Irma Versus My Truck

I've been an ACO with my small beach town for almost 11 years. For the first 10.5 all my work trucks were hand-me-downs. They all had issues -- Things like torn interior, squeaky hinges, random body damage, constant leaks and unreliable A/Cs. Heck, one even tried to kill me!

Three months ago I was issued a brand new Ford F-150. It had less than 25 miles on it. The electric assisted steering is a dream. The A/C is so cold that I can't crank it all the way down without freezing. This problem is unheard of in Florida! When I got my new truck the department asked if there was anything else I wanted. I said yes. All the police officers have their names on their assigned vehicles, I wanted my name on the new truck too. Management hemmed and hawed, but two weeks ago my name was finally on my truck. I was thrilled!

Six days later, Hurricane Irma hit the beach and ruined everything.

The storm ripped a branch off of a tree and impaled my windshield. It also dented the hood, the roof and the passenger's side quarter panel. My boss watched the branch jump over his vehicle, headed for my truck like a guided missile. I was texted these pictures.

Stupid branch. I hate you!

What a mess. I'm still finding glass inside the truck.

At least my name is unharmed.

When I saw the damage in person it was worse than I'd thought. My in-car video/rearview mirror is shattered in three places. The passenger side mirror is gone and the quarter panel is crumbled like an unwanted love letter. The windshield was replaced, but the rest of the repairs are estimated at $3500. Eek. The City is in no rush to fork out that kind of money before the new fiscal year. Until then I get to ride around in a beat up truck. Ten times a day someone asks "What happened to your truck?" My answer: Hurricane Irma. -- K