My bay is right next to the door to the shop foreman's office. This means that almost everyone who stops to speak to Brent for any reason parks right behind me. Such a vantage point often gives me some unique views. Take the ordinary 2007 Ford E150 Econoline van seen in this series of photos, for instance. I don't see anything unusual from this angle. I wonder what's up.

Oh my !

Well ok then ! I bet there's an interesting story here.

I saw the driver pull up outside my bay, which is quite common. What isn't common, however, is that he entered and exited the vehicle from the passenger side, the reason for which became quite obvious from the angle seen in the photo above.

I didn't hear the whole story. But I believe the driver encountered a door or ramp on a specialty trailer that was not secured properly. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time when something opened and/or came loose. The offending object was sturdy enough to, quite literally, slice the van open.

It looked like the parking lens, fender, and driver's door were all toast. A 2 inch gap between the body and door frame also appeared near the roof. The hood was untouched. But the body of the van immediately rearward of the door was not so lucky. Some damage to the inner body panels can also be seen.

The van has very low miles and is in really nice shape otherwise. But because it's an 8-model-year-old cargo van, there is some speculation as to whether or not the damage will exceed the value guidelines set by the state. Time will tell.