Circumstances of the accident have now been revealed, following my conversation with the gendarme responsible today. It was in no way Deb's fault. A lorry, which may have swerved to avoid a car or cars in front of it, came across the white line and hit Deb head on. No-one else was injured.
I have spent an hour retrieving things from the wreck of the car, and am very impressed with how little damage there is. The engine has stayed pretty much in place - quite different from the old days when it tended to try and join you in the cabin on such impacts. The rear passenger door still opened and closed. The roof is missing, having been removed by the Sapeurs/Pompiers in releasing Deb.Deb had always fancied a convertible Micra, and now she'd got one when too ill to enjoy it! Seriously, if you want a small car that will protect you, Nissan Micra is a good bet. I'm sure Deb would have another.
The gendarme, who acted brilliantly on the day, calling me twice to let me know where Deb had been taken, had taken her handbag, camera and laptop, as well as a couple of holdalls, into police care - they were handed over today, with her passport. But in the car there was a complete mess of horse-feed, Diet Coke and Heinz Baked beans (4-packs, of course). Surprisingly two jars of Sainsbury's Hollandaise Sauce survived, as did several bottles of Saumur which had clearly not been drunk in England. The camera - a Nikon D70 with new-ish 70-300 Vibration Reduction (ooh!) lens - is not going to take further pictures, I think. But if someone else was responsible for the accident, then a claim looks likely, so redress in some form may emerge in due course.
I expect to see Deb in Rouen tomorrow.
