Today I went to Father's Dream Appliances, which repairs and sells used appliances from their store at 9520 Woodland Ave. on the East side of Cleveland. I purchased a washer and dryer for $484.88, tax and delivery and 90 day warranty included. Just as the paperwork was completed, the owner of the business came in and told me that someone had hit my car.
I went out and saw a crowd of people around a screaming man on the ground next to two totaled cars. Neither was mine. My car was scraped a bit over the left rear wheel.
An early report from the crowd was that he had a broken arm.
Firemen spread powder over a pool of leaked gas. An emergency crew arrived and tied the convulsing man onto a gurney.
As they lugged him into an ambulance, the driver, (who was white), pounded his chest and screamed. "It doesn't look like he has a broken arm," someone said. I told someone, "everytime I park on the street I wonder if it is a good idea."
"Was this guy drunk?" someone asked. "I think he had a seizure," a lady said. "I think you hit on it ma'am," I said.
After they loaded the ambulance I asked one of the EMS guys if he smelled alcohol. "No. I did see evidence of meth-amphetamine on him," he said.
Both the injured driver's car, a Honda (as is mine), and the Father's Dream owner's car, were heavily damaged, having suffered a head on collision.
A police officer took our drivers' licenses.
While the cop worked our licenses the owner took me into their lunchroom where I read this morning's Plain Dealer and a letter to the editor from much admired Tom Bier, a retired urban affairs professor from Cleveland State University. It was about a couple shaking down the health care system by giving their house to a daughter.
The policeman came into the lobby at Father's Dream and gave us our licenses and answered our questions. "You can find the police report online under the address of this building," he said.
A call came through to the cop from Metropolitan Hospital. I over heard that they found some white powder on the driver and the Police needed to pick it up.
"The important thing is that the driver is ok," said the store owner. "He'll be alright," said the cop, reassuringly.
"He'll have some questions to answer," I said.
After the cop left to orchestrate the towing of the bashed Honda, the store owner sat, slumped, on a table and said, "I've got bigger worries than this." His car was drivable, but definitely will cost much more than the deductible to repair. Mine was something I could live with without repair. I patted him on the shoulder and said, "I also have bigger worries than this."
My philosophy about an urban car is one that is less likely to be stolen. My recently purchased used Honda, already has a cracked bumber placed there by the previous owner. Now with this scrape over the rear left wheel, my car has even more anti-theft chops.
Later, I talked with Gary, who had told me about Father's Dream. "Oh, no!" he said. "Meth is getting into Cleveland now!"
"I thought it was already here," I told Gary, "It seemed to me that this isn't the first time this EMS guy had seen evidence of meth."
Apparently no one took valuables from the poor guy while he lay there screaming, and the cop didn't shake us down to give our driver's licenses back, which I image happens in some places.