents bought him a Lightning McQueen car that he could drive. He loved it, but I think he only drove it a couple of times because the jolt of speed scared him. For a while, Lightning stayed in the living room and then it was moved to the shed. Finally, it found a home outside under a tarp. I assumed it would be there until the day we moved.

One afternoon while playing in the backyard, Garrett discovered the Lightning McQueen car and wanted to play with it. I pulled Lightning over to the back patio, cleaned him off, and watched as Garrett squealed while climbing in and out of the driver’s seat. As great as Garrett thought this toy was, he had no idea it moved! I re-attached the battery and instructed him to put his foot on the grey petal and then…he was OFF!! He loved it, but had no idea how to use the steering wheel. That didn’t matter to him. He was driving!

A few weeks after Garrett discovered his love for driving, I had to take the trash out. Garrett followed me outside and I watched as he climbed into his car. After a few minutes of hearing Lightning say, “Speed? I am Speed!” and “Ka-Chow,” I heard Garrett hit the petal. The next thing I heard was “CRACK”……..”SPLASH!!!!!!!”

Pipe

I quickly turned around to see that Garrett had driven his Lightning McQueen car into the main PCV water pipe for the sprinkler system, thereby snapping it in half. I saw a geyser of water shoot straight into the air and then rain down on top of Garrett. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion, fear, and the shocking realization of being hit by cold water. I immediately raced over to him, scooped up his soaking wet body, took him into the house (after yelling for GWE to help,) and then turned off the main water valve to the house.

Who needs a tow truck? Not this guy! I'll push it to the body shop!

Who needs a tow truck? Not this guy! I’ll push it to the body shop!

What started out as a calm Saturday morning ended up costing me $300 in plumbing fees, several hours without working toilets, and a scraped fender on (what used to be a mint condition) 2009 Lightning McQueen!

So, now I have questions- why did Garrett refuse to take the breathalyzer at the scene of the accident? (Was he drinking nonfat milk or was he drunk on 2% again?) And more importantly, will Garrett’s insurance cover my property damage???

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