SUBURBAN SAGA
As I was cleaning out the file cabinet the other night, I came across the folder with all the events documented concerning the demise of my Suburban.

As things usually go you would not expect to have happen the things that took place with our family over this. It was Easter Sunday, April 7,l996. I was on my way back from church with my daughter-in-law. We were cruising along the country road from Collettsville when her cellular phone signaled. Her hubby (my son) was calling from work.

Daughter Number 1 had borrowed the GMC to take her family to visit her friends in the Washington, D.C. area. She had called Robert to find out the serial number, etc., because it was stolen from the Hilton (no less) parking lot during the night. That was excitement enough you would think. The tale evolved into a long ordeal.

After all the forms were filed, the insurance company notified, this done and that done... They had left most everything in the vehicle thinking it safer than the room being that it had the dark windows. She did go out about ten the evening before and get the Easter Bunny Fixings out for the boys. The children's two lap computer toys, books, coat, camera, cellular phone. It was all estimated at over $2000! By dinnertime the next day they had rented a car and headed back home. The key was left with her friend in case the GMC was found.

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As luck would have it,

"IT"

found the police!

A call came in to a Washington,D.C.,Police Station that there was a wreck at a certain corner. When the police arrived, there was my GMC with an eighteen year old sitting at the wheel waiting for them. Apparently he had lost control and hit a hydrant, or something. It was not driveable and was towed in to the Police Impound. The Police Department called wanting it picked up that night! That very next morning I signed the papers at the insurance office to be sent up D.C., giving my permission for its removal to a body shop.

{"What's that? Great!", you say? "It was found and fixable." I was lucky?} [I only wish!]

All right now, let's see. It was stolen in Virginia. It was recovered in D.C. The Virginia Police no longer had control over the case. Now the D.C. Police at this certain precinct would always say to us, "Sorry, but we can't give out that information. It's against our policy."
We heard all this, but never anything about any questions we had swirling around in our minds. But still, they (the police) estimated the damage at $3000. That didn't sound too bad, considering. Our friend went over and wanted to take pictures. They wouldn't let him. But still, it should be fixed fairly easy and not take too long.

How wrong can things go?

Finally, on the 25th of April I again went to the insurance office to sign a release form to be faxed up to the office in where-ever to give my permission for the GMC to be taken by the bodyshop. On the 29th, it was still impounded. I received a letter from Raleigh (North Carolina's Motor Vehical Department Office) notifying me to pick up my vehicle in D.C. They had received a letter from the head of that certain department up there concerning the fact that it was still impounded! The next day, I called the Raleigh Insurance Commissioner asking for help and guidance.

{"Ah!" You say? "Now she's getting smart! She should have done that earlier."} [I wish that would have been true!]

Finally! Wednesday, May 1,1997, it is brought out of impound! We are on our way!

Well, I'm here to say:"It ain't over,yet!"

I guess "they" (whomever it was calling the shots) thought I was just a hillbilly - backwoodsy - ingorant- redneck type - "being" and I wouldn't know any better about what was taking place.

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Our friend finally got to take pictures at the body shop and report back to us that it was nearly empty of everything. [Incidently, Daughter's insurance NEVER heard from my company letting them know about what was left in it. Her insurance finally paid them for the contents that were theirs just by word of mouth!]

The driver's door had a hole bored beside the lock to get in and then it was straight wired to drive away. Curiously enought, the tag was still on it and the registration card was the only thing left in the glove compartment. I got my first view of the damage on May 18,l997.

PART TWO
Miss Stormy says that since Miss Norma is tired from the long tale she is telling, that I can tell part of it! Now isn't that real sweet of her? She knows I love stories! To think that she let little Miss Jane, the mouse help out with the tale.

As you remember, the Surburban was stolen on Easter in Virginia and it was found wrecked one week later in Washington,DC.(The driver waiting in it.) The Washington Police have it in impound. I don't think the boy was ever charged with anything. You know how that goes... Word was that the impound lot was in a section of Washington that no one wanted to enter. The insurance adjuster didn't look at it until is was taken to the body shop - after May 1st.

