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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ OT: Hello from Buenos Aires

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 23 2005, 08:26 AM

It was a dark and stormy night and we were headed back to our apartment that we are renting in downtown. Suddenly a light changes and our Fiat is rapidly introduced to a Renault. Luckily the cars werent going very fast, maybe 20 to 30 miles per hour, but it was more than enough to cave in the passenger side door of the car where I was sitting.

So the French car pushed in the door of the Italian car about 8 to 12 inches which pushed me over a corresponding distance and I received a nice shower of safety glass, which even after a 30 minut shower is still present though in miniscule amounts.

Of course I must have flown a bit because somehow the inside of my right knee banged something and is now nice and puffy.

So Im sitting here in this pretty huge roundabout in this tiny car and my wife who was driving is attempting to talk to the iodiot who hit us. The was yellinga t my wife and when my wife asked him to call for an ambulance, he claimed his phone was out of credits. Then a moment later hes talking to his friends.

So I sat there for several minutes before the police came and several more minutes before the ambulance came. I had no idea what if anything was wrong but I wanted to get checked out.

A bunch of people who may have been police, paramedics, etc. managed to get a collar on my and put me on to a strecher. At this point the talking began. I really donyt know much spanish and it was at this moment where I wished I had payed more attention in high school.

My wife was occupied with the police, as well as my parents who were in the back seat of the car. So here I am sitting in the back of this ambulance trying to figure out what they are asking me and saying 'tengo dolor aca' and pointing.

An interesting fact about the Argentine health care system which may be true of other countries, is that hospitals tend to be organized by nationality. For instance, there is a healthcare system from the Germans, the Italians, British, etc. And these are great to varying degrees with German and Italian apparently having the best hospitals.

And then theres the place where you go if you have no insurance, which was the case with me, mostly because I forgot that my health insurance covers me for emergencies anywhere, not just the US.

The public hosptials in Buenos Aires leave something to be desired, even this one which is in a nice neighborhood. For instance, my mom wanted ice to help her bruise and the nurse said 'we have no ice' which may have meant 'no ice for you' or 'actually we have no ice.'

So next she wants to wash her hands and of course the sink in my room was missing soap. Again 'we have no soap'. Then my dad looks down the hallway, and there standing in front of the portable Xray machine is what else but a black cat. UN GATO! A friggen cat was running around this hospital.

In the end the doctors did a good job. They gave me several Xrays, an sonogram, and a blood test. I was there for 6 hours while my wife was being detained by Buenos Aires's finest. We are going back to the station now to take care of some paperwork...

In any event Im fine and just bruised and beaten up. We were lucky it wasnt a bus and lucky that the light had JUST changed.

More details including photos later. This computer doesnt have a USB port so no downloading pics yet. Soon though...

-Tony

Posted by: URY914 Aug 23 2005, 08:30 AM

We need to start a "Get Tony out of Jail Fund" now.

These things never turn out good.

Paul

Posted by: phantom914 Aug 23 2005, 08:33 AM

Sorry to hear it Tony. I hope the rest of your trip goes better.

What do you mean your wife was being detained?

Andrew

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 23 2005, 08:45 AM

Well, the law here is funny of course...

Apparently because I decided to go to the hospital it makes the accident more serious and so I have to sign some affidavit saying that I wont sue my own wife.

And she also needs to declare her side of the story now because if it gets ito the court system they will give her a court date and taht could be weeks or months from now. If this sounds confusing, it is. I dont get it, but we are going to go down there now and find out what we need to do to get this taken care of.

-Tony

Posted by: bondo Aug 23 2005, 09:03 AM

Yikes! Glad to hear you're pretty much OK. Will they let you leave the country before this is resolved, or will I be sending your x-mas gift to Argentina?

Posted by: URY914 Aug 23 2005, 09:05 AM

Any 914's down there?

Posted by: Quilmes Aug 23 2005, 09:44 AM

QUOTE (URY914 @ Aug 23 2005, 07:05 AM)
Any 914's down there?

Hey Tony if you are still stuck in BA in November ( Just Joking) I will look you up. I will be there with my family from Nov5-25.
If you need any help with your family or lawer you can e-mail me and I will give you there names and phone numbers. I still have very good friends down there.
I am working on a show call "El Garage" they just launched there own channel and I am trying to help them get them on my network and there own station here in the USA.
There is a guy named Hugo Polenta he run the Porsche dealership in BA and he races a 914 in a vintage-turing class down there.

Good luck and if you need any help jsut ask.

Martin AKA Quilmes

Posted by: URY914 Aug 23 2005, 09:48 AM

Martin, you the MAN!

