and HE smote . . .

. . . My car!

Seriously!

Hello? Car insurance broker person? Ya, I'm in the parking lot at work, and um, my car got hit by lightning.

There was a massive thunder storm today. I was covering reception for lunch and when I looked up, the sky was so black I thought something must be on fire.



Nope - severe thunderstorm warnings. It hadn't started to rain as yet, so everyone was making the mad dash to make sure their car windows were up.




Me, I go out with my camera. Sadly, these pictures do not capture the feeling of impending doom ominous feeling or heaviness of the black clouds that quickly spread across the sky.



Shortly after this, lightning struck one of these flag poles, a power transformer on the building and apparently, the antenna on my car.



I didn't know about the car until much later. We merrily continued working after all of the hourly plant staff had been told to go home for the day. No transformer, no power in the building. Emergency power to the phones and lights for a few hours. Customer service had to stay - we are salary you see. We get paid if we are there or not.

We worked with pen, paper and calculators on a big project I've been working on since last week. Personally, I think it was pointless.


Oh, back to the car. It's hatchback and bright blue, as you can see. I got in my car, turned it on and couldn't figure out why it would not b-u-d-g-e from park. I then realized everything that could lights up on the dash, was, and that there was something wrong.

Lightening never entered my mind, 'till I got out and realized there was no antenna on my car. After working in the dark from around 12:30 there were a few people standing around in the lot still. Thankfully! I walked over and said, I think my car's been hit by lightening.

(enter peels of laughter here and many jokes at my, or rather my poor car's expense)

I gathered a crowed of curious on-lookers and two plant electricians who turned on the car and looked under the hood.

Got to be a capacitor. Probably the computer. It's a wonder it turns over. Wonder what else is fried. You opened this with the power? Must be running on the battery. Amazing.

Amazing is this bit of remaining antenna - it was on the ground about 15 feet away. I found the very end of my antenna a little while later with some fried wires standing out of it. Did I mention that my antenna was about 2 feet tall?

I got a ride home from Liz, who kindly let me stop in at the grocery store so I could get "comfort food" in the form of a tub of ice cream something highly nutricious for dinner.

I called both my insurance broker (before I even left the parking lot AND it was before 5 AND I got someone AND it's now after 8 AND I still haven't gotten a call back) and the dealership. The guy that answered the phone at the dealership - he laughed too. Then he told me to go and buy a lottery ticket. Hmn.

I don't know if I should laugh (although I have been) or if I should cry. My Mum kindly pointed out that she hopes my insurance doesn't go up. Doesn't this qualify as an "act of God?" I hope that He can pay my deductible too - cuz I don't happen to have any spare cash lying around.