Now mind you, that phone calls and letters were being written during this time,too! Well, the pictures that came were not very convincing so she went to her own bodyman to talk. He offered to go and bring it back to North Carolina for $500. The Insurance Company would not agree to pay for that. It was against their policy and they guarranteed the work to be satisfactory. Her bodyman also made the comment, "My experience has been: If it is four-wheel drive and hit from the side at the front and it has to be towed then it is probably totaled." The Insurance Adjuster said they had their own man and he said it was fixable for under $5000 (and drivable). So what do you do? Pray and hope for the best!

From here it was all downhill at a fast pace.. It was May 16, before she could go to get her a new handicap placard to use 'cause of all her bad knee problems. That's why she got the GMC to begin with. It was just too painful to continue getting in and out of those low built cars. She knew officially like that it was gone. The month of May came and went and the GMC still sat untouched at the bodyshop which is incidently in Maryland. So, its from Virginia to Washington, DC to Maryland. The insurance files were all sent up to the office there. It wasn't until June that she found out the company handling the case was in Virginia. The agent assigned to it never called during all this time. The detective that investigated originally never called(even when a call was made to tell him that over $50.00 worth of calls were made on the cellular phone).
The police that recovered the vehicle only called the friend in Virginia to come and get it moved once. When they went to the station, they were not allowed to even see it. The district attorney did call Daughter to ask if they would testify if it went to trial. He never called again. The body shop was saying that they couldn't work on it until all the parts came in and that they could only use used parts. Ah. Ha! A light begins to glimmer a little brighter. More calls are made. A letter is written to the main man at headquarters for the company. Already, two letters and more phone calls had been made.

By now Miss Norma has about given up on ever seeing that thing again. Plans were that Daughter would go up and drive it back when it was finished. I'm here to tell you - not any more! That thing was to be delivered to her door in North Carolina. Meanwhile, this is the summer of the Olympics in Atlanta, GA. Plans had been made for a long time to go down and take part in the sports events of the nations.

Arrangements were made to just go ahead and rent a van to take.. Well, as I live and breathe! It's a good things they did! You see, they really wanted to go to Atlanta 'cause Miss Norma's name was on one of those bricks there at Centennial Park. And you know they were there the day before that awful bombing in that very park!

Did you know that it was June 10th before that thing was put into the body shop to begin repairs. And some repairs, I'm here to tell you! [Daughter's insurance paid on June 20th, for their personal things they lost. They would have paid in April if only they knew how the situation was going to turn out. Why her company even called Miss Norma's company and still didn't find out what they needed to know!] By this time her own local agent was making himself scarce.

I know its hard to believe, but, you know,a phone call came on July 1st, to announce that the GMC was fixed!!

Hip-hip-hurray! Actually, it was not a good sound from all the feelers that were coming in about "He won't let us do this" or "He won't let us get that" and "WE are having a problem finding this." Sorry, but all the bells were ringing - CAUTION! CAUTION! _ BEWARE! Have you ever had that gut feeling of "I don't think so?"

Well Miss Norma, see,just said to that insurance company: You get it on piggy back and bring it to the regional office. Have it gone over by a man here and checked out completely, and then we'll talk. It's a good thing she did! Why they messed around and says that they got a man to drive it down. He didn't show up to drive it! Then for the very first time - mind you- since April 7th - a man called her from an ofice up that- a- way a saying he's the insurance man and he's got a man to drive the truck down to NC, and how do they get to the house. She let him know right off that it was not to be driven until the whole thing was checked over. Word did finally come that it was to do delivered as promised to the local office over the weekend of the 20th of July! Driving by on that Sunday afternoon, sure enough, there it sat! Nice and shiny and new looking from the road. On that same Saturday a postcard came from Virginia. It read:

Dear Folks, I just wanted to say what a pleasure it was to serve you. We hope your stay in the Nation's Capitol was a memorable one. We have so much to offer, and provide a nurturing environment for small children.. In the future please visit us again and don't forget to tell everyone about your stay in DC. It's a Capitol Experience."
It wasn't hard to tell that the card was a prank from Daughter's friend. He went by that Hilton Place and picked up a postcard to mail back. Both boys had cried like ever thing over losing all that stuff. The littlest tyke had taken ten of his favorite books. He had said that the Easter Bunny had just borrowed it to finish up his Easter deliveries. When he realized that the truck wasn't coming back, WOW! he was heartbroken.

