I realize that I haven't done a wrap-up of the events that took place a few months ago. Some aspects, like the final insurance payout, haven't yet been resolved, but a lot has happened since that day and I feel obligated to say something about them for those that only hear about me through my sparse FA activity.

As mentioned, I was involved in an accident on interstate 10 the day after Christmas last year. My memory of the event is uncertain, but the driver in front of me braked suddenly due to slowing traffic, causing me to also brake and try and move to the shoulder. But the driver behind me wasn't able to stop in time and drove my vehicle into the one in front, crushing me between the two SUVs.
I always wear my seatbelt, but the driver's side airbag did not deploy and I lost consciousness for several minutes. Other drivers were able to pull me out, but while doing so, my dog Elly jumped from the car and ran off. It's unknown if she was injured in the crash or not, but she crossed the median and ran about a mile from the scene before presumably being hit by another car and killed. Some very kind friends and coworkers were able to help me locate and recover her later.
It's no surprise that my car was totaled, having lost almost half of it's total length. Considering that, I am very fortunate that I was not more badly injured. Nevertheless, the loss of Elly is a blow that I would have gladly traded bruises, cuts and broken bones to prevent. The thought that I wasn't there to protect her - that she died, scared and alone, on the side of the road still haunts me, as I'm sure it always will. I had her cremated, and her little box of ashes is sitting in her crate, which was her happy place, with her collar and all of her toys.

Since then, I've been dealing with the insurance, which is an often frustrating, and likely unrewarding process. In the end, after the medical costs from the hospital (including a CT scan), tow and wreckage, and other concerns, it's looking likely that I will only break even. I probably won't be receiving a big payment, if I receive anything at all. I'm told that the insurance agencies will soon be passing along the total amounts due to a collection agency for payment. What that means for me, since I was determined not to be at fault, I'm not sure.
I also have occasional symptoms that make me worry about lasting damage, and might require another doctor visit to diagnose or dispel.

Despite all this, I am doing well, and I have been repeatedly humbled and moved by the amount of support I received from my friends and coworkers in recovering from this misfortune. I even have a new car now, thanks to a staggering show of generosity, but I will post about that separately.

I'm alright now, and things seem to be in the closing motions. I'm sorry I didn't post about this sooner, but it's not something that I feel comfortable advertising, especially not when there are so many larger issues going on.