Objects aren't important. People are.
Yesterday we were involved in a minor car accident.
After a long, very good, day at work we headed home. It happened as we traveled north on I-405, passing through Culver City. We were in the carpool lane. Traffic was moving slowly and the car behind us (in the carpool lane) moved to change into another lane (illegally crossing double yellow lines). The driver didn't see the motorcycle coming up, splitting lanes, behind him. The motorcycle driver swerved to try to avoid, lost control of his bike, and hit the "offending" car, another car in the next lane, before sliding on the ground and hitting the rear of our car.
The best part is that the rider got up. He was okay (no injuries). There was only minor damage on the bike and the three cars. Again, the best part is no injuries. I could care less about the vehicle damage.
And that's the lesson learned. We say it all the time, "Objects aren't important. People are."
Another admirable thing: all parties involved kept their cool. No anger, no blame. I saw an extraordinary amount of compassion and courtesy. Not to mention the two other drivers who stopped to make sure everything was okay, and stayed until we all took to the road again. All four drivers were primarily concerned, and relieved, that we were all okay.