My Car Got a Boo-Boo

Last Thursday when I was driving to go pick up the boys from daycare, I was involved in a 3-car accident. A man, tentatively known as OLD COOT WHO SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING ran a redlight and broadsided a 4runner which then clipped me and spun me around. I wasn't hurt. I didn't think my car was very hurt either (see photo to the right), but when I attempted to drive it after turning down all the helpful towtruck offers, I quickly realized that I was not actually able to go over 10 miles an hour without my car weaving and swerving like a carnival bumpercar being driven by a drunk dog which may sound fun...in THEORY, but in practice, not so much. So I parked it at the Collision Center helpfully located less than half a mile from our house and there it has been sitting while we wait for the insurance to get all settled.
 So we wait. And wait. And wait. Wait some more and then, oh, yeah, I forgot: WAIT.  Apparently, the OLD COOT WHO SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING has yet to actually call his insurance company. The wreck happened on Thursday. This is Tuesday. Either he has forgotten he was in a wreck FIVE DAYS AGO or he's deciding to just ignore that whole pesky insurance thing and hopes it will go away.  Thing is, an insurance company can't accept liability on his behalf. I mean, HE DID IT. There was a ticket issued, witnesses who said, "uh, dude, you totally ran that light." He was there, He saw. But he has yet to pick up the phone and make contact with his own insurance company. Legally, nothing can be done claimwise til that happens (or they declare him dead or insane or something...or BOTH). So here we wait. I finally broke down and just let my insurance start a claim (hopefully to get reimbursed by his company once THE OLD COOT WHO SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING gets in touch).

I now have a rental Prius. It's quiet and automatic and I have absolutely no idea how to tell whether the car is ON or off. All I know is there's a power button and I push it several times until I think there are less lights blinking. For all I know, it may have been sitting there idling in our parking garage for the last two hours. I have no idea. The Prius needs to make some noise, y'all, it makes me nervous.