In the dimness of late evening, I followed an SUV on the left of a semi truck. Trouble was, the SUV had moved a bit to the left, apparently to create some extra space for passing; so it seemed to me. The lanes on Pacific Coast Hwy are not that wide. I don't know what the SUV did, but I high centered on a cement barrier that is all but invisible between the yellow painted lines. Thought I had mortally injured parts of my car!? WTF?! Yes, I said offensive things in the presence of my wife. I don't take any of them back. But I did say I was sorry that she had heard them. I had instantly hit the brakes upon hearing the grinding/ tearing sound coming from the bottom of my car. And I didn't move, except to leap out and cross the street and sit with my head in my hands, while police came; and somebody turned on my hazard lights; and people going east and west jinked this way and that to get around my stranded Stinger. Finally, a tow truck came. An "old school" type with a HOOK!? I woke up then and decided that it would be better to try first to move off the barrier, rather than let that maniac throw a hook on my car and drag it off!?? So that is what I did. Later, at the motel, I prepared myself for the worst and had a look. Not too bad! Just the cover under the engine got torn on the driver's side. There is a scrape along the larger cover toward the rear, but no tearing there. I didn't overreact. This is my Stinger, my favorite material thing. It is a special kind of pain when I do anything to hurt my car.
It wasn't my fault. But that just makes it all the more annoying, to be ambushed by what one does not see.