A Swedish Car Crash

Note to self, which will also work as a Word of Warning – never think that you can do what a Volvo can do if you’re not driving one.  Such as, for example, overtaking a lorry going up a hill when it was begun to snow and the road hasn’t been salted for a while.  Sliding headlong into an on-coming lorry is not a particularly good life move, though I am quite proud that I did manage the skid so I didn’t go into the lorry on our side.  When in Sweden, managing skids is very, very important.  Being only half Swedish, I only did half a skid, but I’ll work on it!

With typical Swedish practicality, there were people on the scene immediately, including a tow truck crew.  Lovely chap called Patrick, who called the emergency services.  All of whom turned up with amazing promptness, given that we had completely blocked the road – whoops... and remove the roof and doors, talk soothingly etc, etc. Think on how long it takes for roads to reopen in the UK after an accident. Here, within 1 hour of the accident, you would never have known that anything had happened on that spot. We had often remarked on it and it certainly makes it easier passing the spot later.

I think that the Swedish health system requires a whole blog of its very own, but it works far, far better than ours, and all the “buts” aren’t actually that applicable, so nah! The sign above my head as I was wheeled, shivering, and somewhat confused, cheered me up and the UK hospitals should follow suit – Katastrophvård.  Mind you, maybe most people would instead be rather upset, which wouldn’t be particularly helpful, such a missed opportunity.

The tow-truck man, phoned me up a few days later to find out how I was and to tell me where he’d taken the car – bless him!  Ooooh, going to see the car was fun.  Various people had been in and out, picking up crow-bars, tax discs, rucksacks. You know, the normal sort of stuff you keep in a car, but I thought that I’d better empty the car myself, especially as the insurance company had asked.  The man in charge of the yard was terribly impressed that I had been in the car and pointed out various items of interest just in case I missed them, like the radio being pushed out by the engine, how the door wouldn’t close etc and then gave me the first aid box, which was untouched.  I’m sure he was just being helpful.

Graham and I, being reliant on the Swedish system, are now home and attempting to find another car.  Emma and Simon, being reliant on the British system, are still in hospital trying to get home. And yes, they had all the right insurances.