The Priest, the Prang, & my Pity Party
EPISODE 1
The moment my life got turned upside down.
I wasn't pleased with the photos I had taken the previous evening. I was deep into my ICM experimentation phase, so I decided to do better.
It was another glorious summer evening, just like the previous day, so I left home with my camera, dog in tow, to the same location—Silvermine Nature Reserve, excited about more ICM and backlit flower opportunities and practice. It was Golden Hour, after all.
(Some earlier examples of ICM photos below.)
City lights.
Soaring seagull.
Sunset strollers.
It’s 6:24 p.m., Friday, 24th February 2023. I'm at the top of Ou Kaapse Weg (OKW), stationary, indicator on, waiting to turn right into Silvermine Reserve, Gate 2. The oncoming traffic is constant, and I’m just waiting for my gap.
Then BANG! I find myself about 20 metres further up the road, swerving to avoid the oncoming traffic. Bruno, my big dog, bounced from the back seat via my shoulder, to the front passenger seat, exchanging places with my camera, now lying damaged on the floor.
It was a full-blown WTAF moment!
I had to sit for a while to gather my mind and process what tf had just happened! I unsteadily exited my car, trusting I was still in one piece, to see that someone had rear-ended me. How was this even possible? What was this person thinking? Was this person even thinking?!
I later got the full story from one of the witnesses who was driving directly behind this dude’s vehicle. I’ll share his official witness statement further below. (A sincere Thank You to him and his wife for stopping to ensure everyone was ok, and providing further assistance.)
The bang was so loud, my ears haven’t stopped ringing since. All the ENTs at Groote Schuur Hospital could confirm with certainty, after whacking me about the head with a tuning fork, that it’s tinnitus, will never improve, and will gradually worsen.
Am I doomed to a life of no more peaceful, late-night silence, while I tinker with my photos? I can only describe it like I’m permanently in the Karoo on a hot summer’s afternoon, while cicadas bang their tymbals in a constant cacophony.
This takes some doing! There’s even my towbar in there, somewhere. My beloved, ageing, but fully paid-up, Nissan Hardbody, living up to its name. As you can see, I was almost shunted into the oncoming traffic, well past the entrance to Silvermine.
His Hertz Rental did not fare so well, either! My own vehicle is a few metres behind me.
This is the Witness Statement below. Short and succinct.
Thank you, one could hardly wish for a better witness.
The photos I was hoping to improve upon:
I would notice these flowers with their fascinating pods whenever I drove by, intending to check them out soon, which I finally got around to doing the day before. But not this day.
Now, well, I just shudder every time I pass one of my favourite places, the incident replaying in my head.
The ICM effect is too subtle here. It looks merely out of focus. I was trying out my new variable ND filter, btw.
And here, maybe a bit too much ‘wiggle’.
While waiting for the police and paramedics to arrive, I exchanged contact details with the man responsible for the accident, who, it turns out, happens to be a visiting Roman Catholic priest, from the Vatican, no less. He kindly gave me his name and phone number, anyway- Reverend Father Joseph Hamilton.
I will discuss my interactions (or lack thereof) with Reverend Hamilton in further episodes of this ongoing saga.
FORTHCOMING EPISODES:
The Police Report. I Have Serious Questions
The Ducking, Diving, “Surfer” Priest.
The Collision: When Another’s Mistake Becomes Your Nightmare
When the Responsible Party Doesn’t Reside in Your Country
The Rudeness of the so-called “Man of the Cloth.”
Fobbed off to Hertz, then by Hertz
My Many Attempts to Contact the Cloistered Reverend
“Hey, Joe’s in town..”
For the Poor Priest, “The Porsche Shall No Longer Be a Part of Priestly Life.”
Exploring All Legal Avenues:
Letter of Demand
Issuing of Summons
Attachment to Confirm Jurisdiction
Hague Service Convention
The Road Accident Fund: Hopes, Hurdles, and Rejections
Direct and Indirect Consequences & Personal Journey:
To Be Continued…
A coaccidental fun meme..
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