The Triumphs and Trials of the Tuecke Tribe: Van Crash Details

I realize I may not have given the details of what was happening inside the van. The post I wrote Monday night was from my perspective. So here are the details from the perspective of the children. (unedited)

Mom: "Tell me what happened yesterday with the van incident?"

Mary: "We were just playing in the van and Jacob had gotten out from the drivers seat to go do something, I'm not sure what. Abram was in the drivers seat banging on everything. Chloe was in the passengers seat when somehow the van got into neutral without Abram having the keys in it or pushing on the brake at all. Abigail was on the roof and I was on the back of the van and it started to roll down the hill. Abi and I quick jumped off the van because we didn't want to get run over or slip and fall and get hurt. We started to try to pull the van back by the side door, which was open but it was too late. It had already gained too much momentum and it crashed into the neighbors arborvitae (I got that from mom - the arborvitae part, otherwise I would just call it the evergreens)."

Mom: "Tell me what happened yesterday with the van incident?"

Jacob: "I ran to get something from the van. I found Mary playing driver and everyone else playing 'Spirit of Adventure'. I said, 'can I be driver?' And Mary said, 'sure'. Then Abram said, 'can I be driver?' so I let him be driver. Then I sat back in one of the back seats and he started banging on the controls. Before I knew what was happening the van was going backwards. I jumped out and started pushing and for a split second I was keeping it back but then it got going and I could not hold it any longer. Then it started going faster and Mama came out with a panicked look on her face and started chasing the van but it was too late. CRASH! The van smashed down a tree but I am thankful the tree caught it before it hit the garage. Next a lady called the police and soon a cop came. Meanwhile, the lady next door, opened her shades wondering if it would be a sunny day. Then she saw a van tearing down the hill with kids attempting to push it back up. Then that's basically it."

Mom: "Tell me what happened yesterday with the van incident?"

Abi: "I went out to the van to get a fan that I had out there. Jacob came out to get something else, I'm not sure what. So I got my fan and was going to go back in when Mary came out. I don't know what she was doing. Mary had Chloe and Jacob said, "let's pretend this is the fun bus." And he sat in the drivers seat and I was in the passengers seat. Mary said, 'I want to go on the roof.' I said, 'good idea I want to go on too." I climbed out and onto the roof. Then I could hear Jacob climb out of the drivers seat and Abram climbed in. Somehow Chloe ended up in the passenger seat. Well all of a sudden the van started to move. And right when I felt the van move I jumped off the roof and Mary jumped off the back. I started to grab onto the van and I heard Abram and Chloe laughing. The van just tore down and mom came racing out. I grabbed the side and mom came out and we all grabbed the side and tried to stop it but it was no use. Then Mrs. R. came out. Then Mr. R. came out and then I started to cry because the van banged into a bush of the neighbors. Then another neighbor came by and called the police and a few minutes later then police came and asked the lady around the corner her name and us our names. He asked who was in the van when it happened and I said Chloe and mom said Abram. Then daddy came home and I saw the back of the van was bashed up and the window broke out and the police said that it would be a lot of money, like $2,000 worth of damage. Then Jacob said, 'do you think the police man would like to play basketball?' and we went inside and Jacob wondered if policemen like quarters because maybe he could give him a quarter if he played basketball with him. Jacob asked me if I wanted to play Monopoly or Sorry and I said, 'no way.' Then that was it - so the end"

Mom: "Tell me what happened yesterday with the van incident?"

Baruch: "Well we were just playing and saying it was the fun bus and then Abram was pushing the bars beside the steering wheel. And the van just started to roll because that's what puts it into neutral so it just started to roll and Abram said he couldn't jump out because he was too afraid and Chloe just stayed in the front seat, just sat there. So it rolled with Abram and Chloe it in. I jumped out when I saw Abi jump. You know, I didn't know what to do, so I just did what Abi did. Then it rolled right into the trees behind. It was neat to watch the van just crunch into the tree. It was neat to see the tree just crunch to pieces."

Mom: "Tell me what happened yesterday when you were playing in the van."

Abram: "Um Chloe was in the passengers seat and I was in the drivers seat and you know those sticks sticking out of the driver's license thing. I was moving those sticks up and down. I don't know what happened to the van, it just started rolling. So that's really the end of it. Oh and You drove it back up the hill.

M: "Was that really the end of it?"

A: "Actually no, When it was rolling down the hill all the kids were trying to get it back up the hill." pause, I could really see him thinking. "How do you think it got from the left side of the street to the right side of the street."

M: "That is just the way it rolled."

M: "So were the kids succesful?

A: "No and a police officer came and he just took care of us."

M: "How did he take care of us?"

A: "He helped by the van and took pictures of the back of the van. He wrote down my name and the driver's license. He wrote down me and Chloe's names and then he went and talked to Mrs. R. Then he left for a little bit, then he came back, then he left and that is really the end of it. Can I be dismissed mama because nothing else really happened so can I go play mama?"