Guess maybe, it's 'bout time I just stop and rest and let my cousin Homero finish telling you this here saga and how it ended. It shure has been fun talkin' with you 'bout this here tale - it really did happen, mind you!

PART THREE
~~Si! Homero, he will tell rest of the story. My English,it not be so good? I come from Mexico to here 65 days ago to live with Miss Norma. She is good to me. She, how you say - uh -adopt-ed me? I live very good life here with her. I tell you rest of story of big truck. Just listen.

Well, senors and senoritas just remember the GMC was stolen in Virginia and wrecked in D.C. It was supposedly "fixed" in Maryland. Of course, Miss Norma had her doubts!

Well, just as soon as she saw it was back she called her cousin, who is a top-notch bodyman to go have a look at it. It wasn't long until he called back to say,"You got problems, severe problems. There is no way on Earth I can see that anybody can drive that truck down the road safely!"

"The only way it could possible be fixed would be a truck place. I know I don't have the equipment to do it."

Would you believe! The Insurance adjuster called the very next day - bright and early - to say he has seen the GMC and he isn't happy with the work done and to please come on down to his office to total it. He felt that considering how long they had been without a vehicle it would be in their best interest to total it. Within a few hours, that GMC Surburban was totaled, the check written and all was finished. The agent said in the meeting that it was so bad he didn't even want her to see it. He also added that he knew now that our folks were trying to tell him something was not going right.(She had to say that she parked outside right beside it,because she could not settle a claim on something she knew nothing about.) She also told him her cousin (who he knew of) had passed his verdict as well. To the best of our guesstamation that company probably ended up spending around $15,000 on that one claim! Last we heard it was sent back to Virginia too get settled up there.

Are you curious about how it looked? Well, Senors and Senoritas, by now you could believe anything, right? The Regional Claims Office actually sent a letter notifying that the claim was settled in a timely fashion and reaffirming that all was satifactory. Of course, Senorita Norma had to reply to that one!
"Sirs: After 100 days at the body shop the work was not satisfactory. The frame was bent. The right front wheel was out from the body of the truck. The left front wheel nearly touched the back of the wheel box. None of the doors would close properly,The dent which was made in the right door was popped out roughly, scratched and not at all fixed back to narmal. The left fender was one that was obviously banged up previously on another vehicle.(It quite noticeable where it had been worked on.) Paint did not begin to match the rest of the truck. the paint also had trash and leaves in it. Also, it looked like iron filings had rusted on top of the "new" paint job. The left side of the truck sat down over an inch lower than the right side. The spare tire was put on the right front. (That is still a puzzle because the original tire was on it in the pictures. The only flat was the left front.)An entirely different tread was on the left front. Looked like a used tire had been picked up for it. Being a four-wheel drive, it's important to run a matched set on it. A "beautiful" neon "purplish" pin stripe replaced the blue one that was on the rest of it. It overlapped the original pinstripe at the back corner of the left side.! We did not even open the hood to check the engine, air, etc! I hate to image what was or was not there. It was totaled by the local Claims Office. Apparently, the body shop reported that the claims representative handling the claim would only allow them to patch up the vehicle."

So ended The Saga of The Stolen Surburban - or nearly. Last we heard it was shipped back to Maryland. Then a District Attorney from D.C. called to say that the eighteen year old plead guilty to taking and wrecking it. The very last we heard of that was in October,1997, and the DA was going to try and get some re-embursment for the time spent without a car to drive . . . ER,Er,er - June,1998,- She just got a letter from a Washington, D.C. Lawyer that a suit may be filed to sue for damages from whomever. The letter was very indiscreet as to what may happen. Who knows what is next!!!

© copyright 1998
Norma Swanson

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