P

Posted by: Aaron Cox Aug 23 2005, 09:50 AM

wow...tony. that sucks.

cant wait to hear the whole story when you come back.

come home safe and in one piece man!
AA

Posted by: Quilmes Aug 23 2005, 09:59 AM

QUOTE (URY914 @ Aug 23 2005, 07:48 AM)
Martin, you the MAN!

P

I did most of my high school down there and I just had my friends from BA stay at my house for three weeks and at the same time we also had my friends from Germany stay at the same time, talk about an international dinner table. All I can say it was a hoot and my wife is happy that our house is back to normal for a while.

My friend in BA is a notary down in Buenos Aires and she handles all the deals for that Porsche dealership. In Argentina to become a notary you first need to be a lawyer and then you can apply for a position as city/county notary. Once you past, and only the highest score win’s and if there are any openings in that county you become that areas official notary and all sales/business transactions housing and apartment sales/rentals will need to be checked and run through that person. It’s a lot of work but the money is very good.

Martin

Posted by: phantom914 Aug 23 2005, 10:44 AM

QUOTE (TonyAKAVW @ Aug 23 2005, 06:45 AM)
.................

Apparently because I decided to go to the hospital it makes the accident more serious and so I have to sign some affidavit saying that I wont sue my own wife.

....................

Don't be rash and sign away your right to sue your wife without thinking it over carefully.

Andrew

Posted by: Toast Aug 23 2005, 01:55 PM

I hope you and your family make it back safe and without problems.

And considering all, I hope you have a nice vacation.

--Toast

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 28 2005, 10:15 PM

Well, everything went fine with the police, etc.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Here I am giving a hesitant thumbs up as I'm waiting for the ambulance to show up. My other arm is elevated because my hand was bleeding a bit from glass.

Attached image(s)

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 28 2005, 10:16 PM

Another view.

Attached image(s)

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 28 2005, 10:18 PM

Me sittign in the hospital bed. I think that stuff covering me is like the stuff they put in shoes at stores to make them look filled.

Attached image(s)

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 28 2005, 10:19 PM

And finally...

Attached image(s)

Posted by: messix Aug 28 2005, 11:38 PM

man that looks like it would feel like getting body checked on the boards playing hockey.

Posted by: redshift Aug 29 2005, 01:03 AM

I can see your nipples.

GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!

M

Posted by: URY914 Aug 29 2005, 07:33 AM

I'm going to send that picture of the cat to the facilities director here at the hospital I'm working at. He'll love it. Talk about infection control problems.....

Tony, get well and get home.

Paul

Posted by: meares Aug 29 2005, 07:55 AM

that's funny a BLACK cat in a hospital...i'll bet the supersitsous (sp.) people are freaking out!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Flat VW Aug 29 2005, 09:14 AM

QUOTE (URY914 @ Aug 29 2005, 05:33 AM)
I'm going to send that picture of the cat to the facilities director here at the hospital I'm working at. He'll love it. Talk about infection control problems.....

Tony, get well and get home.

Paul

In BA that cat IS infection control, keeps the mice in check.

John

Posted by: redshift Aug 29 2005, 09:24 AM

QUOTE (meares @ Aug 29 2005, 09:55 AM)
that's funny a BLACK cat in a hospital...i'll bet the supersitsous (sp.) people are freaking out!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it's us, and we noticed it.. so..

M

Posted by: redshift Aug 29 2005, 09:24 AM

QUOTE (Flat VW @ Aug 29 2005, 11:14 AM)
In BA that cat IS infection control, keeps the mice in check.

John

Yes, and flesh eating birds, and Chupacabra.

M

Posted by: Aaron Cox Aug 29 2005, 10:18 AM

QUOTE (redshift @ Aug 29 2005, 08:24 AM)

QUOTE (Flat VW @ Aug 29 2005, 11:14 AM)
In BA that cat IS infection control, keeps the mice in check.

John

Yes, and flesh eating birds, and Chupacabra.

M

LOL - the chupacabra...

Posted by: TonyAKAVW Aug 29 2005, 10:31 AM

Well, despite the accident and this really bad cold I have right now, the trip has been a lot of fun. Argentine people know how to party like no others. Last night we were at a reception for the baptism of my wife's best friend's daughter, and everyone was dancing and having a great time, until about 11:30 at night, even the 83 year old grandmother. This of course was an early party, because it was a Sunday, but most nights so far we haven't been going to bed before 3 or 4 am !!!

The food here is amazing. My mother-in-law made what had to have been the best lasagna I've ever had the other night, and the night before we had a pig that my father-in-law picked out, had slaughtered and put into the parilla (argentine barbeque) for most of the day.

Either today or tomorrow we're going to go take advantage of the 3:1 dollar to peso conversion and buy some leather goods, etc.

This city is simply an amazing place, I can't wait to come back.

-Tony