It started off as a good day, I was feeling productive at work. I stopped to take a lunch break and a shower.

In the middle of my shower, suddenly I hear *BAMM* at the same time my rig jolts violently.

I uttered an expletive (or two), wrapped myself in a towel and opened the front door just in time to see a little kid trying to speed away (rather poorly) in a golf cart.

I look at the back of my rig and see the corner bumper is smashed in.

(The golf cart? Also seriously damaged: Cracked windshield, and a hole clear through the hood.)

He reluctantly comes back when I shout at him, but he refuses to tell me where he is staying in the park and who and where are his parents. No info, no apology, just pleas not to tell his parents.

Yeah, like I was going to let it go at that. Clearly, the kid didn’t know me. He does now.

After I called and got park management involved, and with the testimony of eyewitnesses, I discover what happened…

The 10-year-old kid stole a golf cart from in front of the office. (They leave the keys in the park’s golf carts all the time – and still do, even after this happened.)

He and a buddy took off and started driving around the park at full speed.

Being ten, he had not mastered driving, let alone turning at full speed.

Which leads us to the BAMM.

The buddy bailed and ran to get his parents.

While attempting to make his getaway, the (kid) driver smashed full speed into a tree. That’s about the time I stuck my head out the door and saw him trying to continue his flight from the scene.

Park management got the parents. They were very, very nice. Unlike the kid, they apologized profusely. (They also made him apologize.) And after I got an estimate ($1100 – and that was conservative!), they payed me cash.

After the kid apologized, I told him of the time I learned gold carts don’t float. (He didn’t seem to see the humor. Too soon?)

I am now in the process of getting it repaired. I ordered the part – $650 for a corner bumper – and it’s not even painted! Another $100 at Maaco (they did a fabulous job matching the paint!!). Now, I am trying to find a competent and responsive mobile RV repair company to swap out the busted one for the new one. This seems to be the greatest challenge of all. The one crew that would answer the phone, took the briefest of looks at it and said it needed to come to the shop.

Uhmm, my rig needs to go to the shop just for someone to unscrew the bolts and unhook the tail light? And then bolting in the new bumper and reconnecting the tail light?

Rocket science? I don’t think so.

Seriously, if I had the hand strength, I’d have done it myself by now. May still try it.

I’ll let you know how it goes.