Auto wreck?

(I guess they do for death-in-the-family situations. But what about if you're on a road trip, and total your car? Do they offer a hardship discount in this situation?)

Specific case: Brother drives from Texas to Wyoming for Thanksgiving. Hits a patch of ice and totals his car. He and his wife are stranded in Wyoming. One-way car rentals are about $500. Last-minute one-way flights are about $400 per person. (No major hubs near the town, Sheridan.)

Any info? Advice? Thanks.

Not a chance.

You're kidding, right?

Hey, I simply HAVE to get some sun and warm weather. It's an emergency. Do I still have to pay the high last minute fare?

Sorry. Open your eyes a second.

Why do people believe the airline business owes them a discount because of their misfortune?

Even after a death.

Do car rental companies owe you a discount because your mother dies?
What about the hotel you have to stay in and the restaurants you must eat at?
Do they owe you something because of your misfortune?

The suit stores? Should they discount your suit for the wake?

Hello? Where does it end?

Priceline.

And bearevement (sp) fares are usually more expensive than regular fares.

Also, if your brother had decent insurance on his car he would get a rental car.

Well put Timothy!

You are either incredibly lazy, or you just don’t like your brother too much…

Here is an option for him. After you get fat and happy on Thanksgiving turkey you pile into the family car and drive to Denver, purchase a round trip ticket TODAY for Saturday departure to DFW on Frontier $205/person. Set the return date something like December 9th and never use it.

Or you could go to SLC, from there your poor brother can catch a number of different Frontier flights for $230 a person to DFW.

If you brother lives somewhere else in Texas then you will have to do the searching yourself. But at least you know he has options.

The above poster is correct decent car insurance should cover the cost of the rental car unless he is a total deadbeat and has no insurance. If he can't get a rental car tell him to take Greyhound.

They do have Greyhound service from Sheridan to anywhere in the US. One Way on the 26th from Sheridan to Dallas is $141 per person, discounts apply to advance ticket sales.

Greyhound.com

Maybe he's not that stupid or lazy.

I wanted to blast this guy too, but I took 5 minutes to do some research first.

Looks like in good weather Sheridan is about 13-hours from SLC by car. And about 6 hours from DEN by car. Checked the Wyoming highway reports, and the weather -- looks like they've got icy conditions. So these car travel times are probably way off.

OK, then I looked into flights for "wrecked". Sheridan has only one carrier into their regional airport. Guess what? Prices are outrageous, especially considering the holiday weekend.

So, what about the rental car and insurance? (BTW, I work in the insurance business.) I've got the best coverage offered in this country. But, the rental clause handles only a local rental. Not a one-way drop-off rental. His brother is SOL.

Assuming his/her brother could drive, he could bite the bullet and get a one-way rental on his own. So, I did some quick checking. Guess what? Sheridan has no national car rental firms.

This is starting to remind me of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles".

Hey "wrecked", I apologize for the rudeness of the previous posters. Us Fodorites are notorious for blasting people. Keep your chin up.

Dear hmmmmm,

A Denver drive is not too bad from Sheridan if done on Friday (for his brother to catch a Saturday flight as suggested) www.wyoroad.info. Current report shows slick to slick in spots. It says nothing about black ice along the I-95 coridor from Sheridan to Denver. Guess what that is just a fact of life in Wyoming so I am assuming wrecked can handle the driving conditions better than his southern brother.

Agreed, this is a long drive to make for his brother, but the other options are pretty much out of the question. So he is either a) lazy, for not wanting to make the drive to help out his brother who has fallen on hard times or b) doesn't like his brother very much to allow him to rent a car and wreck that one too because the Texan doesn't know how drive in "slick" conditions.

Wrecked, all things considered it could be a lot worse, and it looks to me like you have two cheaper options: by the roundtrip ticket out of Denver or take a Greyhound bus.

Please accept my apologies for being rude earlier.

(It's Monday, and I was also craving my coffee.)

Good luck to you.

Dang. Am I going to be shamed into apologizing too?

OK, I hate to do this, but her goes. I too am sorry for lambasting you "wrecked".

Your family is probably trying to recover from the car accident. Happy Holidays.

A little more information, then can we stop the attacks?

I'm the original poster, "wrecked". I'm a 73-year-old woman living in Wyoming. My 68-y.o. brother and his 67-y.o. wife were driving up here to be with me over Thanksgiving. (My husband died last month, and we wanted to be together.)

I do not drive anymore, so I am not able to drive my brother to Denver, Salt Lake City, or Texas.

My brother has a sprained arm, and is reluctant to make a long drive.

Go ahead, and call me "lazy", but don't tell me that I don't care about my brother.

Looks like some of you need some holiday spirit.

Good Bye.

Wrecked-Pay no attention to the nasties. They are pathetic people who are so miserable with their own lives they have to trash everyone else's.

I think Greyhoud is a good suggestion. Do they have Amtrack in your neck of the woods?? That might be another option.

Don't let the turkeys get you down...

You're a loser with no spine or intelligence for hijacking other people's fake names Whiners/Stupid/wrecked.

Pi$$ off with you and your mama too.

Just killing time here. But I'm no turkey.

Dont sell yourself short,Maryanne. You're a tremendous turkey.

Why does the age of the people involved have anything to do with this?

Well, my car insurance must be from another country, because it covers transportation back to my home if I have an accident away from home. I've only (luckily) used that once, and was reimbursed for a one-way rental back to my home.

Also, wrecked, I've often had to fly on very short because of "hardships"--illness in the family (my wife's family lives in Europe), and I've never presumed to asked the airlines for a break. It's just a part of life.