Me vs Skippy...

Dusk and dawn are the times when kangaroos move around the most.
I know this.
And yet I was burtling along a country road at dusk, a trip I had made hundreds of times before,not thinking about this fact.
But last Friday I was on the road at the exact time a kangaroo was hopping along and I hit it.
I was travelling at 100kms/hour, my cruise control set as the road is also known for highway patrol in marked/unmarked cars and speed cameras.
I didn't see him until it was too late, it just appeared in front of me. Too late to brake. Too late to avoid. Too late to do anything but swear and bang straight into it.
I was shocked but I pulled over. The darkness had set in and I couldn't see the roo. All I could see was the crumpled front of my little car.
With shaky hands I tried to call Chris. No phone reception in this spot. He couldn't have done much at that point as he was still at work, but I wanted someone to know I HAD HIT A ROO!
So what to do. I thought I'm stuck here & unless I flag down a car I'm on my own. I wasn't hurt, the engine was still running, no fluids escaping, one bulb still lit. So I straightened the light so it was pointing forward and drove on to get phone reception. Not really road worthy. Not at all really, but I just wanted to get out of there and get home. I was on my way to get Erin from Liams so I drove all the way thinking at any time I might conk out. I made it to Liam's and his father had a look and his Mum offered condolences.

see the kangaroo imprint on the bonnet

 It may not look like much and it is all panel damage but the quote is still $3,300! The only bit damaged under the bonnet is the battery.

I was curious about the kangaroo so we went back in the daylight to see if we could find it. Chris wondered if we would be able to tell if I had been the one to knock it down. We found it alright and there was no doubt as there were bits of my car surrounding it. Its own momentum and my hit pushed it about 20 metres off the road and pointing in the opposite direction to that which it was heading on that night.

this whopper owes me big time

No doubt that it died straight away, no suffering past the impact.
It could have been worse, I could've been hurt or trapped or my car completely undrivable.

Just waiting for the insurer to decide whether I can have my car on the road again. I really want to have it fixed, its been a great car and runs so well.

The irony of driving towards Hoppers Crossing is not lost on me either,