Just When I Thought it Couldn't Get Any Worse....

(How's that for an ominous title...? Read on....)

Since I had finally selected and settled on an attorney only a few days before my next scheduled court appearance, my attorney requested a continuance. (I kind of liked that this time we were the ones asking for one and inconveniencing the assistant district attorney this time! Terrible but true!) :) Anyway, we were granted a continuance so the next appearance was scheduled for mid-April.

Things were going along as best they could (while still dealing with all of this and this) when one day at work, I received a phone call from my car insurance agent. Here's how the conversation went:

Agent (imagine a very matter-of-fact tone, with all of this being said with no pauses between key words or sentences): "Miss, we received a letter today from the pedestrian's attorney that she has died. We know that she had prior medical issues so I think this is only good news for us. I'm sure we'll have to pay some medical bills from her ER visit the day of the accident...but otherwise, I think we're free and clear."

Me: Silence as I tried to gather my thoughts. Then, "I'm sorry. WHAT? Did you say she DIED? How is this good news for us? How do you know that she died from her prior medical issues and not from anything to do with the accident? Are you SURE of everything you just told me? Did you really say she DIED?"

Agent: "Like I said, Miss, I received a letter from her attorney. And, while it doesn't list the cause of death in the letter, I can gather from the way the letter was written as well as the voicemail he left me that they will not be pursuing this further and they know the cause of death is not from the accident. I just wanted to let you know as soon as I found out."

Me (stated more calmly than I felt inside): "You 'can gather'? While I appreciate that you want to keep me informed of everything, it feels a little premature to be certain that we're now...that I'm now....'free and clear.' Would it be possible for me to see a copy of the letter you received so I can pass it onto my attorney for the traffic case I'm still involved in?"

Agent: "Miss, you're right - I probably should have waited until we had conclusive evidence or a conclusive statement as to her cause of death. But, again, I wanted to keep you posted on everything, and I've been involved in enough of these cases that I'm pretty sure that my assessment is correct. I will absolutely send you a copy of the letter I received."

End of conversation. He sent me the letter - which was so sparse in its contents that I'm not sure how anything could have been concluded from it. All it said was something to the effect that the pedestrian had passed away. That's it. So, I sent it onto my lawyer. And waited for his response.

And waited.

I waited for what seemed like an eternity....when in reality, it was only about three days.