Hmmm…so why is our orchard the one where people crash into?
This one was Oct. ‘08.
We are out in the country and there are long, not too busy, roads. Young people have begun to race on these roads. One of the roads they like to use, ends in front of our orchard. So…if they can’t stop in time to make the turn…well…this is what happens…in our orchard…twice now.
This boy only got a few scrapes and scratches. (Sitting on his car). He’s very lucky.
His car was totaled!
He landed into the third row of trees.
Two trees were damaged this time.
We have been nursing them back to health since and they were doing pretty good…
…until…three weeks ago…
…when it happened again.
This time they didn’t stop in the third row. They jumped our culvert…
Took out the street sign.
Pushed the sign into the third row as they drove between trees.
Leaving car parts along the way.
Clipping trees as they went. Amazing how they didn’t hit one straight on.
Leaving lots of glass.
Kept going, hitting trees.
This tree got hit the worst.
Through five rows of cherry trees, across my father-in-law’s driveway, into the little fruit tree section…
Stopping right before our propane tank! (See the light blue tank?).
Then, they reversed and went onto my father-in-law’s gravel driveway, all the way to the neighbor’s property. Crashing through the dividing bushes.
Where they finally were stopped by this log!
This happened at about 1:30 am. I wasn’t out there, so didn’t get photos of car, but my husband was when the police came. They found the totaled car, but no one in it! There were beer cans and blood on the ground. Apparently the people got out and walked (or ran) somewhere. Police couldn’t find them.
A name and address was found in the glove box and the police gave it to my husband. The next day he went to the house and talked to the dad of the boy who had been driving the car. My husband asked him if he knew what his son had crashed into and he said, “A barbed wire fence”.
My husband said, “No, sir. It wasn’t a barbed wire fence, it was my orchard. And you need to take your son over there to see the damage he did to my trees. He’s lucky he’s not dead!’
The day after that, there was a knock on the door and when I opened it, there was a man and a teenage boy. The boy had cuts on his forehead and tears in his eyes. He said, “Ma’am, I’m the one who crashed through your orchard and I want to apologize. I did a very stupid thing and I will pay any money to fix your trees.”
Being a mom of two boys, my heart melted, sensing the true remorse in this boy’s attitude. I gave him a little smile and said, “I accept your apology and I appreciate you coming to tell us that.” Then he and his dad picked up all the car parts from out of the orchard. I know, when he saw the destruction in daylight, he realized he was lucky to be unhurt and alive.
A few days later, we received this letter on our front porch:
